Dirk R. Mueller

Dirk Mueller is Co-Chair of the firm’s Renewable Energy Industry Practice Group and has over 20 years of energy project development and finance experience. His practice focuses on representing project sponsors in connection with real property, project development, shared facility and finance matters, with an emphasis on negotiating and structuring complex project and site acquisition agreements, options, leases, sale-leaseback financings, rights of way, surface waivers, franchise agreements, crossing consents, joint development agreements, shared use and shared facility agreements, water supply agreements and other bespoke project development agreements.

Dirk has helped project sponsors successfully develop and finance energy projects of all types including solar, wind, geothermal, battery storage, natural gas, landfill gas, and biomass projects. He has experience assisting clients with developing projects on private, federal, state, county and Tribal property throughout the United States, including the first large-scale solar project approved to be built on tribal land in North America.

Dirk applies his knowledge and experience to help his clients navigate the legal landscape faster and more effectively, to anticipate problems and find creative, practical, time saving, cost effective and financeable solutions. He strives to build and maintain a good rapport with counterparties, even during the course of difficult negotiations, because he believes this approach will generally help achieve the best and most expeditious result for his clients, and provide them with a competitive advantage.

Dirk draws upon his project development experience to provide due diligence, purchase and sale agreement support, and counseling advice in connection with project equity and debt financing.

Dirk also represents institutional lenders, regional banks and sponsors in financing transactions, including real estate and personal property secured lending, private client lending, agricultural lending, timber finance, acquisition and construction lending, mezzanine and hard money lending and project finance. His experience encompasses a wide variety of industries, including retail, industrial and office secured real estate finance, winery and food and beverage industry financing, and traditional and renewable energy project financings.