CDT: H1 2022 – A Time for Smaller Deals

The first half of the year in Texas M&A was dominated by the mid- to lower-market transactions, according to data gathered by The Texas Lawbook Corporate Deal Tracker. Although dealmaking was robust, the values of those deals declined dramatically. Of 507 deals reported by Texas lawyers, only a handful were valued at $5 billion or more, and deals valued at more than $1 billion declined dramatically from 2021. On the other hand, deals valued under $100 million help push the year's deal counts to impressive levels. The Texas Lawbook has the details.

July 29, 2022 Allen Pusey & Mark Curriden

Texas M&A Lawyers Look Ahead: More of the Same, Maybe

This week, The Texas Lawbook published new Corporate Deal Tracker data showing M&A lawyers were busier during the first six months of 2022 than they have ever been. The article quoted several of the state’s leading dealmakers on the trends they saw during H1 2022. Now, we asked those same M&A lawyers to look into their crystal balls for the second half of the year? The bottom line: Opinions differed.

July 27, 2022 Claire Poole

Shell USA acquires Shell Midstream Partners for $1.96B

Shell USA announced Monday that it is paying $1.96 billion to acquire all outstanding stock of its subsidiary Shell Midstream Partners, which has assets involved in crude oil and refined products pipelines and terminals that serve as key infrastructure to transport onshore and offshore crude oil production to U.S. Gulf Coast and Midwest refining markets. The entities chose Houston lawyers from Baker Botts and Gibson Dunn as its legal advisors. The Lawbook has lawyer names and other details.

July 25, 2022 Allen Pusey

CDT Roundup: 11 Deals, 10 Firms, 92 Lawyers, $801M

Rumblings of a couple of deals in the offing involving properties owned by ConocoPhillips and Shell provided a touch of piquance to a week that was otherwise bland to the taste. The Roundup offers a few hints at what those deals might be, as well as its weekly run-down of the deals that actually happened, including the names of the Texas lawyers they involved.

July 25, 2022 Claire Poole

Texas M&A Dealmaking Hits Another Record in H1 2022

Texas Corporate dealmakers thought there was no way 2022 could match the record number of M&A transactions they handled in H1 or H2 2021 - both were records. But new data from by The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker shows M&A activity hit another record high during the first six months of 2022 - albeit by an inch or so.

The dollar value of transactions declined significantly from the year before because there were no megadeals announced by the likes of AT&T, Chevron or Match.com. As you might expect, the energy sector led the way. The Texas Lawbook has the data and insight from the experts.

July 25, 2022 Claire Poole & Allen Pusey

Clifford Chance Lands Veteran V&E Tech Partner

The Magic Circle law firm has recruited Devika Kornbacher to be the co-chair of its global technology group. Kornbacher, who had a hand in almost every tech deal at V&E, started her career at the Houston-based firm and practiced there for 15-plus years.

July 20, 2022 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 14 Deals, 10 Firms, 122 Lawyers, $3.7B

The value of upstream energy deals is down in the second quarter of 2022, according to Enverus; down compared to the first quarter of 2022 and down dramatically from the same period a year ago. The reason seems simple: an abundance of caution in a volatile economic climate. The CDT Roundup has the numbers and the analysis, as well as the weekly roll call of the Texas lawyers behind last week's deals.

July 19, 2022 Claire Poole

Dealmaker Hugh Tucker Joins Haynes Boone

Tucker, who helped open Shearman & Sterling's office in Houston after 35 years at Baker Botts, has advised on a host of big deals in the energy space.

July 19, 2022 Claire Poole