R. J. Lyman is an Of Counsel at Goodwin Procter. He represents clients in all aspects of commercial real estate and renewable energy project development, including site acquisition, project permitting, debt and equity financing, and property disposition. Mr. Lyman began his career as a project manager at a consulting engineering firm representing independent power producers and other energy and commercial developers. He has also served as a government policy maker, as Massachusetts Assistant Environmental Secretary.
WORK FOR CLIENTS
Mr. Lyman has been involved as counsel on a variety of renewable energy and commercial real estate matters, including these recent representative projects:
- all aspects of project development and financing for 5.6 MW solar photovoltaic facility on a capped municipal landfill, including energy attributes contracting, site leasing, land-use and environmental permitting, equipment procurement, regulatory incentive compliance, and debt and equity financing
- all aspects of project development for 20+ MW land-based wind farm in Massachusetts, including power sales contracting, site acquisition, land-use and environmental permitting, equipment procurement, and regulatory incentive compliance
- master services agreement for original equipment manufacturer to install compressed air energy storage units at existing wind facilities in multiple states
- project-level due diligence for leveraged lease financing of 150 MW wind facility in southern California
- regulatory permitting and incentive negotiation for 50 MW municipal waste-to-energy facility
- deal structuring for wind facility on land trust controlled property
- for NASDAQ listed solar photovoltaic module producer: all aspects of acquisition, development and financing of principal U.S. manufacturing plant, including securing $58 million in government grants, loans, and tax relief; regulatory aspects of termination of E.U. manufacturing joint venture; and contracting for P.R.C. licensed manufacturing facility
- all aspects of project development for 100 MW solar photovoltaic development program equity financed by Japanese trading house
Mr. Lyman has also represented developers of a number of major real estate projects, including Federal Realty's Assembly Square (5.5 million mixed-use square feet), Icahn Enterprises' New Seabury (oceanfront golf resort), the Pritzkers' Fan Pier (2.7 million mixed-use square feet), Harvard's Allston acquisitions (140+/- acres), Suez' offshore LNG facility, Draper Laboratory's Florida campus, and Manhattan's West Side Rail Yards.
Mr. Lyman’s pro bono activities include serving as lead outside counsel for Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, Inc. and representing the Conservation Law Foundation of New England, Inc. in connection with the Boston Harbor Clean-Up.
MEDIA
Mr. Lyman has made presentations at the MIT Center for Real Estate, Harvard's Design School, and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education on various project finance and development issues. He has been published in Massachusetts Environmental Law, Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and Vermont Law Review on a variety of topics, including environmental impact review and regulatory takings.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Before joining Goodwin Procter, Mr. Lyman served as Assistant Environmental Secretary and MEPA Director under former Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld. He recently served on task forces under Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick on the Commonwealth's Solar Development Initiative and on its Greenhouse Gas Policy. He presently co-chairs the Developer's Roundtable of the New England Clean Energy Council and is the only lawyer invited onto the Greater Boston Chamber's Energy Committee.
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
Mr. Lyman is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and before the U.S. District Courts of Massachusetts and Connecticut, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court.
RECOGNITION
Mr. Lyman has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and Massachusetts Super Lawyers. He is the recipient of the Public Service Award of NAIOP’s Massachusetts Chapter and the American Planning Association’s R. Marlin Smith Prize.