Shaunessy serves energy clients with real estate needs.
After beginning her legal career in traditional real estate work, Shaunessy began to concentrate primarily on the renewable energy industry, assisting with real property transactions and financing for wind, solar, and hydrogen projects. Today, she advises developers, financing parties, and owners throughout the financing, investment, property rights acquisition, and development stages of utility scale energy projects nationwide, with a particular focus on Texas. Shaunessy’s counsel regularly includes:
- Title and survey review
- Leases
- Easements
- Estoppels
- Landowner negotiations
- Financing and investment agreements
- Purchase and sale agreements
Shaunessy also has experience advising clients on a broad spectrum of real estate financing matters, including tax increment and public financing. She is adept at using economic development tools such as tax abatement, annexation, subdivision, community improvement districts, and transportation development districts to maximize clients’ tax advantages.
With a background in public administration and political science, Shaunessy is personally passionate about development work. She loves contributing to projects that will have a tangible impact on their communities and the wider world, and she sees renewable energy as an important vehicle to build for the future.
Clients appreciate Shaunessy’s prompt responsiveness and availability and readily sense her commitment to service. Prior to enrolling in law school, Shaunessy served with Teach for America for three years, an experience that further encouraged her heart for serving others, and she chose a legal career partly due to its opportunities for service. Her work style today remains intensely client-focused.
Shaunessy also serves as the co-lead of the firm’s pro bono legal intake clinic with Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, where she dedicates significant time to representing low-income families in a variety of legal issues.