Howard Margulis and Ellen Wolchek Bring Extensive Energy and Infrastructure Experience.
Foley announced today that Howard L. Margulis and Ellen C. Wolchek have joined the firm’s New York office as members of its Finance & Financial Institutions Practice and Energy Industry Team. Prior to joining Foley, Margulis and Wolchek practiced at Troutman Sanders LLP.
“Adding such an exceptional team of attorneys to our New York office continues our process of building around our high-end litigation and IP practices in New York by adding attorneys to other practices where Foley is already recognized as a leading firm nationally,” said Peter Wang, managing partner of Foley’s New York office. “Building upon Howard and Ellen’s arrival, we plan to continue opportunistically expanding our New York office in the near term.”
“As the energy sector, particularly alternative energy, continues to increase in both size and sophistication, the addition of these highly experienced attorneys solidifies Foley’s standing as a uniquely qualified law firm within this growing industry,” said Jim Tynion, chair of the firm’s Energy Industry Team. “Both of these high caliber attorneys bring a unique level of experience and perspective that will benefit clients whose legal needs are rapidly becoming more urgent and complex.”
Foley’s Energy Team has been nationally recognized by Chamber’s USA as a leading firm in the area of electrical energy, and is generally recognized as having one of the leading wind, solar and alternative energy legal practices in the U.S.
Margulis, who joins Foley as a partner, focuses his practice on the full spectrum of energy and infrastructure development law, including domestic and international mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, project, corporate and private equity financings and development matters, and competitive markets and technology applications. He represents leading investment and money-center banks, private equity fund managers, utilities, project developers, oil and gas companies, power marketers, telecommunications firms, infrastructure development firms and industrial and energy technology firms. He concentrates on structuring and negotiating energy, telecommunications and other infrastructure transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, project loans, capital market debt facilities, acquisition finance arrangements, private equity financings, stranded cost structured financings, risk management, hedging and energy commodity and capacity trading structures and energy and internet technology development.
Margulis has particular expertise relating to renewable energy matters, having negotiated and obtained approval on behalf of a client for a first-of-its-kind commercial-scale biomass gasification power plant and helped to develop one of the largest multi-offtaker solar power purchase agreements in the United States. He was a principal draftsman of New Jersey’s electric utility restructuring and stranded cost recovery legislation and has been involved in similar legislation in several other states. Prior to Troutman Sanders, Margulis was a member of the Energy Law Practice Group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Wolchek, senior counsel with Foley, focuses her practice on energy and infrastructure law matters, acting for both lenders and sponsors. She has represented mid-stream oil and gas producers, shippers, pipeline operators and storage facilities in connection with the acquisition of pipeline and LDC assets, as well as energy private equity firms in connection with private placement funding for investments in upstream, mineral rights and renewable energy companies.
Foley & Lardner LLP continually evolves to meet the changing legal needs of our clients. Our team-based approach, proprietary client service technology, and practice depth enhance client relationships while seeing clients through their most complex legal challenges. The BTI Consulting Group (Wellesley, Massachusetts) recently recognized Foley as one of the top four law firms shaping the U.S. legal market, while CIO magazine has named Foley to its CIO 100 list six times for our client-focused technology. With more than 1,000 attorneys in 21 offices and more than 50 practices, count on Foley for high-caliber business and legal insight.
