After picking up Jessica Hammons and Wesley Williams, Akin Gump has added two more corporate transactions partners from Thompson & Knight, including the firm’s former Fort Worth leader.
Jesse E. Betts will join the firm’s Dallas office, while Cole Bredthauer will join its Fort Worth office.
Both Betts and Bredthauer’s practices have significant ties to the energy space, a key area that complements Hammons and Williams’ practices.
Bredthauer, who most recently served as leader of TK’s Fort Worth office, focuses on oil and gas transactions, especially acquisitions and dispositions of E&P and midstream assets and companies, with a slew of clients that include public and private companies and private equity funds. He said Akin Gump’s depth and variety of practices was a “big driver” in his decision to make the move.
At the end of last year, Bredthauer helped lead a TK team that advised Fort Worth-based DoublePoint Energy in an agreement with Pinnacle Midstream II that provided for the Houston company building its Dos Picos gathering system in the Midland basin, with initial service to Midland and Glasscock counties. TK partner Dean Hinderliter and recent Akin Gump hire Williams also co-led the deal for DoublePoint.
Betts said the move to Akin Gump is a ”tremendous opportunity to join a firm with such a large global platform at this important moment for the energy industry.” He added that he is expecting a lot of M&A activity in the second half of the year.
Betts’ practice involves dealings in corporate and securities matters for upstream, midstream and related water logistics businesses tied to public and private companies, private equity funds and their portfolio companies and private equity-backed management teams. He also has non-energy clients in industries such as manufacturing and medical devices.
In January, Betts co-led with Holt Foster and Courtney Roane Tailwater Capital’s acquisition of EnCap Flatrock-backed Oklahoma midstream operators Tall Oak Midstream II and Tall Oak Midstream III.
“As we look ahead to what could be a period of significant consolidation in the oil and gas sector, Jesse and Cole possess the skills that our clients will truly appreciate. They are another strong addition to our transactional team in Texas, and it is great to have them with us,” said John Goodgame, co-head of Akin Gump’s firmwide corporate practice and a Houston-based partner, in a statement.
Betts earned his J.D. from the University of Kansas Law School, and Bredthauer attended SMU Dedman School of Law.