Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Sullivan & Cromwell’s Project Development and Finance Group offers clients unrivaled quality in connection with the development and financing of natural resources, energy and infrastructure projects. Unlike other firms working on a high volume of routine projects, at any one time, S&C is highly focused on a small number of the world's largest and most complex projects.

Extensive Experience With Complex Projects
The Group focuses on large projects with complex multisource finance plans. The average size of S&C's current financings is $2.9 billion and more than half have values of more than $500 million.

First-of-Their-Kind Projects
The Group brings complex and challenging projects to a successful financial close in novel and unprecedented circumstances. S&C has a well-earned reputation for skill and innovation, forged during decades of work in emerging and developed markets. The Firm has shepherded many first-of-their-kind projects, mitigating and managing risk for sponsors and lenders even under difficult market and political conditions.

Deep Global Bench
Few firms boast project development and financing groups of S&C’s depth and skill. With offices on four continents and in nine countries, S&C’s deep bench of U.S.-, English- and French-law qualified lawyers work on integrated teams that are tailored to the specific needs of clients, regardless of locale. These integrated teams handle projects in Australia, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America.

Sponsor/Borrower Firm of Choice
In contrast to other firms, S&C handles a majority of its project finance work for borrowers and sponsors. The Firm prides itself on managing transactions proactively for its sponsor/borrower clients. Because most of S&C's project financings involve multiple sponsors, S&C understands the importance of addressing the separate commercial concerns and economic objectives of each sponsor within the consortium. The consequence: S&C has the leading sponsor/borrower practice in the world.

Deep Knowledge of Multiple Financing Sources
The Firm deftly coordinates multiple financing sources, including commercial banks, export credit agencies and project bonds. S&C possesses up-to-the-minute knowledge regarding the approach and requirements of each potential lending source—market insight that proves invaluable to any project.

Sullivan & Cromwell is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is vital to the Firm’s ability to provide our clients with the highest level of service. Accordingly, the Firm’s culture and policies value the unique abilities and perspectives of every individual and support diversity in its broadest sense, including race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability and religious affiliation. 

The Firm’s Diversity Committee, which is charged with assisting in the development of a diverse and inclusive workforce, is comprised of lawyers who hold positions of leadership and influence within the Firm. A member of the Firm’s Management Committee co-chairs the Diversity Committee. Other members of the Diversity Committee include the Firm’s senior chairman, practice group managing partners, hiring partners, assigning partners, chairs of the Firm’s associate affinity networks, and chairs of the Women’s Initiative Committee. The Firm also has a Diversity Management Department (“DMD”), which is charged with developing, implementing and coordinating the Firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, events and programs. Realizing the importance of an integrated approach, the DMD works closely with our Recruiting, Professional Development and Legal Personnel Departments to monitor the effectiveness of our extensive diversity initiatives and programs to further the Firm’s mission.

This ongoing commitment has led to great results, including the increased diversity of our partnership. As of January 1, 2013, the Firm had elected thirty-nine partners worldwide in the prior six years; of these thirty-nine partners, thirteen are women, eleven are minorities, and one is openly gay.

In its most recent rankings, Vault listed S&C as among the “20 Best Law Firms for LGBT Diversity.” In addition, MultiCultural Law magazine has named S&C to its annual lists of the “Top 100 Law Firms for Women” and “Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity” for several years, including most recently in 2012. Click here for Diversity Recognitions.

In addition, our lawyers have diverse backgrounds; they speak over 30 languages fluently and they come from approximately 40 different countries and 150 different law schools.