Overview
Lynn Parins is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s Finance & Financial Institutions Practice and Energy Sector. Lynn is a co-lead of the Electrified Mobility and Infrastructure team, and is also a member of both the firm’s Renewables and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) teams. His practice focuses on the intersection of finance, clean infrastructure and renewable energy development, as he assists sponsors, developers and investors to navigate the project financing of predominantly solar, wind, energy efficiency, EV charging infrastructure and other sustainability improvements to the built environment. Lynn has extensive experience leading clients through complex credit and project development structures for large renewables projects involving critical development and financing milestones. His project finance experience also extends to early stage project development issues, including negotiating and structuring construction, procurement, land acquisition and shared facilities agreements. Lynn also regularly represents tax equity investors in renewables project financings.
In addition to his project finance experience, Lynn regularly represents clients in the buying and selling of renewables projects. He has worked with clients buying and selling projects at every stage of the project life-cycle, from sale at early stage development, sale at full-notice-to-proceed, sale post notice-to-proceed and pre-operation and sale post-operation. In many cases, his work in the sales and acquisitions of projects is coupled with project financing. Lynn also assists clients negotiate joint venture and joint investment structures focused on the full suite of technologies and services that come up in his sustainability practice.
Prior to law school, Lynn handled the expansion initiative of the international nonprofit AIESEC to the Sultanate of Oman, where he managed relationships with government and business leaders. Upon his return, he worked in trade association management in Madison, Wisconsin. His prior experience positions Lynn advised government, lending and building owner clients interested in renewable energy and energy efficiency finance.
Representative Experience
- Acted as sponsor counsel for a 300 MWac solar and 600 MWh battery storage project in New Mexico involving nearly $1 billion in combined capital commitments
- Worked as sponsor counsel for a portfolio of six projects in Utah and Michigan of over 600 MWac involving nearly $1 billion in combined capital commitments
- Acted as sponsor counsel in the financing of a 239 MW, three-phase solar project in Michigan involving over $160 million in tax equity commitments and $380,000 million in debt financing
- Advised developer in the sale of a 4 GW development-phase project portfolio
- Advised a PACE capital provider with respect to a $13 million PACE financing for a mixed-use development in downtown Detroit
- Worked on behalf of a developer of over 200 MW in community solar projects in financings involving over $100 million in tax equity commitments and $200 million in debt
- Counseled a tax equity investor on investments of over $60 million for over 100 MWs in New York community solar projects
- Advised a tax equity investor on a $56 million commitment for a 100 MW utility scale solar portfolio in Nevada
- Advised strategic investor in the acquisition of a multi-facility district energy system
- Acted as bond counsel for a conduit bond issuer in a private placement of nearly $10 million in bonds secured by a PACE lien
- Acted as PACE program counsel for $8.75 million PACE financing for a hotel redevelopment in Wisconsin
- Worked as part of the team that design and implemented the PACE Wisconsin program for counties across Wisconsin
- Worked on PACE authorizing legislation, program and bond documentation and general program for PACE programs in Illinois
- Acted as issuer's counsel for a conduit bond issuer for separate securitizations involving PACE loans made in Connecticut and Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds made in New York
- Assisted with the placement of close to $200 million in sponsor equity investments in over 150 MWs of utility-scale solar projects in California and North Carolina
- Acted as sponsor counsel for the acquisition and development of utility scale projects in Oregon and North Carolina, including term debt financing and tax equity financing
- Acted as sponsor counsel for the acquisition, debt and tax equity financing of a 200 MW solar project in Southern California with over $500 million in capital invested
- Assisted with private placement debt financings, including rated and non-rated, collectively over $100 million and secured by 200 MW of solar project assets in California and Nevada
Presentations & Publications
- Panelist, “Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing in the Upper Midwest, SEIA and SEPA,” PV Conference & Expo –Chicago (November 2016)
- Moderator, “Trends in Renewable Financing, Solar Power Midwest by SEIA,” (November 2019)
- Panelist, “Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing Underwriting and Closing Process,” PACENation Summit (May 2020)
- Panelist, “Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Interparty Issues in a Financing,” PACENation Summit (June 2021)
- Panelist, “Energy Decarbonization Objectives, Opportunities, and Obstacles,” Wisconsin Public Utilities Institute Public Utilities Law Update (March 2022)
Education
Lynn earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 2013), where he was named to the Order of the Coif. Lynn acted as the student director for the Energy and Environmental Sustainability Clinic, where he oversaw the Clinic’s client relationship with the City of Minneapolis Sustainability Office. He was also a member of the Minnesota Journal of International Law. Lynn received his undergraduate degree with a major in international economy and a minor in business from the University of Wisconsin—Madison (B.S., with distinction, 2007).
Admissions & Professional Memberships
- Wisconsin
- Member, PACE Nation
- Member, State Bar of Wisconsin