Deanna R. Reitman

Dee-na Rite-manOf Counsel

Deanna Reitman – dedicated and pragmatic lawyer with valuable in-house experience, prepared to go the extra mile.

— client quoted in The Legal 500 United States

About

Areas of FocusCorporate Finance Projects and Project Finance Structured Finance and Securitization Energy and Natural Resources Oil and Gas Mergers and Acquisitions Emerging Growth and Venture Capital Regulatory and Government Affairs Leveraged Finance and Debt Finance

Bar admissionsDistrict of ColumbiaNew YorkTexas

EXPERIENCE

Carbon

Assist large public company create climate and sustainability benefit products from the purchase and sale of emission reduction credits, carbon sinks, investments in carbon product development in order to create a new purchase and sale online trading hub for such climate and sustainability benefit products, including the T&Cs, onboarding policies and procedures for such trading hub
Assist a broker-dealer to develop the rules, contract templates, policies and procedures to create its own emission reduction registry in order to tokenize these emission reductions to trade on a swap execution facility, assisting in the creating and application for such swap execution facility
Assist in the development of a methodology for emission reductions for a consortium of rice farmers in Asia and Africa, which includes the structuring and documentation of the agreements between farmers in the consortium.
Develop ESG policies and procedures, including website language and design, for a large energy and commodities trading company.
Assist an investment bank with the establishment of their carbon credit marketing desk, including the creation of all the documentation to procure supply, deliver and market such carbon credits
Assist a turbine generator with its response to a CARB's verifier in order to find a solution to its reporting obligations under the Cap-and-Trade regulations when information is classified by the US Department of Defense
Draft and negotiate purchase and sale agreements for carbon offset reduction credits (CROCs)
Assist with the verification and certification of projects (VERRA, Gold Standard)
Lead counsel for a client in its financing of a carbon reduction project in multiple African jurisdictions for the purchase of marketable carbon credits
Coordinated advice from the US, EU, UK, Australia, Chile and other jurisdictions on the regulation, generation, verification, marketing of carbon offset credits generated from forest carbon sequestration
Structuring carbon streaming/prepay finance of carbon credit project
Establishing the corporate structure for the US carbon business and advise upon the finance, purchase and sale of carbon credits (VCU/regulated) in the US
Developing VCU, RECs, RINs, LCFS standard purchase and sale agreements
Developing low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) purchase and sale agreements
Structuring transactions including LCFS and REC physical and financial swap
Establishing the commodities businesses in Canada for the finance, purchase and sale of VCU
Developing, implementing, training upon regulatory/rule requirements to marketing and trading carbon
Assisting in regulatory response to CARB regulatory inquiry into rule non-compliance
Structuring prepay finance of carbon credit project
Developing project documentation for anerobic digester development program
Advising upon bilateral and carbon commodities credit facilitates
Advising upon RIN, REC trading using credit sleeves
Advising upon debt investment structures

Hydrogen

Represent developer of Hydrogen facility north of Los Angeles County, California in the development, offtake, financing, and operation of its 13,100 kg capacity per day Hydrogen facility utilizing certain existing infrastructure
Represent developer of Hydrogen facility in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in the development, offtake, financing and operation of a 13,100 kg capacity per day Hydrogen Facility
Represent developer of Hydrogen facility in Antwerp, Belgium in the development, offtake, financing and operation of a 13,100 kg capacity per day Hydrogen Facility
Represent developer of Hydrogen facility in Southern California, United States in the development, offtake, financing and operation of a 36,300 kg per day Hydrogen Facility
Represent developer of Hydrogen facility in Central California, United States in the development, offtake, financing and operation of a 13,100 kg capacity per day Hydrogen Facility
Represent developer of Hydrogen facility in Northern California, United States in the development, offtake, financing and operation of a 13,100 kg capacity per day Hydrogen Facility

Commercial and Structured Transactions

Negotiating long term contracts for US and international companies for the operation and service of floating production and storage assets
Structuring and negotiating domestic and international physical and financial commodities commercial transactions, including crude, products, natural gas, coal, RINs, RECs, metals and carbon credits in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and United Kingdom
Structuring and negotiating international transactions for the purchase and sale of commodity feedstock to support company assets, which includes the creation of hedging strategies and the negotiation of the agreements to implement such hedging strategies
Negotiating terms for domestic and international commodities infrastructure projects, including Eagle Ford drilling projects, terminal and pipeline projects in United States, Europe and Latin America
Negotiating domestic electricity purchase, sale and transmission contracts
Assisting, in both a legal and business capacity, in the development, creation and implementation of startup global natural gas, crude and product marketing and trading firm
Negotiating physical energy trading and commercial contracts, including waterborne, rail, truck and pipeline movements
Negotiating storage and transportation contracts for oil, oil products, natural gas and coal
Negotiating refining, processing, tolling and cleaning agreements for oil, oil products, natural gas and coal
Negotiating storage subleases, assignments and repos
Represent a trading firm in several repurchase agreements for the sale of crude oil accounts receivables
Representing the shareholders of an Oman exploration and production Company in the sale and swap of its shares
Advising upon and implemented a corporate restructure for an international commodities marketing and trading firm

Finance

Representing a US company in the restructure of its credit facility to finance its technology that converts fossil fuel cars, trucks and busses into electric cars, trucks and busses
Representing a US company in a project finance credit facility for the construction and retrofitting of biodiesel facilities
Representing a US developer in its JV with a Chinese entity for the construction and finance of an LNG facility
Conducting due diligence for US and international companies for the purchase, sale, construction, finance and/or refinance of upstream, midstream and downstream commodity assets
Advising developers, sponsors, investors and governments in the negotiation and structure of financing for both domestic and international energy projects
Representing a large international oil and gas company in developing a form master participation agreement for trade finance with institutional banks
Representing a syndicate of banks in several trade finance facilities with a large South American pulp producer
Representing a trading firm in a repurchase agreement for the sale of crude oil accounts receivable from a South American national oil company

Regulatory

Advise upon the swap execution facility (SEF) regulations for the establishment of a sustainable derivatives SEF
Advised client on US regulatory requirements for a virtual power purchase agreement and sale of renewable energy credits for a UK power project
Advising upon and assisting with the settlement of CFTC, FERC and CARB self-reported regulatory violations
Advising upon the CFTC rules and regulations governing the purchase and sale of regional grain exchange, including the conduct of due diligence to ensure there are no regulatory issues in the purchase and sale
Advising upon the CFTC rules and regulations for reporting and position thresholds for a large state pension fund
Advised a retail electricity provider on the advertising regulations in Texas
Experienced in working with, and advising, petroleum industry clients on operating in the petroleum industry, including upstream matters such as compliance with Mineral Management Services (MMS), mid-stream matters and down-stream matters such as compliance with the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act (PMPA)
Training upon futures, options, commodities physical and derivatives trading and regulation
Developing Global regulatory compliance programs for energy trading (physical and financial), wholesale and retail
Advising international commodities marketing and trading companies on the practical application of OFAC sanctions and providing practical solutions to OFAC sanctions related issues

Commercial and Dispute Resolution

Negotiating settlements to commercial and contractual disputes, including arbitration proceedings
Advising international commodities marketing and trading companies in employment related disputes and disputes involving proprietary company information

Maritime

Assisting in the purchase, sale and reflag of commercial vessels in multiple jurisdictions, including Panama, Republic of Marshall Islands, Cayman Islands, U.S., Liberia, and Hong Kong
Drafting mortgages, trust indentures and other finance documentation for commercial fleets and recording such documentation with the relevant jurisdictions
Assisting in the refinance of a U.S. vessel and barge fleet
Assisting in the purchase and sale of personal use vessels, such as yachts

Education

M.B.A., Fordham University

J.D., St. John's University School of Law

B.A., New York University

Awards

Bylines

Seminars

Prior Experience

In-House Experience

Assisted, in both legal and business capacity, in development, creation and implementation of start-up global natural gas, crude and products marketing and trading operations of an international oil and gas company
Assisted in the evaluation of the method by which the affiliates conducted royalty calculations, creating and executing the appropriate intercompany sale and purchase agreements, agency agreements, marketing agreements, and policies and procedures
Negotiated and provided broad assistance in global commercial transactions, including structured transactions involving storage, gathering, transportation (pipeline and waterborne), refining and processing and standard transactions requiring form documentation such as North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), Crude and Products General Terms and Conditions, Renewable Identification Number (RIN) Contracts, Parent Guarantees and Letters of Credit
Initiated and implemented major corporate consolidation, restructuring and asset sale to increase legal, regulatory and commercial benefit
Analyzed Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rules and regulations, including Dodd-Frank regulations; developed comprehensive compliance plan
Assisted, in both legal and business capacity, in dispute resolution matters
Assisted in implementation and development of natural gas trade capture system (OpenLink Endur), including negotiation of all vendor contracts, development of business procedures and development of portfolio structure
Assisted in development of plan to submit compliance self-report to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Developed and implemented regulatory compliance program, including development and delivery of training on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rules and regulations, Dodd-Frank regulations, including but not limited to Market Manipulation and Disruptive Trade Practices, and Antitrust training
Advised on antitrust, anti-corruption (including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), anti-boycott and anti-money laundering matters
Provided legal support to the commodity trading businesses, including the negotiation of commercial contracts for its physical and financial natural gas, power, crude oil, products, metals, renewables and coal businesses across multiple jurisdictions
Handled arbitration and litigation for multiple matters in the various commodities businesses
Structured transactions for the various commodities businesses
Implemented comprehensive new-hire training program, including requirement of having a lawyer interview all prospective front office hires for possible compliance risks
Developed and implemented commodities marketing and trading risk assessment program
Implemented remote and after-hours trading policy, including mandatory five consecutive day vacation requirement for all front office personnel
Implemented comprehensive algorithmic trading surveillance system
Provided support to company policy and lobbyist groups, helping to shape the company's position on proposed energy trading regulation by explaining energy trading business and energy trading regulation
Responded to allegations of violations of rules, regulations, policies and procedures by evaluating applicable regulations, applying facts, recommending initiation of, and guidance through, the investigative procedures

Civic and Charitable

Pro-bono General Counsel, Galveston County Foodbank

Memberships And Affiliations

Advisory Board member of the JP Morgan Chase Center of Commodities for University of Denver Business School, heading up and teaching the graduate and executive courses in carbon and emission reduction markets
Industry Advisory Council Member, JP Morgan Chase Center for Commodities (appointed in 2022)
Vice Chair, Energy Bar Association steering committee for Finance, Transactions and Investments