People

Matthew Archer Partner

Houston

Matt's practice is centered on project development and mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) in the energy industry, with a particular focus on electric power and midstream projects. He regularly advises clients on the development, construction, operation, purchase and disposition of conventional power, renewable and midstream projects. His experience includes each stage, from early development, construction, offtake agreements, through commercial operation, financing, repowering and disposition. Matt also regularly represents clients in the development, structuring and construction of large natural gas pipeline, renewable and gas-fired power projects in Mexico.

Matt’s experience encompasses all manner of revenue and construction contracts; equipment supply and warranty agreements, long-term parts and services agreements; operating and maintenance agreements; electric interconnection and transmission agreements; fuel supply and transportation agreements; and ownership, joint venture and equity participation agreements.

Jonathan Ayre Partner

Houston

Jonathan represents companies driving the energy transition, including representing project developers in connection with engineering, procurement and construction agreements, solar module purchase agreements, transformer purchase agreements, and operation and maintenance agreements. He co-leads Orrick's nuclear power practice and has represented the purchaser in the first high-assay low-enriched uranium purchase agreement, as well as in numerous joint venture, engineering, procurement, and construction, and commercial agreements in the nuclear power industry. Chambers Global has reported, "He knows the industry very well and takes a commercial approach to help resolve differences with the counterparty. He has a good bedside manner and cooperates well with others,” and ”he's very resourceful and he approaches the energy and corporate sector with a true business sense." Jonathan was recognized in 2020 by Law 360 as an Energy Rising Star.

Jonathan is a recognized leader in cutting-edge transactions in oil and gas securitizations, representing the investors in the first oil and gas securitization, in the first operated property transaction, in the first transaction involving properties owned by the Bureau of Land Management, and in the first transaction using a master trust structure. He has worked on over $20 billion of oil and gas securitizations.

Jonathan is an active supporter of the Houston Symphony, serving as Chairman of the Houston Symphony's Finance Committee, as a Governing Director on the Houston Symphony Society's Board of Trustees, and as chair of the 2021 Houston Symphony's Wine Dinner and Collector's Auction. He serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Houston Men of Distinction Annual Awards Luncheon, an organization that recognizes Houston men who have distinguished themselves through excellence in community achievement, thereby providing support in superior biomedical research, education, and patient care in the Texas Medical Center.

Bradford Gathright Partner

Houston

He represents investors and developers in a broad range of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity investments and other commercial transactions involving the development, construction, financing, acquisition, sale and investment in power generation, exploration, production, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing and other energy-related projects and businesses.

Brad is recognized as Band 1 for Chambers Global and Chambers USA for Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional, where clients describe him as having "seen a lot of deals and is good at explaining complicated issues."

Giji John Partner

Houston; Singapore

He has extensive experience representing project sponsors through development (including through the negotiation and drafting of power purchase agreements and other long-term offtake agreements, physical and financial swaps, engineering, procurement and construction contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, management services agreements and site services agreements), acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures and financings. His representation has included transactions involving LNG facilities, methanol facilities, petrochemical refineries, carbon capture and sequestration facilities, natural gas processing and storage facilities, natural gas and CO2 pipelines, wind energy, solar energy, natural gas-fired peaking and combined-cycle power plants, thermal and battery energy storage, transportation, aviation and ports.

His prior experiences include a two year secondment to International Finance Corporation’s Office of General Counsel where he worked on multi-currency corporate financings, project financings and equity investments in infrastructure projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Turkey.

Giji is currently ranked as a Projects Leading Lawyer in Chambers Global and Chambers USA, and has been recognized for excellence by numerous leading industry and legal publications, including being named one of 34 "Groundbreaking lawyers" by Public Utilities Fortnightly.

Daniel Lee Counsel

Houston

He represents corporate buyers, project sponsors, developers, and financial institutions in the negotiation of a broad variety of agreements:

• Virtual and physical power purchase agreements, REC agreements, and other long-term offtake contracts for wind and solar;
• Joint ventures, acquisitions, and divestitures of renewable energy project equity and assets;
• Engineering, procurement, and construction agreements;
• Major equipment supply contracts; and
• Interconnection, site control, and other project development transactions.

In addition to project development, Daniel has assisted energy clients in environmental, energy regulatory, restructuring, and financing matters.

Prior to joining Orrick, Daniel was a Senior Counsel at Vestas Development and a Senior Associate in an international law firm’s energy practice group. In these roles, he negotiated transactions involving over 3.5 GWs of renewable energy projects in matters ranging from utility scale to community solar.

Blake Winburne Partner

Houston

Blake is recognized both nationally and globally by Chambers (Chambers USA and Chambers Global 2008-2024), including in Band 1 for Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional, Projects. Chambers sources report that he has "strong commercial acumen, executive presence and excellent, long-standing stature." Blake is also recognized in the "Hall of Fame" for Energy Transactions: Electric Power by Legal 500 and has been named one of the "world’s leading energy and natural resources lawyers" by Euromoney (2009-2020).

Blake advises clients on energy sector mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, and joint ventures, and on the development, structuring, and financing of large-scale energy projects in the United States and internationally. He regularly represents multinational energy companies, large private equity funds, project developers and sponsors, borrowers and debt issuers, investment banks, and other capital providers and investors in the energy industry.

Blake has significant experience in the electric power sector, including fossil fuel-fired, simple and combined-cycle and co-generation facilities, as well as wind, solar (central station and distributed), landfill gas, biomass and other renewable energy projects. He also represents clients in transactions involving oil, natural-gas and refined-products pipelines, gathering and processing systems and storage facilities (tank farms and underground), exploration and production investment platforms and operations, electric power and natural gas transmission and local distribution systems and alternative fuels production and marketing arrangements.