Jacob O. Obande

Jacob Obande services clients in various areas of transactional law, energy law, and construction law. His practice includes counseling owners, developers, contractors, and subcontractors through the various stages of transaction and project life-cycles, including the initiation, planning, execution, controlling, and closing stages. Jacob assists his clients with negotiating various transactions, including commercial contracts, and counsels clients on project risks, claims, and disputes. His transactions and claims experience includes a wide range of projects in energy and construction, including renewable energy (solar, wind, hydrogen, and battery energy storage systems (“BESS”), nuclear, heavy civils, pipe construction, and manufacturing and industrials (pulp and paper, chemicals, and aftermarket services for plant machinery repairs).

Prior to entering the legal field, Jacob practiced as a structural engineer (EIT) with a full-service design firm and gained valuable experience solving complex design and cost challenges for clients. Jacob’s broad technical, business, and legal background provide his advanced understanding of the intricacies between business and law and other advanced competencies that enable him to quickly grasp complex technical concepts.

Prior to joining Smith, Gambrell & Russell, Jacob was in-house at a global consulting, engineering, and construction company, where he was one of the attorneys responsible for advising the company’s renewable energy and power business, which executed projects in the renewable energy (solar, wind, hydrogen, and BESS), power, paper, and water sectors throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Jacob advised internal clients on various commercial transactions, conducted due diligence on transactions (including M&A, joint ventures, and teaming agreements), prepared presentations and memoranda for executive level stakeholders, worked hand-in-hand with executives, commercial and supply chain managers, project managers, and project teams to manage risk throughout a project’s life-cycle, and provided support on general corporate matters. He also assisted with the prosecution of significant claims for extra work, inefficiencies, delays, and changed conditions in connection with solar and wind engineering, procurement, and construction (“EPC”) projects.

He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, including the Construction Law Section and the Corporate Counsel Law Section. Jacob served as a Legal Extern for The Honorable Judge Barbara Ellis-Monro.

Jacob's Practice

Representative Matters

• Drafted and negotiated construction agreements, design agreements, service agreements, purchase agreements, supply agreements, parent company guarantees, letters of credit, and other agreements for projects in the energy, power, and manufacturing and industrials sectors valued from $25,000 to $150 million.
• Represented EPC contractor in the drafting and negotiation of an EPC agreement for the turnkey delivery of an approximately 120 MW solar photovoltaic facility for a renewable energy joint venture.
• Represented EPC contractor in the drafting and negotiation of an EPC agreement for the turnkey delivery of an approximately 150 MW solar photovoltaic facility for an investor owned utility.
• Represented EPC contractor in the drafting and negotiation of an engineering, procurement, and construction management (“EPCM”) agreement for the development of an approximately 263 MW solar photovoltaic facility for a renewable energy joint venture.
• Represented EPC contractor in the drafting and negotiation of an agreement to provide engineering and construction management services for the development of a chemical manufacturing plant.
• Represented EPC contractor in drafting and negotiation of terms of a mater services agreement for engineering and construction services for paper machines and pulp mills and maintenance and inspection work on digesters.
• Represented engineering business in drafting and negotiation of an agreement to provide engineering design for an off-grid integrated energy complex developed to produce ammonia from green hydrogen.
• Represented engineering and consulting business in the negotiation of a design agreement with a Canadian electric utility related to the modernization of a hydroelectric generation plant.