Chadbourne & Parke Names Eli Katz as Tax Counsel in Project Finance Practice

Brings Experience in Renewable Energy Investments, a Growth Area for the Firm

NEW YORK, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The international law Firm of Chadbourne
& Parke LLP announced today that Eli Katz has joined the Firm as a tax counsel
in the project finance and tax practices. The move reflects the continued
growth of the renewable energy practice at Chadbourne.
"Eli is an outstanding attorney with deep knowledge of the tax aspects of
renewable energy, one of the fastest growing segments of Chadbourne's project
finance practice," said Managing Partner Charles K. O'Neill. "His experience
in industry and legal practice will enhance our ability to provide clients
with well-informed legal and business guidance."
Mr. Katz, 35, is joining Chadbourne's New York office from General
Electric, where he held various tax leadership positions over the past three
and a half years, most recently as Vice President-Tax Planning and Counsel for
GE's Energy Financial Services business. He was involved in renewable energy
project finance investments, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and
biofuels, and also managed a variety of energy asset acquisitions and
dispositions.
Prior to joining GE, Mr. Katz was a tax associate in the New York office
of Hunton & Williams LLP, where he focused on cross-border and domestic
structured financings and privatizations of infrastructure projects and
transportation equipment, such as power plants, electricity grids, rail
equipment and aircraft.
"Eli is a great addition to our team with his experience in tax equity
financings for renewable energy projects, new markets tax credits, complicated
leasing transactions and other forms of structured finance," said Keith
Martin, a tax partner with whom Mr. Katz will be working in the project
finance group. "He saw a lot of deals while at GE, which is a market leader
in the renewable energy sector. He is also an able and gracious individual."
Chadbourne's project finance group is a high-profile name in the energy
sector. Over the past two years, half of the group's work has involved
renewable energy. The experience covers major areas of renewables, including
wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, landfill gas, biomass and ocean
energy. The group's expansion comes at a time of growth in this marketplace,
as wind farms accounted for 35% of all new generating capacity in the U.S.
last year and M&A is reshaping the industry.
Chadbourne has worked with most of the major U.S. wind developers. Most
renewable energy projects in the United States are heavily subsidized through
the U.S. tax code. As a consequence, most such projects are financed in
complicated "partnership flip" transactions that convert the tax benefits into
capital that can be used to build the projects. There were 19 such
transactions in 2007 in the U.S. wind market; Chadbourne acted as counsel in
17 of them. Mr. Martin noted, "Eli will be of immediate help to Chadbourne
deal teams working in this market."
Mr. Katz holds a B.S. in accounting from Touro College, a J.D. from
Fordham University School of Law, and an LL.M. in taxation from New York
University School of Law.
About Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New
York City, provides a full range of legal services, including mergers and
acquisitions, securities, project finance, private funds, corporate finance,
energy, communications and technology, commercial and products liability
litigation, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, special
investigations and litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and
international tax, insurance and reinsurance, environmental, real estate,
bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and
estates and government contract matters. Major geographical areas of
concentration include Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS, the
Middle East and Latin America. The Firm has offices in New York, Washington,
DC, Los Angeles, Houston, Mexico City, London (a multinational partnership),
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Kyiv, Almaty, Dubai and Beijing. For
additional information, visit www.chadbourne.com.
SOURCE Chadbourne & Parke LLP

Charles K. O'Neill, Managing Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP, +1-212-408-5365,
co'neill@chadbourne.com, or Media, Andrew Blum, Media Relations Manager,
+1-212-728-4519, ablum@chadbourne.com