Renewable Energy Pro Jeff Chester Joins Greenberg Traurig in Los Angeles as Global Head of Energy Project Finance
LOS ANGELES: Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP continues to expand its Energy & Natural Resources Practice with the strategic addition of well-known and highly-respected project finance and renewable energy lawyer Jeffrey A. Chester as a shareholder in the Los Angeles office and the firm’s Global Head of Energy Project Finance. Mr. Chester joins the firm from Morrison Foerster where he headed up the firm’s renewable energy efforts.
Mr. Chester has deep experience handling transactions related to renewable energy, having closed more than 100 wind and solar power projects throughout the United States and Mexico. This includes representation of a developer in the negotiation of a 1,550 MW PPA with a California utility — the largest wind PPA ever signed.
“Jeff’s hiring demonstrates Greenberg Traurig’s commitment to expanding its energy project finance and project development capabilities and its Energy Practice as a whole. He brings a tremendous wealth of experience and strong relationships, particularly in the renewable energy sector; and we are excited to welcome him,” noted a joint statement from Kenneth M. Minesinger and William Garner, who co-chair the Energy & Natural Resources Practice. “Jeff has been centrally involved in the development of the equity, debt, and capital markets for renewable energy projects and represents developers, sponsors, lenders, and investors in a wide variety of energy finance transactions – his experience is truly impressive.”
“Our clients and their businesses stand to benefit from his knowledge and experience in the energy sector. We are proud to have the reputation and culture to attract top-tier practitioners, like Jeff,” said Los Angeles office Co-Managing Shareholders Gregory A. Fishman and Jeff E. Scott.
“I am proud to join Greenberg Traurig and its robust, highly-regarded team of energy attorneys,” Mr. Chester said. “I was drawn to the firm’s global platform, which I believe will serve my clients well and enable me to continue to grow my practice.”
Mr. Chester counsels a broad range of participants on renewable energy finance transactions involving construction and term debt, backleverage, tax equity (partnership flips and sale leasebacks), and private equity capital financings. Furthermore, Mr. Chester also regularly negotiates on behalf of clients in renewable energy development matters, including power purchase agreements, turbine and solar panel supply agreements, EPC agreements, hedges, and other off-take arrangements. Additionally, he assists clients in addressing an array of development issues including transmission and interconnection, real estate procurement, and environmental issues.
Since 2005, Mr. Chester has served as Chairman of Infocast’s Wind Power Finance & Investment Summit, an event focused on developments in wind power finance and the investment markets. In addition to his leadership of the summit, Mr. Chester frequently serves as a presenter or panelist for trade associations, industry conferences, and professional seminars. He is an active and respected member of the American Wind Energy Association.
Mr. Chester earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, cum laude, where he was editor of the Law Review, and his B.A. from Pennsylvania State University. He is acclaimed in Chambers USA as “one of the top dealmakers in California” and “a celebrated expert in renewable M&A.”
Other recent additions to Greenberg Traurig’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice include Of Counsel Thomas R. Brill, focusing on electricity and natural gas restructuring, and Alejandra Garcia Early, focusing on project finance and development; and Shareholders Rabeha Kamaluddin assisting clients in the energy regulatory arena, Nicole Silver and Tomas Leonard with an international arbitration focus, Katherine Ginzburg Treistman, who focuses on complex commercial litigation in the energy and other sectors, and Carlos Treistman who works with the practice on cross border transactions. The practice continues to increasingly receive recognition. It was ranked a Tier 1, National Energy Law Practice in US-News/Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms.” In 2019, the Legal 500 US guide recognized the firm in Energy Regulation: Conventional Power, while continuing to recommend the firm in Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas and Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas. Greenberg Traurig continues to be ranked in Chambers USA for Nationwide Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory & Litigation) category.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice: Greenberg Traurig’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice has broad transactional, regulatory, and litigation experience across many sectors of the energy industry, including oil and gas, LNG, electricity, coal, wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. The firm’s exceptional multi-office platform, including key offices in major energy centers, enables us to serve and implement legal strategies for energy clients throughout the U.S., and in international markets including Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,100 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Source: Greenberg Traurig, LLP
