The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Corporate Deal Tracker
Click here to sign up for The Texas Lawbook’s exclusive weekly CDT newsletter.
CDT SNAPSHOT
It's Official
Simpson Thacher made its expansion to Dallas official by hiring Ryan Cox (right). He will serve as head of the firm’s Hybrid Capital practice and co-managing partner of the office alongside Dave Nemecek, who moved from Kirkland in February.
CDT DATABASE YEAR-TO-DATE TRANSACTION TOTALS
AUG. 2, 2026
DEAL COUNT
840
DEAL VALUE
$957.4B
AUG. 2, 2025
DEAL COUNT
993
DEAL VALUE
$804.3B

CDT Roundup: 27 Deals, 23 Firms, 353 Lawyers, $24B

By now it should be obvious that deal volume was down in the second quarter. The reasons aren't mysterious: Persisting inflation and a short spurt of bank failures beginning with Silicon Valley Bank signaled the drop in deals. But middle market deals, while down, have fared better than most, according to Boston-based Capstone Partners. This week's CDT Roundup explores their prediction that deal volume in the $100 million to $500 million range is set for a rebound — along with our summaries of a week that saw a whopping 27 transactions involving lots and lots of Texas-based lawyers.

Claire Poole

Vital Buys Oil & Gas Assets for $1.16B

In simultaneous acquisitions from three different sellers, Vital promises to add scale in the Permian Basin, increase cash flow and reduce leverage. Texas lawyers from six different firms were involved: Akin, Baker Botts, Jackson Walker, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins and Vinson & Elkins.

Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 12 Deals, 8 Firms, 102 Lawyers, $6.4B

Kirkland dominated this week's Roundup with participation in four of the seven M&A/Fundings deals reported last week. But according to the firm, that's also been the case during the summer, especially in the energy sector. They provided some rankings from Deal Point Data to back that up. We tested their data against some numbers from our own Corporate Deal Tracker, and the results may reveal some good news for everyone. And, of course, there's the usual rundown of firms and lawyers involved in all the deals last week.

Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 14 Deals, 6 Firms, 92 Lawyers, $2.5B

Clay Brett arrived in May at the Houston offices of Baker Botts with a deep résumé: partner and GC at a private investment firm, Willkie and Bracewell alum. Since then he's been busy. Very busy. In a Q&A with the Lawbook's Claire Poole, Brett describes his decision to join Baker Botts, the bifurcated presence (long and short) of private equity in the energy spaces and dealmaking the energy storage space. That, along with the usual list of deals and fundings reported by Texas lawyers last week.

Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 17 Deals, 13 Firms, 202 Lawyers, $12.2B

The heat is on in Texas, in more ways than one. It's no secret that record summer temperatures have tested the durability of the state's electric grid; but lesser known is its growing dependence on alternative energy transmissions to meet this year's extraordinary demand. Wind and solar, however, are only as dependable as the ability to store the energy they produce, and the CDT Roundup this week looks at the growing number of deals involving utility-scale battery storage sector which have, if you'll pardon the expression, become very hot.

Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 19 Deals, 13 Firms, 213 Lawyers, $11.5B

Who are the leading law firms in global M&A? Not necessarily who you thought they were. This week's CDT Roundup features the top-ranked M&A firms in a recent PitchBook list for Q2. There's that, and the usual listing of Texas deals reported last week, led by three deals of more than $1 billion, including a $7.2 billion bolt-on acquisition by Energy Transfer.

Claire Poole

Data/Rankings Stories

Dealmaker Moves

GC Profiles

Expert Voices

Jeff’s Top Picks

© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.