Industry-Leading Energy and Infrastructure Group Joins Winston & Strawn

NEW YORK – Winston & Strawn LLP is pleased to announce the addition of eight energy and infrastructure lawyers to the firm’s New York, Washington, D.C., and Houston offices. The highly experienced team consists of five partners and three of counsel who join from Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. Their arrival to Winston will enhance the firm’s transactional and regulatory capabilities in the electric power, oil and gas, commodities and infrastructure sectors.

The new Winston group focuses on advising clients on energy-related acquisitions and dispositions, project development, financings (including tax equity), public-private partnerships (PPPs), and energy trading. Several from this team have held senior leadership positions within the U.S. government, and have represented clients in energy and commodity-related investigations and regulatory proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). 

“We are excited by this opportunity to further grow our transactional and regulatory practice capabilities, and investing in the energy sector is a critical part of that vision. This highly accomplished team brings exceptional skills and deep industry knowledge to the practice,” said Tom Fitzgerald, Winston’s chairman. “Our ability to attract top-quality lawyers with strong market position underscores the firm’s value proposition.”

“We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of lawyers,” said Michael Elkin, the firm’s vice chairman. “The group adds significant depth to our already strong bench of energy transactional and regulatory practitioners with expanded capabilities in M&A, project finance, P3s, and FERC and CFTC enforcement.”

Members of the award-winning group are consistently ranked among leading lawyers by Chambers Global and Legal 500 USA for work across multiple practice areas, including mergers and acquisitions, project finance, tax, asset financing, and leasing. Since 2014, the group has been recognized by Chambers USA within the categories of Nationwide Projects: PPP and Energy: Electricity (Transactional), and in 2018 they were honored by IFLR1000 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC as the leading North American law firm for energy and oil and gas.  In 2017, the group was recognized with the Gold Award for Best Legal Advisor by P3 Bulletin at its P3 Awards.

The group includes partners who are widely regarded as among the market’s leading attorneys:

• A Chambers and Legal 500-ranked practitioner, Patrick Groomes is the former head of the Power and Alternative Energy practice and co-head of the Projects group at his prior firm. He served as in-house counsel at two independent power producers, including as acting in-house counsel for the trading arm of one during reorganization. Prior to becoming an attorney, he was an energy analyst and focused on various aspects of U.S. energy markets. Patrick’s diverse practice includes mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, financings, marketing and trading, and leasing in the energy and transportation sectors. Patrick also is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
• Michael Pikiel, Jr. served as head of his prior firm’s Infrastructure, Mining and Commodities group. His experience includes representing sponsors, developers, investors, lenders, and underwriters in a wide range of projects and complex finance transactions, including project financings and acquisition financings. Recognized by both Chambers Global and Legal 500, Mike is a frequent speaker on P3s.  Mike was also selected as a David Rockefeller Fellow for the Class of 2015-2016 by the Partnership for New York City, a business and civic leadership program established in 1989 as a tribute to the civic contributions of David Rockefeller.
• Michael Loesch held senior leadership positions at the CFTC and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) with more than 14 years of federal regulatory and legislative service. His roles included Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer at CFTC; Counsel to the Chairman and Branch Chief at the SEC; and Senior Counsel in the SEC’s Enforcement Division. He advises clients on commodities and securities enforcement and regulatory matters.
• Michael Yuffee was previously the head of the FERC regulatory practice at a leading international law firm. He is consistently recognized by Chambers and Legal 500 as a leading practitioner. Prior to entering private practice, Michael was an attorney-advisor in FERC’s Office of Administrative Law Judges, where he assisted in all aspects of electricity and natural gas rate proceedings, mergers, and utility restructuring.

Terry Arbit, Becky Limmer, and Brenda Hanzl join the firm as of counsel.

“Winston was very attractive to us because our capabilities and experience align closely with the firm’s vision for its energy and infrastructure practice,” commented Patrick Groomes. “Additionally, Winston’s recent successes in recruiting and integrating top-tier talent into the firm presents an exciting opportunity to our group. We look forward to contributing and collaborating with Winston’s existing energy team to provide our clients with an enhanced service offering.”

The arrival of this group marks Winston’s first major lateral acquisition of 2018. In 2017, the firm had a year of record growth bringing on the most lateral partners of any AmLaw 200 firm according to ALM Intelligence. Winston’s 73 lateral partners included 10 from Chadbourne & Parke, 12 from McDermott Will & Emery, and more than two dozen from various firms with the opening of the Dallas office.