Christopher Valentino

Christopher is a highly accomplished transactional attorney with a proven track record in renewable energy development and real estate law. His pragmatic approach and deep industry knowledge have made him a trusted advisor to developers, investors, and energy companies navigating the complex landscape of energy and real estate projects.

Renewable Energy Expertise

Christopher is an emerging leader in the renewable energy legal space, having advised on some of the largest and most innovative utility-scale solar installations in California and across the United States. He regularly counsels clients on all aspects of project development, from site control and permitting to financing and closing. His expertise spans acquisitions, ground leases, easements, complex title and survey matters, and financing structures involving tax equity and debt. Christopher’s clients include prominent developers and lenders who rely on his strategic insight and precision in documentation to negotiate, execute, and implement renewable energy leases, shared facilities agreements, easements, and associated property rights and financing agreements for utility-scale solar and wind energy projects throughout California.

Real Estate Development & Transactions

Beyond his energy practice, Christopher has an equally strong background in real property acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, and development. He represents developers, borrowers, ground lessors, purchasers, and capital partners in a variety of real estate transactions across asset classes.

Christopher has extensive experience in the homebuilding industry and related transactions, representing publicly traded homebuilders and other residential developers. He has advised on the acquisition and assemblage of property for the construction of new homes across the California Bay Area.

Christopher stands out for his ability to deliver actionable, business-focused legal solutions that enable clients to move projects from concept to completion. His well-rounded transactional practice encompasses all critical stages of project development, including acquisition, entitlement, permitting, leasing, sale leasebacks, and financing. When in the depths of deals, Christopher’s practical approach to negotiation and deal-making, combined with his cheerful and upbeat personality, helps both deals and clients reach the finish line successfully. His diligence, responsiveness, and practical mindset have made him a go-to counsel for some of the most dynamic companies in the renewable energy and homebuilding sectors.

Ongoing representation of solar and battery storage developers for the acquisition and development of over 13,000 acres in Fresno and Kern Counties, California. Providing holistic representation for the development of solar and battery storage projects, including acquisition, financing, and counsel regarding purchase agreements, shared use agreements, options agreements, easements, acquisition and construction financing, access, and title matters.

Ongoing representation of a national homebuilder on the acquisition and development of numerous parcels into a single residential community in the San Francisco Bay Area, anticipated to provide over 550 residential units. This matter involved the negotiation of multiple agreements with landowners and the judicious resolution of complex title matters.  

Ongoing representation of multifamily and industrial developers facing complex title and development issues, including matters related to the California Subdivision Map Act (SMA), reciprocal easements, and other long-standing covenants on title. These representations involved the negotiation of reciprocal easement agreements with neighboring property owners; the prosecution and resolution of title claims; and the timely remediation of title restrictions preventing redevelopment.