Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, the infrastructure company of New York’s Brookfield Asset Management, and its institutional partners announced on April 3 that it had entered an agreement to acquire 100 percent ownership of Colonial Enterprises and its midstream asset portfolio for $9 billion. Lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis and Simpson Thacher are advising on the deal.
Hooters Files For Chapter 11 Protection in NDTX
Hooters of America announced Monday night that it had entered a restructuring support agreement to sell its remaining company-owned Hooters locations to a specific group of its current franchisees. In conjunction with this move, Hooters of America and 29 other Hooters-affiliated debtors also announced that they had voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas. Lawyers from Ropes & Gray and Foley & Lardner are advising.
Rocket to Buy Texas-Based Home Loan Servicer for $9.4B
Rocket Companies announced Monday that it had agreed to merge and acquire Mr. Cooper Group Inc., a Dallas-based mortgage servicer, for $9.4 billion. Lawyers from Paul Weiss, Wachtell and Bradley Arant are advising the deal.
M&A Newsmaker: Michael King and His Crowning Achievements at Latham
Drawn by Latham & Watkins’ dominance in oil and gas transactions and its legal reputation he described as akin to playing for the New York Yankees, Michael King joined its Houston office as a partner in 2012. Over 13 years at Latham, King has been involved in a number of notable energy deals and more. He recently discussed his path to becoming a lawyer, his deep experience in the O&G sector and his expectations for the rest of the year with The Texas Lawbook.
CDT Roundup: Deadline for Submitting Deals for M&A Rankings is Next Week
In this edition of CDT Roundup for the week ending March 29, there were 21 Texas-related transactions valued at a total $8.2 billion. The week prior had seen 19 deals for $6.5 billion. It was the third straight week of volume uptick since the 2025 low of seven deals for $2.2 billion for the week that ended March 8. This time last year, there were 12 deals for $9.3 billion. Also, The Texas Lawbook has new 2025 quarterly deadlines for deal submissions to qualify for its quarterly and annual firm and lawyer deal rankings. Firms and lawyers who wish to be considered for the first quarter and year-end Lawbook leaderboards for M&A and CapM must submit all of their first-quarter deals by April 7 at 5 p.m.
Excelerate Energy to Purchase New Fortress Energy’s Jamaican Assets and Operations for Over $1B
Excelerate Energy announced on Thursday that it had entered an agreement with New Fortress Energy to acquire its Jamaican assets and operations for $1.055 billion. Lawyers from Gibson Dunn, Vinson & Elkins and Simpson Thacher are advising on the deal.
Vertical Farming Company Hires Sidley, Jefferies to Advise on Bankruptcy
Plenty Unlimited Incorporated, a Wyoming-based vertical farming company, and six of its affiliated entities, announced Sunday that it had voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District of Texas.
How This Third-Year Haynes Boone Associate Became ‘Professor Potts’
Haynes Boone associate Bradley Potts credits a high school teacher for making him believe he could and should become a lawyer. But that teacher instilled something else in Potts: a love for teachers and teaching. And starting this semester at the UT School of Law, his students are learning what the real world of finance practice looks like from the ground up. Nick Peck explains how that happened after only three years of actual practice.
CDT Roundup: First Quarter Deadline for Filing Deals is Two Weeks Away
In this edition of CDT Roundup for the week ending March 22, the Corporate Deal Tracker saw 18 deals with an aggregate value of $5.2 billion. That eclipses the prior week in volume (13 deals) but falls far short in value ($13.7 billion). Still, the week parses well against the same week last year which saw 18 deals for $5.4 billion. Also, The Lawbook has new 2025 quarterly deadlines for deal submissions to qualify for its annual firm and lawyer deal rankings. Firms and lawyers who wish to be considered for the first quarter and year-end Lawbook leaderboards for M&A and CapM must submit all of their first-quarter deals by April 7 at 5 p.m.
Bradley Adds Veteran Trio From Chamberlain Hrdlicka
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings announced Wednesday that it is adding three Texas-based lawyers, David Sheinbein, Jarrod Martin, and Michael Riordan, to its Houston office. The trio joins the firm from Chamberlain Hrdlicka after spending significant time working within the corporate or bankruptcy practices there.