McAfee & Taft Launches Renewable and Sustainable Energy Industry Group

McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm, has announced the formalization of its Renewable and Sustainable Energy Industry Group to counsel developers, producers and consumers with respect to this rapidly changing industry.  In addition to representing clients involved in renewable and sustainable energy projects such as wind power, ethanol and biodiesel, the multidisciplinary team assists business clients in developing more sustainable approaches to conventional energy.

The industry group is composed of lawyers from the firm’s environmental, real estate, commercial transactions, tax, corporate and securities, intellectual property, litigation and employment and benefits practice groups, and is co-chaired by shareholders Richard Riggs and Mary Ellen Ternes. 

“The firm has for some years provided a broad range of services to developers, investors, landowners, producers and consumers of alternative energy sources, particularly in the areas of wind power and biofuel production” said Riggs.  “As this work has expanded it only made sense to formalize an interdisciplinary group within the firm to take advantage of individual experiences and  to position the firm to deliver services to clients in this industry in a more strategic and efficient manner.”  The timing, he said, is especially important given the likely emergence of more strict standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and incentives to encourage use of alternative energy resources.

The firm’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Industry Group is structured to counsel developers, landowners, equipment manufacturers, producers and consumers of alternative energy on a wide range of business and legal matters, including project development and financing, lease negotiations between landowners and project developers, tax credits for renewable energy projects, carbon credits and carbon offsets, real estate and zoning issues, environmental permitting and compliance, business transactions and combinations, transactional due diligence, securities compliance, antitrust and competition matters, employment and workplace safety, litigation, and the procurement and enforcement of technology patents and other forms of intellectual property. 

“We will be keeping a particularly close eye on any new federal and state tax incentives and advising clients on how to best take advantage of them,” said Riggs.

The group also counsels clients on strategically addressing diversified energy strategies as one of many critical business issues.  “Heightened national concern about energy security and conservation, as well as climate change, has resulted in rapidly developing state and federal policies regarding energy production, distribution and consumption,” said Ternes, who holds leadership positions with the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and American Institute of Chemical Engineers and frequently provides continuing legal and policy education on issues relating to environmental climate change and renewable and sustainable energy. 

“With the formalization of this team, combined with our strong connections with industry leaders and experts, we’re well positioned to help clients adapt to the changing landscape,” she said.


McAfee & Taft is Oklahoma’s largest law firm and serves clients throughout the region and nationally in the areas of aviation, business law, business restructuring and bankruptcy, corporate and securities, employee benefits, entertainment law, environmental law, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, oil and gas, real estate and tax and family wealth.  The firm employs over 275 Oklahomans, including more than 145 attorneys, and has offices in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa.