John Hamilton
Biography
John Hamilton is an associate in Baker McKenzie's Energy & Infrastructure Practice Group in San Francisco. He advises major US and multinational companies on a broad range of complex commercial legal matters, including project development, project finance, and mergers & acquisitions.
Prior to joining the Firm, John was in-house counsel and head of legal at a private equity-backed sustainable finance and asset management company, and in-house structured finance counsel for a publicly traded residential solar energy developer. John is also a veteran of the US Air Force.
Practice Focus
John Hamilton focuses on advising energy companies and investors in complex project development, project finance, and mergers & acquisitions transactions for energy and infrastructure projects. He has experience advising renewable energy developers, offtakers, and investors in projects related to the development, financing, and operation of wind, solar, geothermal, battery storage, and hydrogen energy projects.
John has deep experience advising companies in transactions for a wide range of project types, including in-front-of-meter utility scale, community solar, and behind-the-meter commercial & industrial and residential projects. He brings his experience from leading in-house legal functions to help clients achieve their business and legal objectives.
Representative Legal Matters
- Represented publicly traded renewable energy sponsor in establishing financing facilities representing more than USD 1 billion in committed capital collateralized by residential solar loans.
- Represented solar energy developer in creating back-levered tax equity facilities for the financing of residential solar leases and power purchase agreements.
- Represented renewable energy developer in the negotiation of numerous power purchase agreements and supply agreements in the development of the largest single-phase wind energy project in the US.
- Represented several solar energy developers in the negotiation of numerous power purchase agreements with regulated utilities and corporate energy purchasers.
- Represented offtaker (a California community choice aggregator) in numerous transactions for the purchase of power, capacity, and renewable energy certificates from wind, solar and storage projects.
- Represented geothermal energy developer in the negotiation of power purchase agreements with energy offtakers and corporate energy purchasers.
- Represented investment fund in the acquisition of a portfolio of operating and under development behind-the-meter solar energy projects.
- Represented energy developer in the acquisition of portfolios of operating and under development stand-alone energy storage projects in California and Texas.
- Represented sustainability financier and asset manager in the development of energy-as-a-service projects at a major international airport and privately-owned university.
- Represented lenders in construction loan and term loan financing of utility-scale wind, solar, storage and community solar projects.
Professional Honors
- SuperLawyers Rising Star (Northern California), 2021-2023
- Law360 Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, 2017
- John Hart Ely Prize for Outstanding Academic Performance in Contract Design, Stanford Law School, 2016
- John Hart Ely Prize for Outstanding Academic Performance in Environmental Justice, Stanford Law School, 2016
Professional Associations and Memberships
- California State Bar Association - Member
- Energy Bar Association - Member
Admissions
- California (2018)
Education
- Stanford Law School (JD) (2017)
- Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA) (2017)
- Norwich University (MA) (2012)
- Stanford University (BA) (2006)
Languages
- English