Formalizes and Expands Data Center, Renewables, Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Mining and Infrastructure Capabilities; Includes Dr. Peter Bekker as Head of Energy Disputes in New York
Thompson Hine LLP, a national law firm recognized as an innovation leader, announced today the launch of a dedicated Energy practice with the addition of a four-lawyer team across the firm’s Los Angeles, New York, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. offices. This strategic expansion significantly strengthens the firm’s ability to advise clients on the rapidly evolving energy landscape, enhancing its capabilities at the intersection of power generation, technology, infrastructure investment and data centers, and the global energy transition. The investment underscores Thompson Hine’s commitment to helping clients capitalize on emerging opportunities and navigate the legal, regulatory and commercial complexities shaping the future of the energy industry.
The new practice group is led by internationally recognized energy partner Robert L. Nelson, Jr., who has focused primarily in energy and infrastructure work for several decades at major global firms. Also joining are Dr. Peter Bekker as Head of Energy Disputes, from Dentons US LLP, who will be based in the New York office, and two senior counsel: Terrel Ferguson, formerly of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP and White & Case LLP and specializing in energy and project development and finance, who will be based in the Los Angeles office, and Chelsea Gunter, formerly of Shearman & Sterling and Gibson Dunn; she also served as assistant general counsel of the US Trade and Development Agency and operated her own firm focused on nuclear energy matters. She will be based in the Washington, D.C. office. Nelson has previously worked together with Bekker, Ferguson, and Gunter at Am Law 50 firms.
“Establishing a strong Energy practice that marshals all of our key strengths in this area has been a strategic priority for the firm, and Bob Nelson is the ideal leader for this strategic expansion,” said Thompson Hine managing partner Tony White. “Combined with cross-disciplinary capabilities across the firm, we are uniquely positioned to lead in one of the most dynamic sectors in the economy. This move builds on the recent launch of our Silicon Valley office and underscores our commitment to sustained national growth in high-demand practices.”
Thompson Hine has advised energy clients for years across multiple practices, and the launch of the Energy practice brings that experience together in a unified national platform. The multidisciplinary Energy practice draws on lawyers from tax, government contracts, intellectual property, real estate, environmental, corporate, international trade and regulatory practices, and now adds substantial depth in project finance, data center transactions, nuclear power, oil and gas, energy storage, transmission, critical minerals and cross-border investment. The practice complements the firm’s established work in energy facility siting and permitting, environmental compliance, renewable energy, clean technology and regulatory support before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and state agencies.
Thompson Hine’s expansion into Energy positions the firm at the center of one of the most capital-intensive and rapidly evolving sectors in the economy. It creates durable growth opportunities across infrastructure, technology and industrial investment. Demand for experienced legal counsel across the energy sector has never been higher, and clients expect best-in-class representation as they take on increasingly complex projects — from data centers and renewables to nuclear, oil and gas, and critical infrastructure. Nelson’s extraordinary experience spans both traditional and emerging energy sectors, giving Thompson Hine additional depth in areas where clients are investing heavily, including nuclear energy, renewables, energy storage, and the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence (AI) and data center growth.
The team’s arrival further strengthens Thompson Hine’s ability to serve clients in the nation’s most significant energy markets. With four offices strategically located along the Marcellus Shale — the largest natural gas-producing region in the United States — the firm is uniquely positioned to advise on complex midstream and downstream oil and gas matters, including the development, construction and financing of pipelines, petrochemical facilities and gas-fired combined-cycle power plants.
Nelson has played a key role in the development and financing of over 175 energy and infrastructure projects globally, including many landmark projects that have won global or regional recognition, among them the world’s first utility-scale solar power projects. He has worked on more than 125 power facilities spanning renewable, gas-fired/combined cycle and nuclear technologies as well as energy storage, and he has guided clients through more than $75 billion in energy-related asset and corporate acquisitions. His practice centers on project development and finance, project- and company-level M&A for both strategic and private equity (PE)/infrastructure fund clients, joint ventures and workouts, with particular depth in data center transactions, transmission projects, battery energy storage development, and oil and gas/liquefied natural gas (LNG). He has extensive experience representing major utilities, developers and technology companies in connection with data center energy projects, including large-scale power purchase agreements and the development, construction and financing of dedicated power generation/storage facilities and microgrids (including gas-fired, renewable/battery energy storage systems (BESS) and nuclear SMR projects). Nelson has also served as first chair or co-first chair in close to 50 energy-related arbitrations, including the successful resolution of matters where more than $10 billion was at stake.
“Thompson Hine is the ideal platform to build an Energy practice that meets the rapidly growing demand driven by data centers, the energy transition and critical infrastructure development. The firm’s collaborative nature was palpable with every lawyer I encountered — from its dynamic managing partner to its top-notch dedicated team leaders,” said Nelson. “Combining Thompson Hine’s client-centered approach, innovative use of technology and deep bench of industry-recognized lawyers in the Midwest with our expansive industry knowledge and the best-of-the-best team we’ve assembled yields an Energy practice poised to deliver comprehensive solutions that better and more cost-effectively meet clients’ needs than those offered by firms demanding increasingly high rates, particularly coastal firms. I am especially thrilled to be reunited with Peter, Chelsea and Terrel. Peter ranks as one of the world’s preeminent lawyers in energy disputes and has extensive involvement in the global energy industry, and Chelsea and Terrel are rising young stars in the energy field. They combine excellence with a team-centered approach that fits beautifully with the Thompson Hine approach to the cutting-edge, collaborative and innovative practice of law.”
Added Bekker, “I am thrilled to join Thompson Hine and to reunite with Bob Nelson, with whom I worked closely earlier in my career. There has never been a more exciting time to be an energy lawyer, with the energy transition, the rise of data centers and major infrastructure investment all driving unprecedented activity, and I am excited to be joining a firm in growth mode with such a strong group of energy practitioners and complementary practices to help clients navigate their most complex challenges.”
The team advises sponsors, lenders, investors, contractors and governments globally on energy and infrastructure matters, with an emphasis on data center energy needs and significant experience in emerging technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and battery storage. They also focus on high-demand areas such as electric transmission and mining for critical minerals, including copper, lithium, nickel, phosphates, silver and rare earths. Their wide-ranging energy sector experience positions the firm to anticipate and address clients’ evolving needs and reinforces its commitment to delivering the best client service across the full energy value chain — from development and construction through financing, acquisition and dispute resolution.
Nelson’s work has earned recognition from leading legal directories and publications worldwide, including Chambers Global (Projects & Energy: India) and Best of the Best USA, published by Expert Guides, a Euromoney Legal Media Group publication, which named him one of the Top 25 Project Finance Lawyers in the United States. He is an appointed member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has served on the boards of directors of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum and the U.S.-India Business Council, and is a former chair of the International Bar Association’s Project Finance Subcommittee. Nelson previously taught at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and School of Engineering.
Bekker, who previously partnered with Nelson at an Am Law 20 firm, will work closely with Nelson and the Energy practice on national and cross-border energy disputes. He joins Thompson Hine’s New York office as Head of Energy Disputes, focusing on international arbitration in the energy sector. He has been involved in more than 20 advisory proceedings and contentious cases before the International Court of Justice, including serving as lead counsel for a Southeast Asian country in the Nuclear Disarmament Case, and has represented clients such as the world’s largest national oil company in its Gulf War reparation claims against the Republic of Iraq before the United Nations Compensation Commission, Central and Eastern Europe’s largest banking group in its International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitration against the Republic of Croatia, and a Caribbean intergovernmental organization in a landmark fisheries case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Bekker is a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators and the author of the highly acclaimed book, Arbitration of International Disputes in New York (Juris, 2024). Since 2011, he has held a part-time tenured appointment as professor and Chair in International Law at the University of Dundee’s Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) in the U.K., where he maintains close ties to the global energy sector.
The arrival of Nelson, Bekker, Ferguson and Gunter builds not only on the firm’s energy-related work, but also on its January 1 Silicon Valley office launch, which deepened its national Intellectual Property & Technology Litigation practice. Together, these moves, along with the opening of Thompson Hine’s Los Angeles office in July 2024, demonstrate the firm’s momentum in California and its proven ability to attract premier talent in high-demand practices. The addition of a dedicated Energy practice enhances the firm’s cross-disciplinary platform, complementing existing strengths in corporate, real estate, environmental, government contracts and international trade arbitration.
“Our growth reflects a deliberate strategy: investing where client demand is accelerating, where exceptional talent wants to build their practices and where Thompson Hine can deliver meaningful value to clients,” said White. “The opening of three offices in less than 18 months — from Los Angeles to Minneapolis to Silicon Valley — is the result of that disciplined approach. We’ve been an innovation leader since 2013, well before most firms embraced the concept, and our continued investments in technology, predictable pricing, efficiency and transparency have created a platform that distinguishes us in the market. Combined with our national footprint and collaborative culture, that platform is attracting outstanding entrepreneurial lawyers from leading firms who are looking to grow sophisticated practices in an environment built for innovation and client success. Bob Nelson’s team is an excellent example. As we continue to expand in strategic, high-growth sectors like energy, we will remain focused on thoughtful growth that strengthens our capabilities while staying true to the values that have defined Thompson Hine for decades.”