Peter L'Esperance

About Peter

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Peter is an associate in McInnes Cooper’s Halifax offices whose practice focuses on two primary areas: social impact law and renewable energy law.

In the social impact space, Peter advises charities, non-profit organizations, social enterprises and social purpose businesses on a variety of legal and strategic matters, including:

• Legal Structuring. Helping clients to identify the best legal structure to give effect to their mission, vision and values.
• Charity Registration. Helping clients navigate the charity application process.

• Charity Compliance: Advising charities on operational compliance issues, including carrying on activities internationally, operating a related business, structuring partnerships with intermediaries, engaging in public policy dialogue and development activities, and others.

• Corporate Governance: Helping clients to develop, design and implement systems that adhere to corporate governance best practices.

• Risk Management: Helping clients to identify, understand and manage operational, legal and financial risks across all facets of their operations.

Peter has worked with clients in Canada, the United States, Europe and Africa ranging from small, grassroots organizations to large, multinational charitable organizations. Peter’s clients span the sectors of arts, education, innovation, environment, public health, social justice, sport, recreation and community development.

In the renewable energy space, Peter advises independent power producers, utilities and financial institutions on a variety of legal and strategic matters, including:

• Project Structuring. Helping clients to design, incorporate and organize project ownership entities.

• Project Development. Working with clients at all phases of the project development lifecycle, including negotiating partnership agreements, power purchase agreements, interconnection agreements, among others.

• Renewable Energy Project Finance. Working with clients to complete all phases of the project financing lifecycle.

• M&A. Collaborating with clients to buy, sell and spin-off renewable energy entities or assets, ranging from interests in renewable energy projects to generation assets.

Peter has collaborated with clients across Canada, the United States, North America and Europe. Peter’s clients work across the renewable energy sector, including commercial and utility scale wind, solar, tidal and hydroelectric projects.

Outside his work as a lawyer at McInnes Cooper, Peter is the founder and executive director of the registered charity Solar Schools Canada: an organization that works with schools and education-oriented non-profits to develop, fund and deliver renewable energy projects and related educational programs.

In this role, Peter combines his professional background designing effective, inclusive organizations with his personal passion for supporting community-led climate action.