“Wins widespread acclaim as an attorney who has ‘set the bar in terms of client service and project finance expertise’… [he has an] ability to ‘reconcile the achievement of the business objective with the law.’”
Chambers USA

Overview

Barry Machlin is a partner in Mayer Brown's Global Projects group and concentrates on international and domestic project finance and infrastructure transactions of all types. Barry has led or had a central role in transactions involving more than 60 countries spanning a wide range of sectors, including power (coal, gas, wind and nuclear), oil and gas (pipelines, petrochemical and other facilities), ports and aviation, satellite/telecom and other areas. Barry also has represented sovereigns, state-owned enterprises and investors in privatization matters and cross-border investment and financing transactions. Barry served for four years on the firm’s global Partnership Board, is a member of  our Asia Board and a former co-Chair of the Global Projects group.

Barry has received numerous accolades for his work, including being selected by the International Financial Law Review as a 2014 “Leading Lawyer” and the Financial Times as a “US Innovative Lawyer 2011”, as well as being  named by the American Lawyer as its 2007 "Dealmaker of the Year" in Project Finance. Barry has consistently been ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA (Projects) and is highly ranked in both the  Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America Guides, as well as named a “Leading Lawyer”  in the Legal 500 United States, in the Euromoney Guide to the World's Leading Project Finance Lawyers, and in the International Who's Who of Project Finance Lawyers. He was named to The Best Lawyers in America, was named a "Super Lawyer" in both Washington, DC and Illinois, and was recommended by Legal Media Group's "Expert Series" as one of the world's leading lawyers in Project Finance. Barry was named to Legal 500's list of Hall of Fame lawyers in 2017.

Chambers has cited praise for Barry for his “deft touch and experience to get [lenders] to a point where everyone can agree.” (Chambers USA 2016). Clients have also said that he is a “fantastic lawyer” (Legal 500 2016).

Areas of Focus

Practices
Industries
Regional Capabilities

Spoken Languages

  • English

Experience

Barry has served as lead counsel to major clients in many significant transactions, including the following:

  • Advising the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá in connection with construction and project development matters for the $5.25 billion Panama Canal Expansion Project. (This transaction was named the 2009 Project Finance Deal of the Year by IFLR.)
  • Representing five export credit agency and government-affiliated lenders from the United States, United Kingdom, Korea and Italy in the  $10.6 billion Tahrir Petrochemical Project in Egypt,  (This is the largest limited-recourse project financing transaction globally in 2017.)
  • Representing six export credit agency and government-affiliated lenders from Korea, Japan, Germany, the United States and Finland in the $5.5 billion Cobre Panama copper mine project financing. (This is the largest copper plant in the world.)
  • Representing three government-affiliated lenders from the United States, the Netherlands and Costa Rica in the $130 million, 50 megawatt Orosi wind power project in Costa Rica. (Named the 2013 Latin American Wind Deal of the Year by Project Finance Magazine.)
  • Representing an export credit agency in the $850 million El Boleo mining project in Mexico. (Named the 2010 Latin American Mining Deal of the Year by Project Finance Magazine and received the 2010 Mines and Money Funding Award.)
  • Representing three multilateral financing institutions and an export credit agency in the La Ventosa-La Mata wind power project in Mexico.
  • Representing an export credit agency as lead credit provider to a $650 million ammonia production project in Egypt.
  • Representing official and commercial lenders in connection with financings related to the Autopista del Coral toll road project in the Dominican Republic.
  • Advising an export credit agency in connection with the financing of the AfricaSat 1A satellite for the Republic of Azerbaijan.
  • Representing the lead lenders to the La Gloria wind energy project in Costa Rica.
  • Representing a multinational company in connection with a post-transitional government-sponsored power project in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • Representing an export credit agency in connection with multiple power projects in Asia, including the $2.5 billion Paiton I and $1.7 billion Jawa (Paiton II) power projects in Indonesia; and the $800 million Quezon power project in the Philippines. (These projects received multiple Deals of the Year awards, including Project Finance Deal of the Year; Asia-Pacific Restructuring Deal of the Year; and Innovative Deal of the Year (Paiton I), and Asia-Pacific Restructuring Deal of the Year (Jawa).)
  • Representing the lead lender in connection with three proton therapy health care project financings in the US.
  • Representing a multilateral lending agency and the lead commercial lender on the $260 million Itapoá deepwater port project in Brazil.
  • Representing an export credit agency in connection with the San Fernando gas pipeline project in Mexico. (Named Latin American Oil and Gas Deal of the Year by Project Finance Magazine.)
  • Representing the lead lender in connection with the successful restructuring of the $400 million Central Puerto power project in Argentina.
  • Representing all of the official and commercial lenders to the $435 million Bajio power project in Mexico. (Named Latin American Merchant Power Deal of the Year by Project Finance Magazine.)

Perspectives

News

Education

Harvard Law School, JD

Brandeis University, BA, summa cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

  • New York
  • Illinois
  • District of Columbia
  • Massachusetts

Activities

  • Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University School of Law