Mayer Brown announced today that David K. Burton has joined the firm’s Tax Transactions & Consulting practice and Renewable Energy group as a partner in New York. Mr. Burton will serve as the leader of Mayer Brown’s Renewable Energy group for the New York office. Previously, he was a partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in New York.
“David is highly regarded for his decades of experience in handling a wide range of US tax matters, particularly those in the renewable energy, equipment leasing and asset-backed finance areas,” said Jason Bazar, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s Tax Transactions & Consulting practice. “The recent long-term extension of US renewable energy tax credits presents a critical market need for the sophisticated tax advice that David provides, and his counsel will be a boon to developers and other clients involved in wind and solar projects. His arrival reinforces Mayer Brown’s role as a leading advisor in the renewable energy space.”
“David is a prominent player in the US renewable energy space with significant experience in advising industry participants, particularly developers, on the tax aspects of the development and financing of renewable energy projects,” said Jeffrey Davis, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s Renewable Energy group. “His knowledge will add greater depth to the firm’s renewable energy offerings and contribute to the continued growth of Mayer Brown’s global Energy group.”
Mr. Burton has extensive experience in structuring tax-efficient transactions—such as sale-leasebacks, flip partnerships, pass-through leases and other structures—for the acquisition and financing of renewable energy assets. Earlier in his career, he was the managing director and senior tax counsel at GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS), one of the world’s leading investors in energy projects. At GE EFS, Mr. Burton oversaw all of the tax aspects for more than $21 billion in global energy projects, from structuring transactions to accounting for taxes to formulating tax policy initiatives. During his tenure at GE EFS, the division’s investments in wind, solar, hydro, biomass and geothermal power grew to $6 billion, making GE EFS the largest tax-advantaged energy investor in the US. Before joining GE EFS, Mr. Burton was a tax lawyer at GE Capital, where he primarily focused on aircraft and equipment leasing and financing and asset acquisitions.
“Mayer Brown’s strong reputation and deep bench in the renewable energy, projects, equipment leasing, asset-backed finance and tax controversy areas perfectly complement my experience and were key factors in my decision to join the firm,” said Mr. Burton. “Moreover, the prospects for the US renewable energy industry are bright, and I look forward to leveraging my skill set in this space to further diversify Mayer Brown’s global Energy offerings.”
Richard Spehr, partner-in-charge of Mayer Brown’s New York office, said: “David’s arrival will further enhance Mayer Brown’s presence in New York and around the world as a leader in the tax transactions and advisory space.”
Mr. Burton is a member of the tax committees of the Solar Energy Industry Association and the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association, and he has served on the tax committee of the American Wind Energy Association. He is a frequent speaker at renewable energy, equipment leasing and asset finance industry events and has published dozens of articles. Mr. Burton is a 2016 recipient of The Burton Awards’ “Distinguished Legal Writing Award,” an honor given to just 35 authors from the nation’s 1,000 largest law firms. Finally, he has been ranked in the Chambers USA guide in the category of “Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy.”
Source: www.mayerbrown.com
