With over 15 years’ experience in renewable energy, engineering, and construction law, James “Casey” Butler brings tremendous technical and managerial expertise to renewable energy and construction law transactions and project planning. His practice concentrates on the negotiation of engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) contracts, power purchase agreements, membership interest and asset purchase agreements, as well as corporate compliance, grant writing and general in-house transactional work.
Before joining Litwin Kach he was General Counsel LS Energy Solutions LLC, previously Parker Hannifin EGT Hannifin (NYSE: PH). He has held leadership positions in multiple global organizations including Praxair Surface Technologies (now Linde) as Global Compliance Manager leading a team of 30 individuals to negotiate contracts and ensure regulatory compliance across 13 countries.
As Manager of Corporate Development at EnerDel, Inc, James won over $127 million in federal and state grants to build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility. He is active in non-profit ventures including Local Livelihood, a coffee producing co-op in Northern Thailand which creates sustainable coffee farming communities. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University and a Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University. He is licensed in Illinois and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Representative Legal Experience
- Negotiated numerous power purchase agreements (PPAs) with energy storage and energy storage + solar providers in California including major international corporate off-takers.
- Negotiated a $5M combined heat and power EPC agreement for an industrial client in PA.
- Negotiated master supply agreement to produce commercial and industrial energy storage products for a large electrical and building controls provider. Estimated yearly revenue of $10,000,000.
- Negotiated and delivered a $250,000 supercapacitor project EPC energy storage agreement for the Australian O&G market.
- Negotiated a $7,400,000 flow battery project EPC energy storage agreement in with Milton Hydro in Milton, Ontario and negotiated the supply agreement with flow battery provider.
- Negotiated project specific energy storage provider agreements with NextEra, Fluence, Viridity, S&C Electric, Trane, Schneider, and several other key players in the energy storage market.
- Negotiated a $40,000,000 energy storage project to provide back-up energy for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
- Served as lead counsel on major supplier bankruptcy response for a large OEM customer.
- Represented Praxair to the European Chemical Agency in Helsinki, Finland to obtain a REACH exception to protect a $10,000,000 product line.
- Provided compliance management for export compliance (ITAR, EAR), FCPA, conflict minerals and local laws at 38 facilities in 14 countries for Praxair.
- Served as principal Investigator for an American Recovery Act grant for $118,500,000 to establish a US based lithium-ion manufacturing facility.
- Developed export compliance program for large multi-national energy storage provider.
- Counseled M&A activity by providing compliance due diligence with Praxair and Parker-Hannifin.
- Successfully submitted and won over $155,000,000 in grants for various industries and municipalities.
- Negotiated numerous operating agreements, MIPA and asset purchase transactions