Kirkland’s Adam Arikat Leaves for Simpson Thacher
The veteran energy tax attorney was involved with several billion-dollar deals in the last few months. He cites STB's "preeminent tax practice and collegial culture" as the reasons behind his move.
Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
The veteran energy tax attorney was involved with several billion-dollar deals in the last few months. He cites STB's "preeminent tax practice and collegial culture" as the reasons behind his move.
Dallas-based fuel distribution giant Sunoco LP announced it intends to purchase pipeline and terminal company NuStar Energy in an all-equity transaction valued at approximately $7.3 billion.
Texas lawyers for 29 law firms worked on 130 M&A deals in 2023 that had deal values of $1 billion or more. Twenty-two of those firms were the lead legal advisors for the buyers, sellers or targets, according to new data from The Texas Lawbook's exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker. A handful of Texas lawyers — Sean Wheeler, Debbie Yee, Ryan Maierson and Steve Gill — led or co-led more billion-dollar-plus transactions than any other lawyers. In fact, the four deal lawyers — all partners in Houston —led more transactions than 25 of the 29 firms on the list. But it was Dallas lawyer Jeff Chapman who landed the biggest deal of 2023. The Lawbook has the details.
As Sir Mix-A-Lot might note if he was writing about M&A instead hip-hop fundament, "We like big numbers and we cannot lie." As a result, we decided to continue our look at 2023's remarkable run of billion-dollar deals, and whether inflation inflated our numbers. That and the usual roster of transactions reported last week.
Holland & Knight and Akin advised on the deal between the two Houston-based companies that extends the on-going upstream consolidations offshore, into the Gulf of Mexico.

7-Eleven Inc. has agreed to purchase 204 stores hat include the Stripes and Laredo Taco Company brands from Sunoco LP. With locations primarily in New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Texas, the stores will join 7-Eleven’s more than 13,000-store portfolio. The purchase, valued at a reported $950 million, is the latest expansion for the convenience store giant. Akin, led by Thomas Yang and Ashton Barrineau Butcher, advised 7-Eleven on the deal, while Vinson & Elkins team, steered by Lande Spottswood and Yong Eoh, advised Dallas-based master limited partnership Sunoco.
Advised by Kirkland, Skadden and others, the deal has deep ties to a number of critical Texas energy and infrastructure projects. The Lawbook has the details, as well as the names of lawyers involved.

The size of a deal may not always be an indicator of its success, but 2023 in Texas will certainly go down in history as the year of some massive billion-dollar transactions. Despite the fact that the global M&A market saw a 17 percent decline in value and 6 percent decline in volume, Texas had the distinction of leading the world with the two largest megadeals: ExxonMobil's $64.5 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron's $60 billion purchase of Hess Corp. Even ONEOK's $18 billion acquisition of Magellan Midstream Partners made it to the top dozen deals worldwide, as Texas demonstrated its energy prowess across the globe.
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