John Leonti is a senior attorney at Troutman Sanders LLP and a member of the Firm’s Project Development and Finance Group. Mr. Leonti concentrates his practice on financial transactions with an emphasis on over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives. He advises financial institutions, corporations, private investment funds and individual investors on the structuring, negotiation, documentation, and execution of OTC derivatives transactions with a particular focus on equity and commodity products. He also has extensive experience advising clients on credit support arrangements and related matters in connection with OTC derivatives and other financial transactions. In addition, Mr. Leonti regularly advises interested stakeholders on industry, legislative, and regulatory developments relating to OTC derivatives.
Further, Mr. Leonti is experienced in working on a wide range of energy related transactions. He currently is representing financiers and renewable energy companies in connection with the development and acquisition of solar energy projects.
Representative Experience
Counsel for several “end-users” in connection with the early termination of OTC derivatives transactions (including foreign exchange transactions) and return of posted credit support.
Counsel for independent power providers in connection with the negotiation and execution of futures documentation.
Counsel for several public companies in connection with establishing their respective interest rate and foreign exchange hedging programs.
Counsel for financial institutions, private funds and other end-users in connection with disputes involving collateral valuation.
Counsel for private funds in connection with the structuring, negotiation and documentation of total return swaps with equity underliers.
Counsel for a major international bank in connection with the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of a bespoke credit default swap.
Counsel for mortgage REITs in connection with the negotiation and documentation of repurchase transactions and interest rate swap transactions.
Counsel for issuers in connection with equity derivatives transactions, including issuer call spreads, issuer share repurchases, and issuer forwards with a registered hedge.
Counsel for a project company in connection with the development, negotiation, and finalization of an energy management relationship and long term power and hedging agreement secured by the power facility owned by the project company.
Counsel for independent power providers, utilities, trading companies, and other companies in connection with emissions allowance and greenhouse gas trading in the United States and Europe.
Counsel for a major commercial bank in connection with a term loan facility to a solar developer in New Jersey.
Counsel for several major U.S. financial institutions as tax equity investors in PV solar projects leased to developers and subject to power purchase agreements with major U.S. retailers.
Counsel for development companies on solar energy projects. Representations have included negotiation of energy sales agreements, operating, co-development and consulting agreements, and ancillary documentation.
Recent Speaking Engagements
Speaker, Troutman Sanders LLP Webinar: The Dodd-Frank Reform and Consumer Protection Act, New York, NY, July 29, 2010
Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by Troutman Sanders LLP, Overview of the Dodd-Frank Act, New York, NY, July 27, 2010
Co-Chair, 2nd Annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum, Venture Capital and Private Equity, San Francisco, CA, September 29-30, 2009 Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by Troutman Sanders LLP, ISDA and other Swaps: An Introduction and Overview, New York, NY, April 24, 2008
Recent Publications
John Leonti and Brian Harms, Hedging with Derivatives in Today’s Environment; North American Clean Energy (November/December 2009, Volume 3, Number 6)
John Leonti and Craig Kline, Mitigating Change-in-law Risk Associated with RECs; North American Clean Energy (July/August 2009, Volume 3, Number 4)