January 11, 2024
New York, NY, January 11, 2024 -- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that energy finance and transactions attorney Dale Smith has joined the Firm as a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department. He is based in the Firm’s Houston office.
Dale is an experienced project development and finance attorney who has represented energy industry clients in a broad range of transactions across the sector, including upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas, renewable energy, power and energy finance deals. He is the seventh lateral partner addition to Willkie’s multi-office energy team in the past year. Energy attorneys Sarah McLean, Tony Johnston and Tan Lu have separately joined Willkie’s Houston team in recent months. In October, a three-partner renewable transactions team – Eric Pogue, Amanda Rosenberg and Samantha Leavitt – joined the Firm’s New York and Los Angeles offices.
“Dale’s addition further expands the energy transactional platform we’ve been building in Texas and across the country with our several partner additions this past year,” said Archie Fallon, Managing Partner of the Houston office.
Global Chair of Power & Renewable Energy Eric Pogue added: “Dale has tremendous experience advising on complex commercial transactions for both conventional and renewable energy clients, as well as energy financing arrangements – he has a truly unique skill set that will substantially benefit our U.S. and global clients.”
With more than 25 years of energy sector experience, Dale’s practice is focused on energy and energy finance transactions. He advises both lenders and borrowers in secured and unsecured credit transactions, including asset-based financings, acquisition and project financings, syndicated and structured financings (including tax equity), borrowing base facilities, letter of credit facilities, working capital facilities, workouts, restructurings, and DIP and bankruptcy exit financings. He guides clients on the development and commercialization of renewable power generation facilities, hydrogen and ammonia facilities, carbon capture projects, and hydrocarbon facilities across the value chain, including gathering, processing, fractionation, transportation and storage facilities. Dale was most recently a partner at Mayer Brown. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he worked in the electric and gas utility industry as an analyst for Entergy. He currently serves on the Institute for Energy Law Advisory Board.
Dale commented: “Willkie’s dynamic Texas platform and growing national and international energy capabilities are a great fit for my practice and I’m delighted to be a part of that growth. I look forward to working with the talented attorneys here to expand our transactional offerings to best serve the needs of our clients.”
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 13 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 45 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.
