Foley Adds Two Project Finance, Energy Partners in Washington, D.C.

Foley & Lardner announced today that Tom Hoffmann and Darin Lowder have joined the firm’s Business Law Department and Finance Practice Group as partners in its Washington, D.C. office, where they are also members of the firm’s Energy Industry Team.

Hoffmann and Lowder have worked closely together for years representing lenders, sponsors and investors in the energy space. They come to Foley from Ballard Spahr LLP, where Hoffmann was the co-practice leader of the firm’s Energy and Project Finance Group and Lowder was a partner focusing on energy, project finance, project development, and related tax and public sector financing tools.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tom and Darin to our team,” said John Eliason, co-chair of Foley’s Energy Industry Team. “They both have a tremendous reputation in the industry, both locally and nationally, and I’ve seen firsthand their impressive depth of knowledge in the energy sector contribute to client success. Darin and Tom’s addition further adds to our firm’s client-driven growth in a quickly evolving space.”

Hoffmann has nearly 35 years of experience advising lenders, developers and investors on energy industry transactions, including project development, investments, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. That includes matters related to project development and financing, investments, finance, and deal-making in both renewable and non-renewable energies and utilities. Before his time at Ballard Spahr, Hoffman was president of International Energy Partners LP, a development and investment company, where he led structuring of the first private project to use the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank’s commercial loan guaranty programs.

Lowder has counseled investors and lenders, developers and quasi-governmental sponsors on issues related to renewable energy and conventional generation for over a decade. He worked for companies in the real estate, financial services and nonprofit sectors before moving into law, and uses that institutional knowledge to counsel clients on projects ranging from solar photovoltaic systems for commercial and residential use to wind development, and biomass and biofuel development. Lowder represented several of the earliest U.S. tax equity and debt financings of community solar portfolios on behalf of developers and lenders.

“Darin and Tom’s combination of in-house and institutional knowledge enables them to offer clients advice grounded in real-world understanding,” said Scott Fredericksen, managing partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. “Their commitment to a team-focused approach and dedication to client service make them wonderful fits not only for our clients but also our Foley culture.”