Dickson Chin assists clients with finding straightforward and innovative solutions to challenging problems. He has 25+ years' experience representing investors, financial institutions, utilities, developers, energy marketers, commercial users, and other market participants in energy transactions. His practice encompasses energy marketing and trading, project finance and development, construction, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions in the Americas, EU, UK, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
His experience with renewable energy and carbon transactions includes wind (onshore and offshore), solar, hydrogen, battery storage, biomass, waste to energy, voluntary and compliance carbon credits, carbon capture and sequestration, carbon intensity attributes, fuel cells, demand response, and microgrids. He was engaged by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) to prepare the U.S. Renewable Energy Certificate Annex and the Global Financial Power Purchase Agreement (FPPA) Confirmation Template and was a lead counsel on the ISDA working group that prepared the Voluntary Carbon Credits Definitions. He possesses distinctive experience advising on new business and product formation in innovative carbon and renewables ventures.
Dickson also co-coordinates the global derivatives lawyers of the Firm. He advises clients on financial products and derivatives for various assets classes (including commodities, interest rates, and foreign exchange), intercreditor issues, bankruptcy, and regulatory considerations related to swap transactions, including compliance under the Dodd-Frank Act.
In addition he represents clients on blockchain and other distributed ledger technology and smart contracts. He is author of a chapter on smart contracts for an American Bar Association book on blockchain and a contributor to the ISDA Legal Guidelines for Smart Derivatives Contracts and has spoken at the Congressional Blockchain Caucus.
He is a frequent speaker on industry topics and has developed key standardized agreements.
Experience
Additional Publications
- September 2013
Commercial Outward-Facing Affiliates and the Definition of "Financial Entity", Futures & Derivatives Law Report, Vol. 33, Issue 8 - September 2013
Commercial Outward Facing Affiliates and the Definition of “Financial Entity" - September 2013
Is an Energy Company Affiliate a "Financial Entity" under Dodd-Frank? Infrastructure - May 2013
U.S. Offshore Wind Energy-Transitioning Towards Commercial Deployment, Wind Systems - April 23, 2013
Potential Impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and Global Over-the Counter Derivatives Regulations, Westlaw Derivative Journal Derivatives, Vol. 19, Issue 11 - November 26, 2012
Economic Curtailment and its Potential Impact on Wind Energy Growth, Wind Systems
Additional Speaking Engagements
- September 18, 2024
Opportunities in Renewable Energy and Carbon Transactions, FIA Forum: Commodities 2024 - June 20, 2024
ISDA Financial Power Purchase Agreement (FPPA) Confirmation Template - June 20, 2024
Digital Assets in Energy Markets, ISDA - April 25, 2024
Emergence of Carbon Intensity Attributes to Reduce Supply Chain Emissions, Futures Industry Association (FIA) - April 19, 2024
Leveraging Carbon Markets for Achieving Net Zero in APAC, The Legal 500 - March 28, 2024
Engaging Suppliers in Emissions Reporting, Carbon Tracking & Reporting - March 26, 2024
Overview of Global Hydrogen Market, Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN) - March 21, 2024
Overview of ISDA's Commodities Documentation - March 21, 2024
New and Potential Future ISDA Commodity Trading Documentation - March 21, 2024
Digital Assets in Energy Markets, ISDA - June 8, 2023
Energy Transition: Trends in Derivatives Transactions, Futures Industry Association (FIA) - March 7, 2023
Supporting the Transition to a Green Economy through Legal Documentation, ISDA ESG Forum - February 28, 2023
ISDA Documentation for Environmental Trading - September 14, 2022
Outlook on New and Future ISDA Environmental Trading Docs Version 2.0 - May 12, 2022
Documentation for ESG, ISDA Annual General Meeting - December 9, 2021
ISDA Environmental Trading Docs Version 2.0 - October 10, 2021
REC Trading and Industry Standard Agreements, International Energy Credits Association (IECA) - December 10, 2019
Smart Contracts: Technology & Legalities Come Together, Blockland - November 20, 2019
Digital Assets in Derivatives Markets, ISDA Legal Technology and the Future of Derivatives Documentation - October 4, 2019
Bank of England Colloquium on Sustainable Finance, Financial Markets Law Committee - June 27, 2019
The Future of Clean Energy Transmission, New York Energy Consumers Council (NYECC) - May 23, 2019
Smarts Contracts Roundtable, Congressional Blockchain Caucus - March 6, 2019
Smart Derivatives Contracts: Contract or Code?, ISDA Smart Derivatives Contracts Symposium - November 29, 2018
SciTech Focus on Blockchain: Smart Code and Smart Contracts, American Bar Association - November 8, 2018
How Smart is a Smart Contract?, ISDA Technology Forum - October 2018
Beyond the Basics of Blockchain: Current and Future Use Cases and Corresponding Regulatory Development, New York State Bar Association - September 20, 2018
The Digital Fin-Tech Revolution Continues, 17th Annual Gas & Power Institute - March 8, 2018
Blockchain Technology in the Energy Sector, 2018 WSPP Spring Operating Committee Meeting - May 25, 2017
Derivatives Disputes: Litigating and arbitrating the ISDA Master Agreements - March 2016
"Rea Life in the World of WSPP - Example Transactions Between Counterparties" - Western Systems Power Pool Operating Committee Meeting - March 3, 2016
Standardizing Market Practices to Mitigate Risks - Tariffs and Master Agreements - Western Systems Power Pool Operating Committee Meeting - October 1, 2015
EEI Master Agreement Training Webinar - Additional Provisions - February 25, 2015
Distressed Energy: Risks and Opportunities, Loan Syndication and Trading Association (LSTA) - October 22, 2014
Evolution of Manipulation Law: Traders Beware, Edison Electric Institute Webinar - June 25, 2014
A Roundtable Discussion on Dodd-Frank Provisions, International Energy Credit Association (IECA) - October 17-18, 2013
EEI CFTC Dodd-Frank Compliance Forum - December 10-11,2012
EEI CFTC Dodd-Frank Compliance Forum: The Nuts and Bolts of Implementation - September 12, 2012
EEI Contract Drafting Committee Event: Documentation Changes under Dodd-Frank - February 16, 2010
Market Design of Allowances, Offsets and RECs - November 10, 2009
Executive Roundtable Series: Update on Renewable Energy and Climate Change Initiatives - July 23, 2009
Energy Roundtable: New Administration, New Economy, and New Opportunities - 2008
Recent Cases and their Impact on the Energy Trading Business, Energy Bar Association - 2008
Of REC's and Hedges - How Wind Power is Bought and sold, 1st Power and Alternative Energy Conference - 2006
Public Power Credit Initiatives and Other Credit Developments, Edison Electric Institute - 2006
Financial Performance Measures in Contracting with Public Power Entities, American Public Power Association Legal Seminar - 2005
Let's Make a Deal - Basic Products, Price, and Delivery Points, etc., Edison Electric Institute - 2002
User's Guide to the EEI Masters Netting Agreement, Edison Electric Institute
- Fordham University (J.D. cum laude 1998; Order of the Coif; Law Review); Brown University (B.A. 1992)
- New York
Named a Northeast Trailblazer by The American Lawyer
New York Law Journal, Innovation Award
A Word About Wind, Legal Power List
Member (and former co-chair), EEI Contract Drafting Committee, Edison Electric Institute
Member, ESG Scoping Forum, Financial Markets Law Committee
Member, Stakeholders Committee for Local Law 97 Carbon Trading Study for New York City