Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Martha (Marty) Groves Pugh as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. She joins the firm’s Tax and Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practices, which also added a leading, multi-office renewable energy team earlier this year. Pugh joins K&L Gates from McDermott Will & Emery LLP.
Pugh advises clients on federal income tax issues with a particular emphasis on the nuclear and energy industries. She has helped clients seek and receive many private letter rulings and has extensive experience in drafting legislative language for tax proposals and interacting with the U.S. Department of Treasury and the IRS on important industry issues. Pugh’s practice also includes tax planning for proposed transactions and advising clients on audits, appeals, and litigation issues.
Pugh has strong knowledge of renewable energy incentives, such as production tax credits and investment tax credits related to wind and solar projects. She has been heavily involved in developing opportunities for clients related to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 including the new production tax credit for existing nuclear plants and tax credits for clean hydrogen. She has capabilities with new market tax credits in both the context of transactions and legislative efforts.
In addition, Pugh counsels energy industry companies on tax accounting issues such as repairs, placed-in-service, depreciation and contract restructuring issues, contribution in aid of construction issues, and corporate and partnership issues involved in restructurings. She advises clients on nuclear decommissioning issues before the IRS, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and state public service commissions.
J. Barclay Collins, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office, said: “Marty is a seasoned tax lawyer representing utilities and other energy industry companies and will advise our energy clients in navigating complex tax rules relating to the energy industry, including recently enacted Climate Change legislation. We are thrilled to have her join our Washington office.”
Pugh is among nearly 140 partners and of counsel K&L Gates has welcomed across its global platform since the beginning of 2020, with the firm’s Washington, D.C., office also having added partners Mike Evans (Public Policy and Law), Guillermo Christensen (Cybersecurity and National Security), Yi Ying (Antitrust, Competition, and Trade Regulation), and Victor Chang (Benefits and Executive Compensation) as well as of counsel Cheryl Isaac (Asset Management and Investment Funds) during the last year.
“We are excited to welcome Marty,” remarked Steven Sparling, co-leader of K&L Gates’ Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practice area. “Her experience enhances our practice in energy tax and will have an immediate, positive impact on our work and for our clients across the energy industry as we continue to move toward the energy transition.”
K&L Gates’ Energy practice assists clients involved in the many aspects of the global energy, infrastructure, and resources space through a variety of legal disciplines, including, among others, project development, finance, construction, energy and environmental regulation, government contracting, public policy, cross-border investment, acquisitions, and dispute resolution. With lawyers in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, the practice serves project sponsors and developers in power generation, renewable energy, oil and gas, LNG, hydrogen, mining, transportation, and social infrastructure, as well as investors, banks, manufacturers, and contractors involved in the financing, building, and operation of these projects.
