International law firm McDermott Will & Emery welcomes Ben Cheatham to its energy & project finance practice as a partner in Washington, DC. Ben will work with clients leveraging the federal clean energy and other tax credits provided by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), an area in which McDermott is leading deal activity across the industry.

“Both early-stage renewable and large traditional energy clients are seeking opportunities related to the energy transition, and we expect heightened global activity within the sector,” said Harris Siskind, global head of McDermott’s Transactions Practice Group. “Ben has extensive experience in various complex tax aspects of mega-transactions and will help clients navigate the many tax-related benefits of the IRA, such as those for solar, wind, and hydrogen projects.”

Ben focuses his practice on US federal income tax matters in the renewable and transitional energy sectors. He advises clients on the financing, development, operation, acquisition, and disposition of energy projects, with a particular emphasis on investment and production tax credits, direct pay, and credit transfer transactions under the IRA. Ben also advises on compliance with the IRA’s prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.

In addition to regularly representing lenders, sponsors, and borrowers as tax counsel in various transactions, Ben also has experience advising clients under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and in litigation with the US Department of Justice.

Ben started his career at first-rate AmLaw 10 law firms before moving in-house as senior director and tax counsel at Invenergy, one of the United States’ largest renewable energy developers, for the past two years. In this role, he led renewables tax planning for the company and provided strategic guidance on IRA implementation and organizational tax matters.

“Joining McDermott is an exciting opportunity and a perfect fit,” said Ben. “Having worked closely with the tax equity leads at McDermott for the last two years, I will hit the ground running and I’m confident the existing synergies will benefit clients.”

McDermott’s energy & project finance team was the first to close a post-IRA tax credit transfer in January 2023 and has since closed more than 80 post-IRA tax credit transfer driven transactions.

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