Addition of Ellen Bastier & 13-Member Team Generates Bicoastal Power
For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201-493-1027
(November 12, 2008, San Francisco) –Reed Smith LLP, one of the 15 largest law firms in the world, experienced a power surge today, with the addition of a 14-member group from Thelen, headed by renewable energy law pioneer Ellen L. Bastier.
New partners Bastier, Edward G. Rogan, Paul C. Lacourciere, Donald G. Ousterhout and David V. Biesemeyer, new counsel, James Lee and five new associates join Reed Smith’s San Francisco office, new partners Robert M. Vilter and Eli R. Mattioli join the firm’s New York office and Elizabeth Quirk joins as Counsel in the firm’s Princeton office.
“This expansion provides critical mass to Reed Smith’s renewable energy practice, which has had deep bench strength in Chicago, Princeton and Los Angeles for more than a decade,” said Eugene Tillman, Reed Smith’s Global Head of Legal Personnel. “Ellen and her colleagues are a top-notch team that bring us a wealth of expertise in this field, with an emphasis on achievable alternative energy solutions.”
Bastier has been involved in the renewable energy sector for 20 years, working in the wind energy arena since its infancy. Members of the team regularly represent manufacturers and distributors of technology across a broad span of transactions, including assisting domestic and foreign entities with the development, construction, and ownership of projects, equipment sales, debt and equity financings, and project and company acquisitions and dispositions. They have negotiated hundreds of commercial agreements relating to all aspects of energy projects from equipment supply contracts, to construction agreements, to project real estate development agreements and ground leases, and credit support documents.
“Reed Smith’s global footprint was a decisive factor in our desire to join the firm. We were also struck by the firm’s commitment to growing high quality practices,” said Ms. Bastier. “The camaraderie and enthusiasm of the people we met also strongly influenced our decision to come to the firm.”
Among Bastier’s clients is the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines, which she represents in connection with the sale, financing, construction and operation of wind power plants in the U.S and around the world. She also serves as general outside counsel for that firm, overseeing work in other practice areas, including commercial litigation, international tax, intellectual property, product liability counseling, foreign currency trade letters of credit, transportation contracts and employment advice. The manufacturer is currently expanding into Asia, where Reed Smith’s offices in Hong Kong and Beijing will be of significant benefit.
“I’ve known and admired Ellen for nearly two decades. I had the pleasure of working on a geothermal project alongside her, on an almost daily basis for three years. Her knowledge and work ethic made a very positive impression on me,” said David Thompson, Managing Partner of Reed Smith’s San Francisco office. “This is a solid, high quality group that has practiced together a long time. We’re happy to be adding their strength to ours in the hot and rapidly expanding area of renewable energy.”
The members of Bastier’s team bolster Reed Smith’s renewable energy capabilities on the East and West Coasts. Rogan and Ousterhout focus on project finance and traditional transactional work; Vilter’s practice emphasizes commercial finance; Lacourciere handles both California energy regulatory, solar and transactional work; Biesmeyer has expertise in equipment leasing; and Mattioli focuses on commercial litigation.
Other members of Bastier’s San Francisco-based team include associates Michael Eden, Ashlee Bonds, Ann Elling, Kurshid Khoja and James Hazlehurst.
The new team also brings a robust solar energy practice to Reed Smith, handling matters for a range of clients including panel manufacturers, installers, banks and institutional investors, and distributed solar and central stations projects. In addition to solar, the team regularly represents clients in the biodiesel and ethanol sectors.
Reed Smith has long represented major independent and utility-owned entities in the development of wind, solar and geothermal power production and transmission facilities throughout the United States. Its Energy/Project Finance Group has an unusually strong background in renewable energy, including representation of many of the first movers in the wind, geothermal and solar power sectors for matters that span industry development, financing and operations. Many of the Group’s clients have undertaken transactions with unregulated affiliates of investor-owned utilities, foreign and domestic funds, and tax-oriented investors. During the past few years, its lawyers have completed more than 30 domestic and foreign renewable energy transactions involving more than 4,600 MW of power and capital commitments in excess of $6.2 billion.
The production and investment tax credits included in the recent federal financial rescue plan provide impetus to the renewable energy sector, and the extension of tax credits for the solar sector is expected to help renewables gain ground in the overall energy market.
“Renewable energy is the energy of the future, not only for the U.S., but for the increasingly interconnected and oil-strapped global community,” said John Iino, firmwide co chair of the Corporate & Securities Group which includes the firm’s energy team. “With the entire world seeking new energy solutions, Reed Smith is confident our expanded Renewable Energy Practice is ready to play a key role in meeting this demand.”
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 24 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its attorneys provide litigation services in multi-jurisdictional matters and other high stake disputes, deliver regulatory counsel, and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising and media, shipping, international trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com
