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Jason Philyaw

Fertitta Buys Caesars for $17.6B

Houston-based Fertitta Entertainment added significantly to its gambling and hospitality holdings Thursday, cutting a long-rumored deal for Caesars Entertainment for $17.6 billion in cash and assumption of debt. Guided by general counsel Steven Scheinthal, Fertitta chose White & Case as outside counsel. Caesars tapped both Latham & Watkins and Skadden Arps. Coincidentally, Scheinthal (pictured) is being honored Thursday night by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department. The Lawbook's Jason Philyaw has more on the deal and the more than 70 lawyers involved.

Jason Philyaw

NextEra, Dominion Energy Merge in Stock Swap Valued at $66.8B

NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced Monday an agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction valued at $66.8 billion. Kirkland & Ellis advised NextEra with a team led by Zach Savrick and Andy Calder in Houston with David Feirstein, who works from Houston and New York, and Brooksany Barrowes in Washington, D.C. Dominion Energy is being advised by McGuireWoods.

Jason Philyaw

CDT Roundup: Light Week, Heavy Energy as Power Plays Drive Activity

For the week ended May 16, the CDT Roundup reported on 12 deals – eight of which were in capital markets – with a total value of about $6 billion, which are both down from the prior week's 21 deals valued at $11.3 billion.

Despite the light slate, last week's transactions were dominated by energy of all kinds.

Jason Philyaw

Baker Botts Adds Dario Mendoza to Executive Compensation, Employee Benefits Team in Dallas

Dario Mendoza has joined Baker Botts in Dallas as a partner in the firm’s executive compensation and employee benefits practice after more than 15 years at Vinson & Elkins across town.

Baker Botts said Mendoza advises companies, private equity firms, boards, compensation committees and executive teams on compensation and benefits. His work spans tax, securities law, corporate governance and disclosure considerations associated with these arrangements.

Jason Philyaw

Kirkland, Sidley, Simpson Thacher Advise on VoltaGrid, Blackstone, Halliburton Deal

Blackstone and Halliburton agreed to invest $1 billion in VoltaGrid, a Houston company that provides power generation, portable power, CNG fuel supply, infrastructure and energy management services. VoltaGrid also is acquiring Propell Energy Technology, a Granbury manufacturer of oilfield and well-servicing equipment.

Kirkland & Ellis and Sidley Austin are advising VoltaGrid, while Simpson Thacher is advising Blackstone.

Jason Philyaw

CDT Roundup: Lone Star Deal Machine Keeps 200+ Lawyers Busy for the Week

For the week ended May 9, the CDT Roundup is reporting 21 deals valued at nearly $11.3 billion. And that doesn't include a $3.25 billion notes offering that closed three weeks ago nor the $56 billion unsolicitied offer for eBay by $11 billion-market-cap GameStop scooped by The Wall Street Journal last week.

White & Case is advising Grapevine-based GameStop, with a team led from New York. GameStop's general counsel is Mark Robinson, who received the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.

That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.

Jason Philyaw

Troutman Houston Partners Led National Team in Western Midstream $1.6B Brazos Delaware Deal

Western Midstream Partners has acquired Brazos Delaware II, a Fort Worth-based private gathering and processing platform in the Delaware Basin in West Texas, for about $1.6 billion in cash and stock. Western Midstream, which is based in The Woodlands, said it will pay about $800 million in cash and issue about $800 million in common units at the close of the deal that is expected by June 30.

Christopher B. Dial is Western Midstream’s general counsel, and Troutman Pepper Locke advised the company with a national team led by Houston Partners Jon Daly and Jennie Simmons. Vinson & Elkins served as outside legal advisor to Brazos.

Jason Philyaw

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