DBJ: PE/M&A Lawyers Switch Firms, Talk How to Get Deals Done
Whit Roberts and Jack Jacobsen spoke with the Dallas Business Journal about the M&A landscape and their deal pipelines.
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Whit Roberts and Jack Jacobsen spoke with the Dallas Business Journal about the M&A landscape and their deal pipelines.

Texas M&A boomed in Texas in 2021 — in value, in deal count and in ways that bode well for 2022. According to exclusive data from The Texas Lawbook's Corporate Deal Tracker, each month of 2021 outperformed 2020 year-over-year. There were more deals at basically every level — for $1 million or $1 billion or beyond. Whether in energy or healthcare, construction or infrastructure, technology or transportation, it was a year that rebounded from the pandemic beyond the most optimistic expectations. The Lawbook has the numbers, the tables and the views of deal lawyers across the state of what was, from virtually any perspective, a very remarkable year.
M&A in North America reached a record $2.7 trillion in 2021, according to PitchBook last week. Meanwhile deals in Texas kept apace with nearly a dozen. The CDT Roundup has all of them, and the lawyers involved.
The transaction comes on the heels of the company's $600 million asset acquisition from Warburg Pincus-backed Chisholm Energy Holdings in December. Attorneys from Haynes and Boone and Simpson Thacher advised on the deal.
Lawyers weighed in Wednesday on the new SEC proposal which would increase the frequency and amount of information some firms and hedge funds are required to disclose.
Upstream M&A values for oil and gas were up last year by 25% over 2020, a hopeful sign that energy production transactions are getting back to pre-Covid levels. However, gains in deal volume were slight. At the moment, 2022 seems set for continued deal flow, particularly in the mid-size markets. But beyond? The CDT Roundup has more on those numbers and a look at the lawyers who provided last week's deals.
Three firms in Texas — Gibson Dunn, Shearman & Sterling and Akin Gump — advised on the deal, which was reported as in its final stages last week. Some analysts are curious how Chesapeake will hedge, given concerns about the outlook for natural prices in 2023.
The Texas Lawbook caught up with Hooper about his decision with Brian Lidji to join forces with one of the largest firms in the state, memorable deals he and Lidji have handled and their clients’ concerns.

Over the past couple of decades Becky Diffen has managed to fashion a student passion into a formidable career guiding M&A transactions for renewable energy projects. She's not only seen the energy business change, she's literally been an agent of that change. Nushin Huq profiles her personal transition for The Texas Lawbook.
2021 was a record year for private equity in the U.S. According to PitchBook stats there were 8,600 PE deals worth more than $1.2 trillion, waaay higher than even the previous record. The Roundup has more on the banner year, as well as last week's reported transactions.
The five-partner team — highlighted by Whit Roberts and Jack Jacobsen, two Locke Lord lifers — includes three who have held firm or department-wide leadership roles. This latest move brings O'Melveny's Texas partner total to 15, with more lateral poaching expected by the Los Angeles-headquartered firm.

Glenn West considers himself a private equity lawyer. But over his 43-year career, he’s advised on everything from real estate and oil and gas to sports deals to acquisition finance to restructuring.
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