Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Denny Lee, an energy and infrastructure transactions partner, has joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Houston from Latham & Watkins. He will focus his practice on advising public and private companies, private equity sponsors, financial advisors and boards on complex US and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs, joint ventures, take-private transactions and corporate finance matters across the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Bill Nelson has joined Latham & Watkins in Houston after seven and a half years at A&O Shearman, including more than two years as the managing partner in the firm’s Houston office.
A little less than two years after joining Winston, Kevin Brophy and Ming Lei are on the move again; this time to Bracewell as partners in the oil and gas transactions group in Houston.
SpaceX announced on June 16 in a social media post that it exercised an option to acquire Cursor in an all-stock transaction valued at $60 billion, with Gibson Dunn and Kirkland advising.
SpaceX plans to fold Cursor into its X67 Inc. unit. The deal was first announced in April, when SpaceX said it would “pay $10 billion for our work together” if it didn’t exercise the option.
Olin Corp. and Huntsman Corp. announced June 16 that they have merged in an all-stock deal that creates a chemicals company with more than $12 billion in annual sales.
Kirkland, Cravath and Sidley advised on the transaction.
Yum! Brands has agreed to sell Pizza Hut to Connecticut private equity firm LongRange Capital for about $1.5 billion, with an earn-out option of $75 million by 2030, while Pizza Hut in mainland China will be acquired by Yum China Holdings for about $1.2 billion.
Sidley, Weil and Mayer Brown are serving as outside legal advisors.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz may be creating a profound sense of uncertainty among consumers at the gas pump, but the bankers who will be lending billions for oil and gas production are sanguine about the prospects of oil and gas prices returning to normal by the end of the year. In the latest survey of energy lenders conducted by Haynes Boone, energy lenders are expecting oil prices to subside by the end of the year, with long-term projections reaching pre-conflict levels by 2028.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher confirmed in a news release on Thursday afternoon that the firm is the lead counsel to SpaceX on its initial public offering set to price Friday and revealed the lawyers involved across the entire transaction. (Photo credit: Sharon Ferranti/Texas Lawbook)
Dilen Kumar has joined Akin in Dallas as a corporate partner. He will focus his practice on private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, investment strategies and corporate governance matters.
Real estate partner Consuella “Connie” Simmons Taylor has joined Seyfarth Shaw in Houston from Baker Botts. Taylor, who most recently served as firmwide chair of Baker Botts’ real estate & construction practice, will focus her practice on commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, leasing and development.
Edmund “Eddy” Daniels has joined Mayer Brown in Houston from McGuireWoods. The power and energy partner will focus his practice on power, energy and infrastructure transactions, including project development, acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures and commercial agreements for energy and infrastructure assets.
David Aaronson is joining McGuireWoods as a partner in Houston as the firm continues to expand its energy M&A and finance practices.
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