People

Molly Jergenson Managing Associate

San Francisco

She advises clients on a wide range of transactions in the energy industry with a particular focus on renewable energy, including project acquisition, debt and tax equity financing, and development of solar, wind, and storage projects. 

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.

Craig Johnston Senior Associate

London

Craig counsels developers and investors on the real estate aspects of the acquisition, development, refinancing and sale of energy projects in England and Wales, including solar, wind, battery storage, gas and biomass projects. Craig has worked on more than 100 solar energy projects, ranging from 5MW to 30MW.

Craig also counsels clients on commercial property leases and on the real estate elements of corporate transactions.

Mariah T. Johnston Of Counsel

New York

She focuses her practice on the development of energy infrastructure, including liquefied natural gas terminals, natural gas pipelines and natural gas storage facilities, as well as related transactional and financing matters. She routinely advises companies on securing permits and authorizations for major energy projects and has significant experience with proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Gohshun Kawamura Of Counsel

Tokyo

He focuses on the development, acquisition and financing of solar, wind and other renewable energy projects in various regions of Japan. He has experience related to the FIT/FIP system and other laws and regulations related to the electric power industry, as well as negotiations with relevant government agencies, and the preparation and negotiations of related contracts.

In addition, he is involved in establishing schemes and negotiating contracts for the corporate PPAs of non-FIT renewable energy projects, as well as preparing on-site PPAs and general terms and conditions for electricity retailers.

He is the co-author of Orrick’s “Japan Renewables Alert".

Prior to joining Orrick Tokyo Office, he was an assistant judge at the Tokyo District Court and the Matsuyama District Court, where he gained experiences in a variety of cases, including civil, administrative and criminal matters.

Adam Kowis Partner

Houston

Adam has significant experience in transactions across the energy and infrastructure sectors, including in oil and gas, hydrogen and ammonia, carbon capture and storage, energy infrastructure, and core and core-plus infrastructure. He has advised clients across the full spectrum of energy and infrastructure assets, including upstream oil and gas assets, gathering and processing facilities, pipelines, carbon storage facilities, gas storage facilities, refined products terminals, toll roads, district energy systems, and water and waste facilities.

He regularly represents domestic and international energy companies, energy and infrastructure private equity funds, midstream companies, and industrial and environmental services companies, among others.

A. Cory Lankford Partner

Washington, D.C.

Recognized by Chambers USA, Legal 500, and Best Lawyers, clients praise his sophisticated regulatory expertise and ability to navigate complex challenges.

Cory's practice focuses on advising developers of renewable energy and battery storage projects, electric utilities, financial institutions, and corporations pursuing renewable energy goals.  He advises clients on their rights and responsibilities under the Federal Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and the Public Utility Holding Company Act.  In addition, he frequently represents clients in proceedings before FERC to obtain and maintain authorization to sell energy, capacity and ancillary services at negotiated or market-based rates and to purchase and sell direct or indirect ownership interests in energy projects.  Drawing from his broad energy regulatory experience, Cory also helps clients develop and implement compliance programs for FERC and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) requirements .

Before joining Orrick, Cory served in FERC's Office of the General Counsel, where he led numerous multidisciplinary teams in developing Commission orders addressing Regional Transmission Organizations, open access requirements, transmission, generator interconnection and qualifying facility certification.  His notable achievements include providing legal counsel on rulemakings to revise FERC's pro forma Open Access Transmission Tariff and in evaluating mandatory reliability standards proposed by NERC and its regional entities.  Cory also collaborated with staff at the U.S. Department of Energy to create the National Action Plan on Demand Response and its Implementation Proposal to Congress. 

Joe Lawlor Partner

Houston

He assists global energy companies, private equity funds, renewables developers, management teams, and integrated oil and gas companies with complex commercial transactions in the renewables and oil and gas industries. He represents his clients in connection with the development, repowering, acquisition, and divestiture of wind, solar and energy storage projects, the acquisition and divestiture of upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas projects, the formation of joint ventures, and other corporate governance and legal due diligence matters.

Grace Lentz Senior Associate

Houston

Grace advises clients on the successful execution of complex energy projects. She represents developers, sponsors and utilities in the development, acquisition and sale of energy assets, primarily renewable and conventional power technologies. 

Her practice spans the full project lifecycle, including engineering, procurement and construction, major equipment supply, and long-term offtake arrangements. She has significant experience in build-transfer transactions and supports clients through complex M&A and joint venture arrangements in the energy space.

Grace brings a practical, business-focused approach to every deal, helping clients manage risk and achieve their commercial goals in a dynamic sector.

Yves Lepage Partner

Paris

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.

Carl Lyon Partner

New York

He has long-standing relationships with a great number of utility clients that span many years and complex transactions, advising them on numerous taxable, tax-exempt, and tax-advantaged financings of all types for electric, gas, water and waste water projects and in restructuring and work-outs. These projects include five different nuclear plants, with financing through both the public capital market and through the U.S. Department of Energy.

Carl was one of the leaders in the development of joint action agencies among municipal utilities. He worked on legislation in 20 states to authorize their formation and testified before legislatures and legislative committees in many of these states. He drafted the first modern indenture for cooperative utilities which served as the model that is currently used by almost every generation and transmission cooperative. He worked with TVA in their exit from the Federal Financing Bank program in the 1980’s and in their financings since then. Carl worked with the major generation and transmission cooperatives that have exited the RUS program in structuring and financing their exit.

Carl has also worked with virtually every major investment banking firm and most major domestic and international banks.

Lisa Magged Partner

San Francisco

Lisa has significant experience in the renewable energy sector, including with respect to wind, solar (utility scale and distributed generation), storage, and waste to biofuel projects. 

She regularly represents project developers and investors in energy project finance transactions, including tax equity and debt financing, preferred equity financing, joint ventures, private placements, and a broad range of corporate matters.

Lisa is on the Board of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of WRISE (Women of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Industries), and also has an active pro bono immigration practice representing undocumented victims of crime in obtaining U visas.  Prior to practicing law, Lisa was a senior analyst with a policy consulting firm.