People

Trudie Makens Managing Associate

Austin

Trudie focuses her practice on project financing, joint ventures and project development in the renewable energy sector. Trudie represents clients in a wide variety of transactions, including debt and tax equity financing, joint ventures, project development matters, and project acquisitions and sales.

Colleen McDuffie Partner

Washington, D.C.

She brings a deep understanding of what drives innovative companies and a market reputation for efficiently and effectively getting intellectual property transactions and other complex commercial deals done.

Colleen counsels companies at all stages, from startups to Fortune 100, on the technology license and development agreements that drive their businesses, the strategic alliances that grow their industry relationships, and any other technology- and IP-driven agreements that are needed so companies can meet their business goals.

Colleen has extensive experience drafting and negotiating a wide variety of complex commercial agreements, including: intellectual property and data licenses; software development and license agreements; IT-focused services agreements, including consulting, development, hosting, and various “as-a-service” agreements; manufacturing and distribution agreements; joint venture and joint development agreements; and technology and intellectual property acquisition and disposition agreements. She also provides advice in connection with intellectual property and technology matters attendant to M&A and other corporate transactions.

She brings deep experience in the mobility technologies space, from connected vehicles and their supporting IT platforms to clean fuel technologies. She also has extensive experience in semiconductor design and fabrication, satellites and space technologies, telecommunications, and adtech.

Colleen has been involved in numerous pro bono activities, including: volunteering with voting rights and voter protection organizations; advising Georgetown’s Halcyon House social entrepreneurship fellows on intellectual property matters; hosting a start-up IP licensing webinar; and drafting and negotiating agreements for a PSA supporting equal wages for women.

Before becoming an attorney, Colleen spent several years working as a computer hardware and software engineer and performing research at a scientific think tank.

Christopher Moore Partner

New York

His practice focuses on financing renewable energy projects with a particular emphasis on tax equity transactions with and without construction and back-leverage debt. Chris's experience includes structuring and documenting tax equity transactions (e.g., disproportionate partnership flip and other structures utilizing PTCs and ITC), a wide variety of debt financings (including construction, back-leverage, holdco, and other types of portfolio financings) and leasing transactions (both single investor and leverage leases).

With more than 25 years in the energy and power sector and over 20 years in the renewables market, Chris represents many of the leading and most active players in the renewable sector and the power market generally. Having been across the table from almost all the tax equity and debt participants in the renewables market, Chris’s deep understanding of their motivations and objectives enables him to anticipate their concerns. While Chris typically represents sponsors, developers and strategic investors, he has also represented public power authorities, electric cooperatives and other types of investors.

Matthew Neuringer Partner

New York

Matthew is recognized nationally and globally by Chambers USA, where clients describe him as “smart, organized and responsive and offers really good insight on key issues” and “he is an encyclopedia of PPP and he does an excellent job of leading tricky conversations and getting to a point where all parties agree.”

Prior to practicing law, Matthew worked as a hedge fund analyst and chief of staff in New York State government. Matthew's prior experience in finance and government enhances his ability to deliver legal advice through a commercial lens for private and public sector clients. Matthew has advised clients across a full spectrum of energy and infrastructure assets, including telecoms, rail, highways, airport, intermodal transit, combined heat and power, social infrastructure, and waste to energy. In Matthew's capacity as outside counsel to the Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure (AIAI) Matthew has also provided input on various key pieces of federal, state and local governments on the sufficiency of their laws to produce P3 projects in their jurisdictions.

Seth Norris Managing Associate

Washington, D.C.

Prior to Orrick, Seth worked as a legal intern for the Beijing office of the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he conducted research on international environmental permitting standards, and as a consultant for a Boston-based energy & infrastructure holding company, where he advised on globalization and work force optimization strategies for a wind turbine services business.

David O'Donovan Managing Associate

London

David's experience primarily includes renewable energy projects (onshore and offshore wind, solar PV, energy-from-waste and green hydrogen) and other energy transition projects (including carbon capture, utilisation and storage) with a particular focus on M&A, joint ventures and project development. He also has experience advising on governance, regulatory and ESG-related matters.

Amy Padgett Partner

Washington, D.C.

She represents leading sponsors, developers, investors and electric utilities in cash equity and tax equity financings, joint ventures, M&A, private placements and a broad range of corporate matters for renewables projects across the United States and Canada.

Michelle Pichardo Managing Associate

Houston

Michelle focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, project development and general corporate matters for clients in the oil and gas and renewable energy industries.

Wolfram Pohl Partner

San Francisco

Wolf represents many of the country’s most prominent developers and financing parties in structuring transactions to take advantage of tax credits, Treasury cash grants, depreciation benefits, and other available tax benefits. He has represented developers and tax equity investors in financings of both wind and solar projects, as well as on tax planning for energy storage, carbon capture, and carbon sequestration projects. 

Joe Roger Partner

Houston

As global demand for energy continues to rise and governments, investors and consumers continue to support the decarbonization of the energy industry, Joe has developed a particular focus on advising large multinational energy companies on energy transition issues, including in connection with investment in hydrogen, ammonia, carbon capture and storage, and renewable energy projects and innovations in conventional energy. Joe is a key member of Orrick’s energy transition practice, which was recognized as Band 1 in Energy Transition by Chambers USA (2023-2024).

Joe is recognized by Chambers Global (2023-2024), Chambers USA (2021-2024), The Legal 500 (2018-2024) and Super Lawyers - Rising Stars (2014-2021) for his work on energy transactions. Clients describe him in Chambers as “very responsive, knowledgeable, easy to work with and business-minded” and a “capable and thoughtful transaction leader with a commercial mindset.”

Rohit Sachdev Partner

San Francisco

Rohit has extensive experience in the solar, wind, energy storage, and biofuel sectors, and has advised on numerous award-winning transactions. He is recognized by Chambers USA and Chambers Global in the Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy category. Rohit’s clients describe him as “excellent,” “knowledgeable,” “timely in his work,” “commercially-oriented,” “very plugged into the market” with a “great demeanor."

In recent years, Rohit's practice has focused particularly on project development and project M&A transactions. He has successfully negotiated many GWs of "physical" and "virtual" PPAs and tolling agreements, as well as a variety of construction, supply and other development arrangements. Rohit has also represented clients on the purchase and sale of renewables projects in various U.S. jurisdictions, as well as joint venture and other project asset arrangements. He has particularly focused on the development, financing and sale of domestic and international energy storage projects, including stand-alone, hybrid, front-of-meter and behind-the-meter projects.

Rohit co-leads Orrick’s South Asian Inclusion Network and served as a Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

He started his legal career at an international law firm in New York, where he focused on project development and project finance transactions across the globe. Prior to law and business schools, Rohit was an investment banking analyst at Credit Suisse in San Francisco where he provided M&A and financial advisory services to technology companies in Silicon Valley.

Kristin Seeger Partner

San Francisco

Her experience spans projects across the United States and Canada and includes award-winning transactions. She is recognized nationally as Chambers USA Band 2 for Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional (2024) and as a Leading Lawyer: Energy-Renewable/Alternative Power by Legal 500.  Clients describe her as "very knowledgeable" with a "great sense of being practical and understanding what the drivers are on either side of the table." Kristin is a key member of Orrick's energy transition practice, which was recognized as Band 1 in Energy Transition by Chambers USA (2024).