New York, December 4, 2025 — Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Kelann Stirling and Jamie Franklin will join the firm in New York as partners in the Finance Group within the Corporate Department. Stirling, who will join as Head of Project Finance & Development, and Franklin advise private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and institutional investors on a wide range of project development and financing transactions across the energy and infrastructure sectors. They also bring significant experience on joint ventures, acquisition financings and restructurings across those sectors.
“Kelann and Jamie are spectacular project finance lawyers, with deep experience in handling landmark energy and infrastructure deals,” said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. “As investment in energy and infrastructure, in particular digital infrastructure, continues to surge, Kelann’s and Jamie’s expertise will enable us to advise our clients on the most ambitious, transformative projects in the market.”
“Kelann and Jamie are among the top project finance lawyers in the market and will be invaluable resources to our clients. We are thrilled to welcome them to our team,” said Scott A. Barshay, chair of the Paul, Weiss Corporate Department.
Stirling has spent over twenty years advising clients on energy and infrastructure financings within and outside the United States. She advises clients on optimal financing structures across the capital stack, including senior secured project financings, holding company loans, back leverage financings, development capital and private placements, as well as on the development of large-scale infrastructure projects. Her practice covers a wide range of asset classes, including conventional power, solar, wind and battery storage; carbon capture and sequestration; liquified natural gas (LNG); midstream gas gathering and processing facilities; energy transition technologies; and digital infrastructure. Her recent representations include advising Global Infrastructure Partners on its investment in Rio Grande LNG’s $18.4 billion Phase I development and project financing; BlackRock and its portfolio company Jupiter Power in a credit facility to support the development of utility-scale battery energy storage projects; Intersect Power in obtaining a revolving credit facility to support the development, construction and operation of clean energy projects across the United States; and SunPower Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries in their chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.
Stirling has repeatedly been recognized as a top project finance lawyer by industry publications, including Chambers USA for USA – Projects, IFLR as a “Rising Star Partner” in Project Finance and Law360 as a 2019 Rising Star for project finance. She earned a B.S. from Boston University and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School. She previously served as a director and corporate counsel for InterGen, a power generation firm, and prior to private practice, clerked for Judge Richard A. Cardamone on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Franklin has worked on multiple award-winning, first-of-their-kind project finance transactions. He specializes in domestic and international project financings for LNG, natural resources, power and renewable power and clean energy projects. He has substantial experience in multi-source project financings, holding company and hybrid financing structures, project bonds and private placements, structured financing platforms and other debt-structured products and equity financings. He also advises on joint ventures and project development matters. His recent representations include advising the co-investors in a Blackstone Credit & Insurance-led consortium on their investment in Sempra Infrastructure Partners’ Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 project; SK E&S and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on the development and project financing of the 99 MW Jeonnam offshore wind project in South Korea; Cheniere Energy Inc. on the refinancing of its Sabine Pass LNG export facility in Louisiana; Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions business on its joint venture with Solvay to create the largest polyvinylidene fluoride production facilities for battery materials in North America; and Excelerate Energy on its 20-year LNG sale and purchase agreement with Venture Global LNG.
Franklin received a B.A., with honors, from the University of Warwick and a MSc from the London School of Economics. He is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales.
The Paul, Weiss global Finance Group is one of the most dynamic practices in the industry, advising borrowers, investors and lenders on every type of complex financing instrument in the market. The group is renowned for its ability to handle syndicated, leveraged financings and private credit arrangements. The Paul, Weiss Infrastructure Group provides comprehensive counsel to leading global companies, investors and financial sponsors on complex transactions spanning the infrastructure sector. Our multidisciplinary team includes lawyers with decades of experience advising the most active, dynamic private equity and other investors in the sector.
