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In this edition of the CDT Roundup, we take a look at a more robust deal week than we've seen recently, while the first-quarter deadline for being included in the rankings is later today. Plus, a helpful guide is now available for all things Corporate Deal Tracker. That and more in this week's CDT Roundup, our regular feature highlighting the work Texas dealmakers are doing inside and outside the state.
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.
The 2025 Katten Middle-Market Private Equity report released Thursday was based on bullish post-election December business optimism. But the early and aggressive moves by the Trump Administration forced the report sponsor, Katten, to reassess its data — to the point of authorizing a "flash survey" to gauge whether optimism had survived.
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.
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.
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 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.
Texas continues to experience rapid population growth, adding nearly 563,000 new residents in 2024, pushing its population north of 31 million. To accommodate this influx, municipalities issued about $68 billion in bonds last year to fund critical infrastructure projects like schools, hospitals, and roads. The leading bond counsel firm in the state, McCall Parkhurst & Horton, advised on 372 bond issues last year as managing partner Mark Malveaux attributes the steady bond activity to the strong Texas economy and robust demand for public services and infrastructure.
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.
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 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.
In this edition of CDT Roundup, there were 13 deals valued at $13.7 billion. Although the value included an $8.5 billion M&A transaction involving cellular infrastructure, that ranks far better than the prior week's anaemic 7 deals for $2.2 billion, whose value base included a $2 billion loan. For the same week in 2024, we saw 11 transactions valued at $11.4 billion.
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