Gilbert D. Porter

Gilbert Porter is co-chair of our Global Projects Practice Group and is a member of our Finance Practice Group and Energy Practice Group. Gil is known as a pioneer in handling innovative, “first-of-its-kind” international financial transactions. Lenders, borrowers, investors, and major sponsors engage Gil in a range of market-leading transactions, including developing new financial products to optimize accounting, advising on tax or bankruptcy considerations, constructing and financing infrastructure projects in difficult markets, deploying and financing new energy technologies, seeking novel financing solutions for large-dollar exposures or high-risk customers, considering large-scale multinational joint ventures in evolving markets or with novel technologies, or planning investments in emerging markets.

Clients benefit from Gil’s intimate understanding of regulated industries and financial products and markets. With 40 years of experience across a range of nations, industries, and investment/financing techniques, Gil is able to apply learnings from multiple sectors to match the specific objectives of the client. During his career, more than ten of his deals have been recognized as “Deals of the Year” by industry publications. His diverse areas of focus include:

• Project Finance – Gil is one of a small group of attorneys who established the modern project finance model in the early 1980s and continues to be a pioneer in its adaptation to modern infrastructure needs.
  • He has led more than 200 project development and finance transactions and has advised on hundreds of others in more than 30 U.S. states and more than 35 countries throughout the world.
  • Gil advises clients on the full lifecycle of projects, from early-stage development (including structuring of the special-purpose entity, EPC and construction contracts, feedstock and offtake contracts, and O&M agreements) and financing (including construction, Term Loan A and B financing, institutional and private investor debt, equity and mezzanine investments, strategic alliances, and international political risk insurance products).
  • He is responsible for multiple novel developments in the industry, including the much-used “common agreements,” “roll-up” facilities for multiple projects, and the design of synthetic lease products for the power industry.
• Financial Products / Corporate Solutions – Gil’s work for many years has included representing commercial and investment banks in the development of new financial products. More recently, he has done the same work for corporate clients, often in confidential and highly customized transactions. Many of Gil’s transactions have developed and established precedents for current financial products, including early derivatives and securitization models, tax-efficient and bankruptcy-optimized structures, equipment trust products, leasing and synthetic leasing products, production payment, second-lien and other market-leading energy finance transactions, equity monetization products and other products providing clients customized access to financial markets, monetizing unusual assets, and addressing unique challenges in overseas legal regimes.
  
  
• M&A, Joint Ventures and Emerging Markets - For more than 40 years, Gil has represented joint venture partners and other investors in complex domestic and cross-border investments and mergers and acquisitions, including complex workouts and cross-border investments in challenging emerging markets with the active use of international agency products and other political risk-mitigation tools.
  
  
• Mezzanine and Venture Financing - Early-stage technology companies and investors seek Gil’s counsel in a range of industries and early-stage investments, including renewable energy, biofuels, data storage, energy efficiency, and related industries.

Because of his skillset, Gil’s industry experience has been exceptionally broad, including:

• Fossil-fuel and nuclear power generation and related transmission facilities
• Renewables, including renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass), synthetic and biofuels, re-refined fuels and lubricants, and other emerging energy technologies
• Upstream, downstream, and midstream energy projects (including LNG and storage facilities), and other natural resource projects (including precious metals and rare earth minerals)
• Telecommunications, media, and network/data projects, including data centers and semiconductor manufacturing
• Public infrastructure, including roads, freight, and light rail; airport terminals; sports arenas; and water and wastewater facilities
• Private industry, including specialty chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and food processing, marine terminal and storage facilities, and industrial simulators.

Gil’s reputation as an innovator arose early in his career, when he developed a number of structured credit products, including unique products used to support the independent candidacy of John Anderson for President of the United States in 1980, to fund the emerging growth of the computer industry in the 1980s, and to develop and pioneer the project financing model that is now used by energy, power, and infrastructure developers in the United States and throughout the world.

Gil is AV® Peer Review Rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory and has been recognized as a leading attorney in the Banking Finance and Transactional Expert Guide (Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC) for several years. His group has also been recognized as a National Tier 1 (the highest available rating) in project finance Law practice in U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" multiple years, most recently in 2022. He was also recognized in the listing of Latin Lawyer 250, Law Business Research, Ltd., 2023-2024.

Gil is a frequent speaker on topics related to the projects and infrastructure industries and the banking sectors. He has served on the advisory boards of financial institution clients and on the boards of a number of prominent financial publications.

Selected Publications and Speeches

• "Cybersecurity Law & Practice for the Generalist," panelist, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, March 10, 2021.
• "The Impact of the U.S. Energy Revolution: From the Americas to Japan," speaker, Japan Society, December 5, 2018. Watch the video.

Professional and Community Activities

• American Bar Association
• Law Society of England and Wales