Baker Botts transactional partner Jonathan Bobinger became the ninth lawyer on Tuesday announced by Clifford Chance to be joining the London-based corporate law firm’s new Houston office.
Bobinger, whose practice focuses on energy M&A deals and joint ventures, joined Baker Botts’s Houston office a decade ago from Seward & Kissel in New York.
Clifford Chance announced June 5 that it is opening an office in Houston that will focus on energy and infrastructure transactions. So far, the Magic Circle firm has announced the following lateral hires besides Bobinger:
- Alexandra (“Alex”) Wilde and David Stringer from Jones Day;
- Enoch Varner from Kirkland; and
- Jonathan Castelan and Trevor Lavelle from Latham & Watkins.
Bobinger in 2021 represented Southern Company Gas in its $50 million sale of its wholesale natural gas marketing and trading businesses, Sequent Energy Management and Sequent Energy Canada Corp., to Tulsa-based operator Williams. A year earlier Bobinger had advised Atlanta-based Southern in the sale of it’s 5 percent interest in the Atlantic Coast pipeline to Dominion Energy.
In October 2021, Bobinger also advised Crestwood Equity Partners — alongside Baker Botts’ partner Josh Davidson — in their $1.8 billion acquisition by merger with Oasis Midstream Partners. In 2018, also with Davidson, he helped advise solar provider 8point3 Energy Partners and SunPower Corporation in their $977 million merger with CD Clean Energy and Infrastructure V, a joint venture of funds led by Capital Dynamics.
Last year, on the capital markets side, Bobinger helped lead a Baker Botts team that advised Kansas Gas Service Securitization I, a unit of Kansas Gas Service, a division of One Gas Inc., on its registered public offering of $336 million worth of its Series 2022-A Senior Secured Securitized Utility Tariff Bonds, Tranche A.
The Texas Lawbook’s previous coverage articles on Clifford Chance’s move into Texas can be found here.