Eric Richards is a partner in O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office and a member of the Project Development and Finance Practice. His practice focuses on project finance and infrastructure investment and development. He is also experienced in investment management and corporate governance matters, as well as US and international securities laws and corporate joint ventures, combinations, and divestitures.
In the project development and finance area, Eric represents sponsors, developers, investors, financial institutions and others in investment-related transactions involving infrastructure assets across a wide range of sectors. He is particularly experienced in transactions involving transportation infrastructure, including airports, seaports, rail, and surface transportation projects, as well as public-private partnerships and the privatization of governmentally-owned assets. He has worked on transactions throughout a majority of the United States, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.
In recent years, Eric served as a member of the Firm’s Policy Committee, a 13-member body responsible for overseeing the Firm’s general affairs and management, and was also head of the Los Angeles office’s 100-lawyer Transactions Department.
Representative transactions include:
Representation of the Port of Oakland in financing and other strategic transactions, including the Port’s recent public-private-partnership with an affiliate of the Ports America Group for a 50-year concession to operate, maintain and further develop approximately one-third of the Port’s maritime operations space -- the first public-private-partnership of its kind in the U.S. ports sector;
Representation of airline sponsors, investor groups, and other stakeholders in the financing and development of airline passenger terminals and other significant airport infrastructure facilities at over 30 U.S. airports, including financing and development of terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (JFK), Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and Boston Logan International Airport;
Representation of Midway Investment and Development Company LLC, a private consortium, in connection with its winning bid to acquire a long-term, 99-year concession from the City of Chicago for the management and operation of Chicago Midway Airport -- the first attempted privatization of a large-hub U.S. commercial airport;
Representation of a member of a consortium bidding for the right to develop, operate and maintain the Presidio Parkway, the principal access roadway system for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco;
Representation of a major automaker in connection with the financing of new auto production facilities in the southeastern United States;
Representation of a National Football League (NFL) team franchise in connection with its consideration of plans to relocate cities;
Representation of certain mutual funds advised by an affiliate of a group of investment management companies and their independent directors in connection with corporate governance and related matters;
Representation of an investment management company in connection with the formation of numerous private investment funds and with regulatory and compliance matters;
Representation of a major film and television production and distribution company in connection with the establishment of several media-related joint ventures in India, Singapore, the Philippines and other parts of Asia.
