Craig Vogelsang rejoined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner and Alex Niebruegge returned to the firm as senior counsel, both in the oil and gas and LNG group in Houston, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Vogelsang came from Baker Botts and Niebruegge from Winston & Strawn.
Vogelsang has worked on some high-profile deals at Baker Botts, including advising ConocoPhillips on its $9.5 billion purchase of Permian Basin assets from Royal Dutch Shell unit Shell Enterprises. The Texas Lawbook named the transaction as one of the 10 top M&A deals of 2021.
The partner also represented BP when it sold almost all of its Alaska assets to billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand’s Hilcorp in 2020 for $5.6 billion (with energy projects partner Dan Mark). The Texas Lawbook named that transaction as one of the top 10 M&A deals of 2019.
In 2018, Vogelsang also advised BHP Billiton on the sale of its Fayetteville shale properties to Merit Energy for $300 million.
The University of Iowa law graduate joined Baker Botts in 2018 from Winston & Strawn, where he spent four-and-a half years. Before that, he was at then-named Fulbright & Jaworski for more than 12 years.
Niebruegge, meanwhile, was elevated to partner at Winston in December 2018 after joining the firm in 2014. He worked on several transactions for NGL Energy Partners, including a deal to combine the assets of Mesquite Disposals Unlimited with NGL’s water solutions business for $890 million in stock.
Before that, the University of Chicago law grad worked for four years as an associate at Fulbright & Jaworski and one year as a law clerk to the Hon. Nancy F. Atlas at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s U.S. managing partner, said in a statement that clients rely on Vogelsang for his “rock-solid” counsel in the rapidly evolving oil and gas industry.
“We are thrilled to welcome him and Alex back home to Norton Rose Fulbright’s Houston office, where we are focused on expanding the firm’s offering across all sectors,” he said.
John Mauel, Norton Rose Fulbright’s global head of energy, infrastructure and resources, said the return of the attorneys to the firm is well-timed given the increased acquisition and divestiture activity of its U.S. and global oil and gas clients.
“Craig has advised oil and gas companies on nationally and globally prominent transactions for decades and is one of the most knowledgeable and talented oil and gas lawyers in Houston,” he said.
Mauel worked across the table from Vogelsang on the Conoco-Shell deal. Mauel himself jumped to NRF from Pillsbury in 2015.
“Norton Rose Fulbright is synonymous with energy in Houston and around the world with a deep bench of talented associates, counsel and partners dedicated to serving energy clients on complex oil and gas transactions,” Vogelsang said. “I am excited about the firm’s incredible growth and the ability to draw from its enormous capabilities that stretch across the globe and the oil and gas and energy sector.”
According to The Texas Lawbook 50, NRF advanced from No. 4 in 2020 to the third spot last year. The firm reported 2021 revenues in Texas of $383.2 million — a nearly 10 percent jump.