Experience

Alan Merkle currently serves as Chair of the Firm and practices primarily in the areas of infrastructure, energy, construction and design, and government contracts. He represents public and private owners, engineers, architects, contractors, equipment manufacturers and suppliers in a wide array of business matters. He is experienced in the drafting, negotiation and administration of contracts. He also handles bid protests, claims, litigation, arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution matters for a broad range of clients. In addition to serving as an advocate, he regularly serves as a neutral on Dispute Review Boards and as a mediator and arbitrator. He has been lead counsel for numerous complex projects involving multiple public agencies and jurisdictions.

Prior to practicing law, Alan spent 12 years with the General Electric Company where he managed the technical and business sides of major projects and business units. Alan is also a registered professional engineer.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America
• Repeatedly named one of Washington's "Super Lawyers" by Washington Law & Politics
• Named one of Seattle's "Top 100 Lawyers" by Seattle Magazine
• Honorary AIA and a biographee in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World
• Past chair, Public Procurement and Private Construction Law Section, Washington State Bar Association
• Past board member and Legal Affairs Committee chair, Associated General Contractors of Washington
• Member, WSBA Litigation Section, Oregon State Bar Association Construction Law and Litigation Sections, American Bar Association Public Contract Law and Litigation Sections, Federal Energy Bar Association
• Board member, Seattle chapter, American Institute of Architects
• Graduate, American Arbitration Association mediator training program

Presentations

• Frequent speaker and writer on subjects of turbine warranties, operating and maintenance agreements, and EPC agreements for wind and biofuels industry
• Author and speaker, "Public Contracting in Washington"
• Chair, Public Works Symposium
• Author and speaker, "Advanced Construction Law," National Business Institute
• Author and speaker, "Washington Construction Law," Law Seminars International

Civic Activities

• Former council member and Mayor, City of Mercer Island
• Chair, Washington Department of Transportation Expert Review Panel
• Executive VP, Board member, French American Chamber of Commerce Pacific Northwest
• Former Board member, Vice Chair, Cascade Water Alliance

Publications

• "Construction Liens" chapter for Washington State Bar Association
• "Damages" chapters and chair of Washington State Bar Association program "Architect and Engineer Liability"
• "Licensing and Registration" chapter, Oregon State Bar publication, Construction Law

Education

• Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, J.D. 1982, cum laude
  Cornelius Honor Society
  Certificate of Environmental and Natural Resources Law, 1982
  Associate editor, Environmental Law
• University of Idaho, M.B.A., 1971
• University of Idaho, B.S., 1969, mechanical engineering
• Boise State University, A.S., civil engineering, 1967

Admissions

• Washington
• Oregon

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Law Practice

Alan Merkle is Chair of the firm and a member of its Energy and Telecommunications practice group. He concentrates his practice primarily on energy and infrastructure, with particular focus on project development transactions and related matters.

Alan regularly leads due diligence teams in mergers and acquisitions of renewable energy companies, drafting and negotiating "frame agreement" and project specific turbine supply, power generation equipment, operation and maintenance, and warranty, balance of plant and EPC construction agreements. Representative clients include developers, owners, engineers, architects, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers, together with a large number of leading wind project developers in the United States and Canada, as well as major players in the biofuels, solar, tidal and nuclear power industries.

Alan also handles complex claims, litigation, arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution matters for a broad range of clients. In addition to his advocacy work, he regularly serves as a neutral on Dispute Review Boards and as a mediator and arbitrator. Prior to practicing law, Alan managed the technical and business sides of major energy, construction, engineering, and manufacturing projects, including 12 years with General Electric Company. He is a registered professional engineer in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Representative Work

Wind

• Represented major Australian energy company in its acquisition and subsequent disposition of a Canadian and U.S. wind development company, as well as turbine supply and project agreements.
• Represented major Canadian energy company in acquisition of wind turbines, operation and maintenance and construction agreements in development of Canada's largest wind project.
• Represented major Canadian energy company in due diligence of large U.S. wind development company with pipeline of several thousand megawatts of projects.
• Represented one of the largest U.S. wind developers in first ever multi-year frame turbine supply agreement with leading U.S. turbine manufacturer.
• Represented one of Europe's largest wind developers in conversion of and renegotiation of worldwide turbine supply agreements for U.S. based, project financeable agreements.
• Represented one of the leading U.S. contractors in negotiating a series of balance of plant agreements for various developers throughout the United States.
• Represented one of the largest U.S. wind developers in negotiating the first ever turbine supply agreement from a major new European entrant to North America.
• Negotiated the first turbine supply agreements with a new North American turbine vendor.
• Represented a significant number of North America's largest wind developers in a full range of project developments for owner/operator and build/transfer projects for several thousand megawatts of wind power.
• Negotiated first of its kind stand-alone tower manufacturing contracts on behalf of project developer purchasing foreign made turbines without towers.
• Lead litigation counsel in a number of significant disputes regarding failed gearboxes, breach of contract, and warranty disputes on behalf of project Owners and developers.

Biofuels

• Represented major international biofuels designer/developer in matters related to development of the largest hydrogen manufacturing facility in North America.
• Represented industry leader in development of combined biodiesel, ethanol, methane, dairy, algae integrated facility.
• Represented major international developer of ethanol projects in unique biomass boiler/ethanol and fuel-dized bed boiler/ethanol production facilities.
• Represented United States largest biodiesel refiner in matters related to the engineering and construction agreements for its production facilities.
• Represented one of U.S. leading developers of algae production for biodiesel and ancillary products in project financing and development agreements.

Solar

• Represented one of the world's leading solar panel manufacturers in development of new manufacturing and production facilities in the United States.
• Represented one of the leading renewable energy developers in the United States in development of a series of solar projects in the western U.S.

Gas Fired Facilities

• Represented two of North America's largest combined cycle project developers in development of a series of large combined cycle projects, including negotiation of turbine and HRSG supply agreements and EPC contracts to design and construct facilities with different contractors and equipment vendors (several thousand megawatts).
• Represented major utility in designing its RFP process, as well as drafting and negotiating EPC and equipment agreements for 500-megawatt combined cycle plant.
• Represented major international energy company in negotiating EPC contracts for development of 500 megawatt combined cycle facility for third party refinery co-location.
• Represented major developer in negotiation of EPC and project related agreements to develop a combined enhanced oil recovery/combined cycle cogeneration facility.

Geothermal

• Represented geothermal developers in procurement, engineering, construction and related project agreements for new geothermal operations in California and Idaho.

Pump Storage

• Represented major North American developer in due diligence and project agreements for development of two pumped storage/wind integrated projects in North America.

Nuclear

• Represented one of leading developers of small scale modular nuclear power systems in negotiation of its engineering, manufacturing, co-development and project partner agreements.
• Represented major utilities in litigating claims against large scale nuclear power developer.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America
• Repeatedly named one of Washington's "Super Lawyers" by Washington Law & Politics
• Named one of Seattle's "Top 100 Lawyers" by Seattle Magazine
• Honorary AIA and a biographee in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World
• Past chair, Public Procurement and Private Construction Law Section, Washington State Bar Association
• Past board member and Legal Affairs Committee chair, Associated General Contractors of Washington
• Member, WSBA Litigation Section, Oregon State Bar Association Construction Law and Litigation Sections, American Bar Association Public Contract Law and Litigation Sections, Federal Energy Bar Association
• Board member, Seattle chapter, American Institute of Architects
• Graduate, American Arbitration Association mediator training program

Presentations

• Frequent speaker and writer on subjects of turbine warranties, operating and maintenance agreements, and EPC agreements for wind, biofuels, waste to energy and related industries

Articles

• Author of numerous articles and chapters on subjects of design, construction, equipment procurement, project development and related topics.

Civic Activities

• Former council member and Mayor, City of Mercer Island
• Chair, Washington Department of Transportation Expert Review Panel
• Executive VP, Board member, French American Chamber of Commerce – Pacific Northwest
• Former Board member, Vice Chairman Cascade Water Alliance

Jurisdictions

• Washington
• Oregon

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