Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP today announced that Sam Saunders has joined as a Partner in the Banking and Credit Practice in New York.
Sam focuses on the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects and businesses. He has experience across the lifecycle of energy and infrastructure development and finance—from early-stage joint ventures, project development and construction to project portfolio acquisition financings, as well as restructuring and bankruptcy matters. Sam joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
“Sam’s deep experience in banking and credit as well as energy and infrastructure directly overlaps with sectors where we are actively expanding. As sponsor and strategic clients increasingly invest in these areas, his arrival will enhance our ability to provide sophisticated, market-leading advice as investors navigate complex financing matters,” said Brian Steinhardt, Co-Head of Simpson Thacher’s Banking and Credit Practice.
“As we continue to see an increase in large-scale energy and infrastructure financings, Sam’s experience strengthens our ability to advise clients across all key energy and infrastructure markets on their most complex matters. His market knowledge, technical skill and legal acumen will be an immediate asset to clients,” said Matt Einbinder, Partner in the Firm’s Energy and Infrastructure Practice and Co-Managing Partner of its Houston office.
Sam’s clients include both private equity and strategic investors as well as developers and lenders across a diverse portfolio of financings, including commercial bank facilities, private credit, private placements (144A and 4(a)2 notes), ECA, MLA and Department of Energy financings, mezzanine and borrowing base facilities, tax credit monetizations, structured and common equity. He has advised on a wide range of U.S. and international projects, including renewable power (solar, onshore and offshore wind), battery storage, EVs, CCUS, hydrogen, data centers, towers, fiber, conventional power, manufacturing, transmission, RNG, LNG, pipelines, petrochemicals and mining.
“I’m thrilled to join Simpson Thacher and work with my new colleagues across New York, Houston and other offices,” said Sam. “The Firm’s deep experience in the banking and credit landscape—particularly in developing innovative financing and development structures—provides an exciting platform for me to grow my practice and help clients across the evolving energy and infrastructure space.”
Clients rely on Simpson Thacher’s market-leading Banking and Credit Practice for advice on an array of complex credit transactions and financial instruments at all levels of the corporate capital structure. Top-ranked by Chambers USA for banking and finance, the team advises on alternative lending (including direct lending), acquisition finance (including bridge financing), leveraged finance, investment grade finance, fund finance and infrastructure finance. The team has advised on more than $1.8 trillion in banking transactions over the past five years. Simpson Thacher’s Energy and Infrastructure Practice advises a broad range of clients, including funds and corporates, through all stages of the investment cycle within the energy and infrastructure sector.
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