Wilson Sonsini Hires Cleantech Partner

Chris Groobey has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a Washington, D.C.-based partner in the law firm’s energy and cleantech practice. He previously was with Baker & McKenzie.

PRESS RELEASE

 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Chris Groobey has become a partner at the firm. Based in the Washington, D.C., office, Groobey will focus on project finance, corporate finance, and merger and acquisition transactions involving the energy and clean technology industries. In addition, he will work closely with the firm’s government initiatives practice to help clients develop and execute their government-funding strategies.

“In recent years, renewable energy and clean technology has emerged as one of the world’s most innovative and promising fields and a critical part of the global economy,” said CEO Steven Bochner. “We are absolutely committed to meeting the evolving needs of our clients in this dynamic sector, and Chris’s hire is a natural extension of this growth. Widely recognized as one of the leading attorneys in the projects and energy arena, Chris brings the high-level project finance capabilities that clients increasingly are demanding as the industry matures. He will be a great complement to our already strong corporate finance and clean tech team, both on the East Coast and beyond.”

Groobey joins the firm from the Washington, D.C., office of Baker & McKenzie, where he was a partner and member of the North American and Global Steering Committees of the banking, finance, and major projects practice. He has particular expertise with respect to syndicated loan and debt capital market transactions; the development, financing, sale, and acquisition of domestic and international energy projects; and arranging capital for new and established energy companies. He has experience with all types of renewable energy technologies, including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and biogas power generation, first- and next-generation biofuels, and new technologies such as fuel cells, wave power, clean water, and agricultural products. During the course of his practice, he has represented energy and clean technology companies, private equity funds, investment banks, commercial banks, and multilateral agencies in transactions throughout the United States, Latin America, and Asia. Prior to joining Baker & McKenzie, Groobey had practiced law at Chadbourne & Parke’s Washington, D.C., and Houston offices and at Perkins Coie’s Washington, D.C., office. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1991 and received a B.A. from Hampshire College in 1987. Groobey has been recognized as a leading project finance lawyer by publications such as Chambers Global, the Legal 500, and Best Lawyers in America.

About Our Energy & Clean Technology Practice

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s energy and clean technology practice is built on the firm’s leadership in the fields of corporate law, intellectual property counseling and patents, venture capital finance, project finance, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, energy regulation, tax, and real estate and environmental law. Our attorneys counsel companies and entrepreneurs creating and commercializing clean technologies in a wide variety of industry segments, including renewable energy (such as wind, solar, ocean, biomass, biofuel, and geothermal); fuel cell, battery, and other energy-storage technologies; distributed power generation systems; software, sensors, and controls; and grid management/interface enhancements. Experienced in issues involving climate change and strategic carbon counseling, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati also helps its clients both mitigate risks posed by global climate change and to maximize opportunities created by the solutions to this issue.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s broad range of services and legal disciplines is focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities class action litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With long-standing roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin, New York, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C. For additional information, please visit www.wsgr.com.