Risk & Return In Burgeoning Renewable Energy Sector

An industry general counsel and a law firm attorney team up to analyze a perennial issue in legal-business circles, the question of how attorneys can best balance risk and return. They look specifically at the rapidly developing renewable energy industry, where for a number of reasons the attorney’s role can be especially important. “The optimistic entrepreneur sees high returns, and the pessimistic attorney sees high losses,” they write. “When balanced, this is a positive dichotomy.” When attorneys advise regarding a potential deal or project in its early stages, the factors of risk, benefit, cost, opportunity to mitigate, and time all need to be considered. Sometimes the most useful role of the attorney is “handicapper,” providing odds for success of failure. The role changes after the project is completed, when assessment and “lessons learned” become crucial.