Minako has significant experience advising international and domestic sponsors and developers on complex and innovative projects. She was called upon by the Japanese government in structuring the renewable Feed-in-Tariff scheme in Japan and prepared the government’s model contracts for specific contracts (power purchase contract/interconnection contract), which are a key component of the Feed-in-Tariff scheme in Japan. Recently, she has also been handling numerous corporate PPA projects.
She was appointed as Auditor of the Japan Wind Power Association (JWPA) in May 2022.
Minako practiced at Orrick’s New York office in 2004-2005. She also worked as a public prosecutor in Japan for four years and served as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Supervising Committee for Public Bidding (Tokyo-to Nyusatsu Kanshi Iinkai) for eight years. She is serving as Audit of Veritas In Silico Inc since March 2022.
Jose DeJesus is a paralegal in the Finance Business Unit and the Public Finance practice group. He has participated in financings in which the firm has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and borrower counsel for various tax-exempt and taxable municipal and project financings. He works mainly for the Energy and Infrastructure Group. His duties include preliminary drafting of documents and UCC financing statements, preparation for and assisting with closings as well as post-closing matters. He has been with the firm since 1995 and has been working as a paralegal since 1984.
In recent years, Neil has worked extensively on transactions involving the acquisition and divestiture of both companies and assets, as well as the development and financing of renewable energy projects involving wind, solar, biomass and fuel cells, and on alternative fuels projects in the ethanol industry. He served as lead counsel for the sale of a large distributed solar, fuel cell and residential solar portfolio, named “2019 M&A Deal of the Year” by Power Finance & Risk Magazine. He has also worked extensively on the development and financing of conventional power generation facilities.
His corporate and financing experience has included representation of clients in syndicated bank financings, financings by multilateral and bilateral agencies, Rule 144A debt offerings, sale-leaseback financings, construction loans, formation of joint ventures and partnerships, equity investments, and the purchase and sale of equity interests in projects.
Internationally, Neil has represented sponsors of power projects and electric distribution companies in a number of countries including Brazil, Argentina, Jamaica, Honduras, Bangladesh, Nepal, Colombia, Turkey, the Dominican Republic and the People’s Republic of China.
Her work includes the structuring and negotiation of project development arrangements, early development oversight, BOP and EPC agreements, including for solar, wind, battery energy storage and high voltage facilities, equipment supply agreements (including warranty packages) for solar, wind and battery energy storage facilities, project financing, and project sale and acquisition agreements.
Over the past twenty years, Michelle has been active in renewable energy development, encompassing wind energy projects in the United States, Mexico, Europe, South America and Asia, solar energy projects in the United States, Mexico, Asia and South America and the formation and investment activities of energy investment funds. Michelle has also represented a wide range of clients in general corporate law, private equity, restructuring, share and asset purchases, structured financing, bank finance and leasing.
Recognized by Chambers as a notable practitioner in International projects, Energy and Africa, Yves is praised for his “very good sector experience and knowledge”, as well as his “enormous negotiating skills”. With 30 years' experience in PPP, international infrastructure projects and power industry projects, Yves regularly advises operators in both the public and private sectors, government entities and financial institutions for operations in Europe, Africa and Latin America. Recently, he has led a cross-border multidisciplinary team advising Actis, one of the largest and most active private equity firms operating in Africa, in its purchase of a majority interest in three power assets in Cameroon from Fortune 200 global power company AES Corporation.
Yves also has substantial experience in privatizations and acquisitions in France and internationally with companies whose main assets are infrastructure facilities. He notably advised VINCI Airports in connection with the acquisition of nine airports and three partial management contracts following acquisition of the airport portfolio held by Airports Worldwide.
Yves is a lawyer with the Paris Appeals Court and a member of the New York Bar. He was appointed as French Foreign Trade Advisor in 1996.
Kelly’s practice focuses on project development, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters with a particular focus on renewable energy infrastructure projects.
Prior to joining Orrick, Kelly practised for 5 years in local law firms in Singapore where she advised multi-national corporations and private companies on private M&A transactions as well as corporate and commercial agreements. Thereafter, Kelly served as Legal Counsel of a renewable energy infrastructure asset development platform. During that time, she was seconded to the company’s Australian offices where she was actively involved in advising on the projects in that region.
Tom’s practice has an emphasis on representing sponsors, developers, lenders and investors in a variety of energy and infrastructure financing transactions for both fossil fuel-fired and renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, energy storage, geothermal, landfill gas and biomass projects.
Tom has been recognized by Euromoney as one of the World’s Leading Project Finance Lawyers and one of the World’s Leading Energy and Natural Resources Lawyers, and he is listed as a leading financing lawyer in the International Financial Review. Tom has also been recognized by Chambers and the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers as one of the leading project finance lawyers in the U.S. and is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Project Finance Law.
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