A&O Shearman strengthens U.S. energy and energy transition offering with two strategic partner hires

Paul is a market-leading advisor to institutional investors, banks, and other debt providers in a myriad of energy transition matters, notably renewables. He has decades of experience specializing in finance, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations with greenfield and brownfield projects, multi-tiered financing structures, and cross-border transactions. Paul has expertise in renewable energy companies and projects, gas-fired peakers, power plants, qualified facilities, hedged merchant wind and solar facilities, contracted solar facilities, energy projects, and project bond financings. Paul is based in Dallas, Texas, where A&O Shearman maintains a robust full-service practice, and also spends significant amounts of time in the Chicago market. 

Katy’s practice focuses on domestic renewable energy, in addition to solar asset-backed securities and structured finance in the solar commercial and industrial space. She has experience advising financial institutions, institutional investors, and developers across a range of transactions including project finance, acquisition and divestitures of infrastructure and energy assets, tax credit monetization, and workout agreements. Katy is based in Chicago, a critical U.S. business center, where A&O Shearman will be launching a presence commencing with these hires subject to requisite approvals.

“The addition of Paul and Katy is a major step forward for our market-leading energy and alternative energy practice and overall U.S. growth plans, and we are thrilled to be bolstering our capability in the Texas and Chicago markets as well,” said Adam Hakki, co-chair of the global Executive Committee and Board, and U.S. chair. 

Kent Rowey, global co-head of A&O Shearman’s Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure (ENRI) practice, said: “Energy transition is a central component to our global and U.S. ENRI strategy. We are fortunate to have Paul and Katy join our team and lead our efforts in this critically important sector. They are market leaders, and their addition enhances our energy offering in the U.S. and globally. We’re looking forward to welcoming them to the team.”  

“We are delighted to join A&O Shearman’s sophisticated and full-service Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure practice,” said partners Paul Astolfi and Katy McNeil. “We eagerly anticipate collaborating with the exceptional teams and clients, both within the region and globally.”  

With these hires, A&O Shearman has expanded core practice areas with 15 partner hires since the completion of the A&O Shearman merger on May 1, 2024. The addition of Paul and Katy brings the total number of partner hires in the U.S. to five.

Paul and Katy join from Mayer Brown.