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The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

  • Appellate
  • Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A
  • GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.
  • Firm Management
  • White-Collar/Regulatory
  • Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

CDT Roundup: 18 Deals, 14 Law firms, 91 Texas Lawyers, $6.45B

March 26, 2019 Claire Poole

Baker Botts recently called 2018 “the year of the special situation” – and with good reason.

Activists are everywhere, especially in the oil and gas and power and utilities industries in the past several years.

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher says that there were 98 public activist actions in 2018 involving 65 activists and 82 companies. 

Board composition was the issue in 62 situations, followed by 44 that involved M&A, 38 business strategy, 28 governance, 17 management changes, 10 return of capital and 8 control. 

“Compared to the first half of 2018, activists focused their campaigns more squarely on M&A as compared to other rationales,” the firm said.

The $1.7 billion hook-up between Denbury Resources Inc. and Penn Virginia Corp. – which Texas lawyers at three different firms worked on – was one of the casualties, with the companies saying last week that they terminated their merger due to shareholder opposition as well as difficult market conditions.

What could this year look like? It’s hard to say. Some analysts expect robust deal flow – and intervention by activists – will continue in the oil and gas industry this year. Others think activist situations could force M&A, noting Elliott Management’s $2 billion-plus offer to take QEP Resources private.

Some companies are winning battles with activists. Note restaurant chain Luby’s beating New York activist investor Bandera Partners in a proxy fight, with its shareholders voting in all nine of its nominees to its board of directors (Texas lawyers from Sidley Austin aided in that fight).

Meanwhile, M&A deal flow involving Texas lawyers was up last week, at least in terms of volume. There were 18 deals worth $6.45 billion versus 14 transactions valued at $10.18 billion the previous week.  

Weekly Corporate Deal Tracker Roundup Stats

A compilation of weekly stats from The Lawbook's CDT Weekly Roundup
(Deal Values in Millions)

Week Ending
Deal CountAmountFirmsLawyersM&A CountM&A Value $MCapM Count
CapM Value $M
31-May-202519$23,3811116612$18,6657$4,717
24-May-202515$24,0331112113$23,6242$409
17-May-202516$21,7601214511$18,6155$3,145
10-May-202524$33,1751620619$30,7655$2,410
03-May-202511$4,249139011$2,226.52$2,022.5
26-Apr-202512$8,78791689$6,0113$2,776
19-Apr-202511$8,09771389$7,9852$112
12-Apr-202513$2,392815210$2,0653$327
05-Apr-202519$27,7621518816$25,4733$2,289
29-Mar-202521$8,1881025816$4,1255$4,064
22-Mar-202519$6,4851423115$4,1284$2,857
15-Mar-202513$13,7371315110$9,9324$3,805
8-Mar-20257$2,2345665$2242$2,100
1-Mar-202511$3,05087510$2,5501$500
24-Feb-2512$16,39771496$6,6356$9,862
17-Feb-2517$12,1361313410$9,4112$2,725
10-Feb-2514$7,15491799$4,9505$2,204
3-Feb-2516 $10,068720011$7,5535$2,515
25-Jan-2514$10,261101259$2,2075$8,054
18-Jan-2519$7,3821531612$2,3007$5,082
11-Jan-2521$33,5601618716$32,5215$1,039
4-Jan-259$6,8279809$6,82700
21-Dec-2411$2,79811928$2,2293$570
14-Dec-2415$5,3231218612$3,8123$1,511
07-Dec-2416$4,7661023111$2,32152,445
30-Nov-2410$10,29191034$8,2906$2.001
23-Nov-2415$4,5531515311$3,3794$1,174
16-Nov-2417$11,4881124513$10,1864$1,303
09-Nov-2414$2,1101213912$1,4102$700
02-Nov-2412 $52,788 1110711$52,7381$50
26-Oct-248$3,1608657$3,0651$75
19-Oct-2412$5,3041113611$4,5541$750
12-Oct-2417$8,4381215015$8,1162$322
05-Oct-2422$23,1811218915$19,9807$3,201
28-Sep-2411$2,35671447$534$2,303
21-Sep-2412$9,568101695$4,1017$5,467
14-Sep-2424$10,9881223516$7,1758$3,813
7-Sep-2412$20,4201616811$20,3071$112.9
31-Aug-2413$20,631913412$14,7751$5,856
24-Aug-2419$8,4522132516$7,1023$1,350
17-Aug-2425$49,1961630411$39,38614$9,810
10-Aug-2420$12,2641531216$9,7944$2,470
03-Aug-2426$16,4981633418$8,1378$8,361
27-Jul-2419$16,4422127115$13,8384$2,604
20-Jul-2415$16,0161418410$14,2325$1,784
13-Jul-2420$17,220 1426518$7,146 2$10,074
6-Jul-2411$3,941 11958$2,650 3$1,291
29-Jun-2414$6,296 152248$6,296 6$1,927
22-Jun-2412$5,679 81375$210 7$5,469
15-Jun-2413$9,895 1621410$5,280 3$4,615
8-Jun-2419$23,859 1323912$19,436 7$4,423
1-Jun-2412$34,510 111479$26,110 3$8,400
25-May-2413$9,684 1517110$4,434 3$5,250
18-May-2411$5,490 111738$3,129 3$2,361
11-May-2422$14,855 1422716$11,105 6$3,750
4-May-2413$3,139 98710$1,297 3$1,842
27-Apr-2410$6,684 62810$6,684 00
20-Apr-2419$15,989 111479$5,208 10$10,781
13-Apr-2413$8,952 97610$1,652 3$7,300
6-Apr-2423$26,616 1422214$13,501 8$13,116
30-Mar-2412$9,286 81368$4,299 4$4,987
23-Mar-2418$5,451 1726616$4,759 2$692
16-Mar-2421$11,437 1318614$9,316 6$2,070
9-Mar-2423$4,695 2121819$2,723 4$1,972
2-Mar-2420$9,108 1937214$4,558 6$4,550
24-Feb-2419$16,382 1224815$9,507 4$6,875
17-Feb-2416$29,932 1515712$29,216 4$716
10-Feb-2425$10,750 1719619$5,372 6$5,379
3-Feb-2412$8,416 181259$3,416 3$5,000
27-Jan-249$8,165 9878$7,815 1$800
20-Jan-2414$4,084 1210912$3,219 2$865
13-Jan-2417$33,588 1225612$26,765 5$6,823
6-Jan-248$7,915 8846$7,265 2$650
30-Dec-2317$14,599 129915$2,714 2$11,885
23-Dec-2323$4,182 1321916$1,813 7$2,370
16-Dec-2313$16,436 132807$15,150 5$1,286
9-Dec-2326$14,633.90 1724416$8,095 10$6,538.90
2-Dec-2313$6,720 95712$6,630 1$90
25-Nov-239$4,835 91316$1,785 3$3,050
18-Nov-2322$6,568.70 1718414$4,709.20 8$1,859.50
11-Nov-2315$9,825 1317912$6,581 3$3,244
4-Nov-2315$20,582.50 1419312$19,417.50 3$1,165
28-Oct-2318$68,419.10 1815215$66,646 3$1,773.10
21-Oct-2316$6,755.90 1616515$6,755.90 1$3
14-Oct-2314$67,851.20 131259$61,998.50 5$5,852.70
7-Oct-2317$6,595.50 1322816$5,995.50 1$600
30-Sep-2317$1,896.45 1318914$806.45 3$1,090
23-Sep-2323$6,432.70 1723016$1,402.80 7$5,029.90
16-Sep-2325$23,226.70 2335316$17,239 9$5,987.70
9-Sep-2312$6,369 81027$4,311 5$2,058
2-Sep-2314$2,522 69213$1,322 1$1,200
26-Aug-2317$12,160.25 1320215$6,573.25 2$5,587.00
19-Aug-2319$11,505 1321315$11,255 4$250
12-Aug-2319$9,698.80 131847$3,270 12$6,428.80
5-Aug-2313$5,201 1211812$5,051 1$150
29-Jul-2315$21,031.60 1319611$18,292.00 4$2,739.60
22-Jul-2318$3,992 1213013$2,808 5$1,184
15-Jul-2313$8,254.95 138113$8,254.95 00
8-Jul-2316$5,441.45 1217211$2,443 5$2,998.45
1-Jul-2316$6,872 1010512$5,474 4$1,398
24-Jun-2313$10,914 1620110$7,874 3$3,040
17-Jun-2317$5,880.70 1515115$4,705.70 2$1,175
10-Jun-2319$8,516.10 1311116$6,252.40 3$2,263.70
June 3 202312$6,104.42 121388$4,256.92 4$1,847.50
27-May-2317$12,200 106711$6,165 6$6,035
20-May-2311$22,458.10 81034$19,455 7$3,003
13-May-2312$7,034 101018$5,460 4$1,574
6-May-2320$3,297.60 1819617$2,985.60 3$312
29-Apr-2323$3,691.20 1813517$1,969.70 6$1,721.50
22-Apr-2316$5,570 1410414$4,750 2$1,000
15-Apr-2312$23,818.10 95910$21,618.10 2$2,200
8-Apr-2316$7,949 91739$5,472 7$3,477
1-Apr-2321$18,676.70 1217511$10,926.70 10$7,750
25-Mar-2315$8,779.50 101415$2,362 10$6,416.50
18-Mar-237$14,048.80 6695$13,345 2$703.80
11-Mar-2321$11,576 1616516$8,131 5$3,445
4-Mar-2320$9,668 1122816$8,209 4$1,459
25-Feb-2313$5,335 1313012$4,235 1$1,200
18-Feb-2314$5,743.70 131588$898.70 6$4,845
11-Feb-2316$12,088 1213712$9,965 4$2,123
4-Feb-2317$8,066 1514013$5,614 4$2,452
28-Jan-237$2,180 7755$1,692.75 2$488
21-Jan-2317$5,768 1617412$1,918 5$3,850
14-Jan-2311$2, 800101028$421 3$2,400
7-Jan-2318$8,296 1116714$6,461 3$1,835
31-Dec-2214$2,732 119912$2,092 2$640
17-Dec14$7,919 1311512$7,419 1$500
10-Dec-2214$10,093 128811$7,093 3$3,000
3-Dec-2226$12,800.90 1117220$4,141 6$8,659.90
26-Nov-228$2,266.70 853$76 5$2,190.70
19-Nov-2221$2,886 1521219$2,550 2$336
12-Nov-2213$15,093.70 9819$14,200 4$893.70
5-Nov-222519,337.201650922$8,267.20 3$11,070
29-Oct-2215$7,805.30 911614$7,180.30 1$625
22-Oct-2220$8,193.50 1325313$5,442 7$2,751.50
15-Oct-229$3,046.10 91397$2,588.30 2$457.80
8-Oct-2219$2,011.80 1211416$833.80 3$1,178
1-Oct-2223$5,532.90 1615618$4,952.30 5$580.60
24-Sep-2218$5,194 1421615$4,050 3$1,144
17-Sep-2221$8,352.30 1232015$4,759.60 6$3,592.70
10-Sep-2215$19,853.50 1012613$19,403.60 2$450
3-Sep-229$2,312 9629$2,312 00
27-Aug-2216$30,891.70 1013515$30,666.40 1227.7
20-Aug-2212$1,977 815299253$1,052
13-Aug-2218$8,004.70 1124211$2,844.70 7$5,160
6-Aug-2224$7,948.90 1224017$3,577 7$4,371.90
30-Jul-228$6,941 9787$6,839 1$102
23-Jul-2211$801 119210$801 10
16-Jul-2214$3,650 1012214$3,650 00
9-Jul-2210$3,557.70 7689$3,557.70 10
2-Jul-2218$8,609.40 1315215$2,754.40 3$5,855
25-Jun-2215$6,142 131469$2,017 6$4,125
18-Jun-2217$11,890.10 1422815$11,410 2479.7
11-Jun-2217$7,600 1212310$2,300 7$5,300
4-Jun-2212$2,937 101279$692 3$2,245
28-May-229$3,197.60 11869$3,197.60 00
21-May-2214$7,284.50 1218511$6,609 3$675.50
14-May-2211$306.60 98010$306.60 1$225
7-May-2216$10,451.75 1210812$1,827 4$8,624.75
30-Apr-2216$2,296.50 1615712$895.50 4$1,401
23-Apr-2210$2,241 11588$1,641 2$600
16-Apr-2211$6,643 71568$2,359 3$4,284
9-Apr-2217$4,429 1418411$1,690 6$2,739
2-Apr-2213$1,755 88410$1,145 3$610
26-Mar-2211$3,205 8656$200 5$3,005
19-Mar-2213$2,239.17 910613$2,239.17 00
12-Mar-2218$12,016 1123915$11,965 2$51.35
5-Mar-2217$6,786 1313713$5,161 4$1,625
26-Feb-2212$5,095 81499$4,437.50 3$658
19-Feb-2217$22,229 1717414$21,354 3$875
12-Feb-2212$2,344.70 10738$641.70 4$1,703
5-Feb-2211$2,503 89911$2,503 00
29-Jan-2211$3,872 1210112$3,872 00
22-Jan-2213$5,143.50 109912$4,842.50 1$301
15-Jan-2212$7,605 91559$6,480 3$1,025
8-Jan-2213$8,256.20 1110213$8,256.20 00
1-Jan-229$1,273.80 6509$1,273.80 00
25-Dec-2121$4,734.75 1117616$3,410 5$1,324.75
18-Dec-2126$7,325.20 1519318$3,640.20 8$3,685.20
11-Dec-2116$5,017 1010913$1,417 3$3,600
4-Dec-2114$2,310 8868$2,310 6$1,882.05
27-Nov-219$3.460.1101016$1,758 3$1,702.60
20-Nov-2120$22,792 1515712$18,864.50 8$3,928
13-Nov-2121$26,729 1217813$11,822 8$14,907
6-Nov-2112$8,303 1315710$6,682 3$1,621
30-Oct-2121$10,368 1521815$9,24.46$1,103.00
23-Oct-2121$18.783.11522211$12,314 10$6,468.60
16-Oct-2115$3,868 1111815$2,293 2$1,575
9-Oct-2120$8,610 1617516$7,795 4$815
2-Oct-2114$6,250 1113710$5,200 4$1,050
25-Sep-2111$11,460 9937$10,200 4$1,250
18-Sep-2111$16,603 8998$15,084 3$1,519
11-Sep-2117$10,653 1110313$8,503 4$2,150
4-Sep-2113$7,222 108911$6,715 2$507
28-Aug-2112$763 96311$663 1$100
21-Aug-2112$29,659 77911$29,579 1$80
14-Aug-2122$17,845 1119912$12,805 10$5,04
7-Aug-2117$13,670 1213915$11,766 2$1,904
31-Jul-2121$8,160 1113410$3,574 10$4,586
July 24,202121$6,367 1113915$3,712 6$2,655
17-Jul-2114$4,009 1112412$2,015 2$1,994
10-Jul-2116$3,997 1314311$1,597 4$2,4
3-Jul-2124$7,492 139416$3,769 8$3,722
26-Jun-2110$4,995 7858$3,847 2$1,148
19-Jun-2128$16,830 82289$1,861 19$14,968
12-Jun-2126$27,238 1520919$25,602 7$1,636
5-Jun-2115$15,539 1310013$14,709 2$600
29-May-2135$20,279 1114528$18,647$1,639
22-May-2124$53,208 1417417$51,047 7$2,161
15-May-2118$10,620 1322011$5,870 7$4,809
8-May-2117$10,400 1115615$8,386 2$2,500
1-May-2121$7,200 1611512$3,808 9$3,392
24-Apr-218$20,200 9318$20,200 00
17-Apr-2114$6,270 810211$40,180 3$2,260
10-Apr-2115$8,940 1312914$7,990 1$950
3-Apr-2118$19,513 1015112$16,923 6$2,590
27-Mar-2127$13,942 1524414$4,300 13$9,633.50
20-Mar-2111$2,046 41023$270 8$1,776
13-Mar-2115$3,270 91096$538 9$2,732
6-Mar-2124$13,617 1019613$10,395 11$3,222
27-Feb-2119$8,105 1213915$4,970 4$3,135
20-Feb-219$8,820 91538$8,520 1$300
13-Feb-2112$4,852.60 78172,7665$2,086.60
6-Feb-2118$9,752 1315314$5,222 4$4,530
30-Jan-2118$9,449 918215$8,753.80 3$695.30
23-Jan-2114$8,150 81186$4,000 8$4,150
16-Jan-2117$6,783 1313811$2,400 6$4,382.90
9-Jan-2122$6,829 1413518$3,139.30 4$3,690
2-Jan-217$1,466 7607$1,466 00
26-Dec-2018$15,900 1216316$5,300 1$600
19-Dec-2018$9,769 1411014$8,426 4$1,343
12-Dec-2010$7,200 91009$3,325 1$3,830
5-Dec-2015$4,261 91229$2,780 6$1,481
28-Nov-2019$7,758 1011013$4,003 6$3,755
14-Nov-2014$864.10 1415712$289.10 2$575
7-Nov-2013$6,332 91299$2,483.50 4$3,849
31-Oct-2010$3,995.80 81036$3,231.10 4$754.70
24-Oct-206$18,100 6585$17,709 1$350
17-Oct-208$351.90 5558$351.90 00
10-Oct-207$5,229 3504$735 3$4,494
3-Oct-2014$21,428 91739$17,535 5$3,893
26-Sep-2010$12,770 8935$10,300 5$2,470
19-Sep-2014$8,365 91016$1,020 8$7,345
12-Sep-206$4,406 8593$1,270 3$3,136
5-Sep-2011$5,191 81179$4,061 2$1,130
29-Aug-2011$2,531 9945$1,130 6$1,401
22-Aug-2018$6,574 121407$1,930 11$4,644
15-Aug-2013$4,991 10977$1,216 6$3,775
8-Aug-2012$32,092 111129$30,457 3$1,635
1-Aug-207$5,287 8765$3,687 2$1,600
25-Jul-209$18,751 6677$18,403 2$348
18-Jul-206$1,982.50 5504$1,407.50 2$575
11-Jul-2011$565.10 127510$65.10 1$500
4-Jul-2010$8,889 8989$8,788 1$100.30
27-Jun-208$6,874 10505$4,972.50 3$2,081.50
20-Jun-2012$4,444 91157$2,829 5$1,615
13-Jun-206$3,582 4372$350 4$3,232
6-Jun-2011$3,213.70 8657$470 4$2,743.70
30-May-208$7,335 7486$4,639 2$2,697
23-May-204$432.40 4343$432.40 10
16-May-206$310 6345$310 10
9-May-2018$5,630 1612414$3,180 4$2,450
2-May-201510,40010908$1,900 7$,8,500
25-Apr-208$3,400 9365$1,000 3$2,450
18-Apr-2019$9,500 14928$185.70 11$9,360
11-Apr-2012$6,000 9405$190 7$5,800
4-Apr-2014$8,200 116810$2,200 4$6,000
28-Mar-2016$6,500 139610$3,700 6$2,800
21-Mar-2011$11,910 7337$2,250 4$9,960
14-Mar-207809.86346684.81125
7-Mar-2016$2,500 157013$669 3$1,400
29-Feb-2013$15,260 1312811$11,760 2$3,500
22-Feb-2012$3,700 109210$2,560 2$1,130
15-Feb-2016$1,250 108412$35 4$1,222
8-Feb-2018$6,080 1412314$2,595 4$3,485
1-Feb-2021$20,900 1210114$17,860 7$3,060
25-Jan-2013$7,430 136212$6,430 1$1,000
18-Jan-2023$9,580 1512019$6,580 4$3,000
11-Jan-2021$14,200 1819916$1,020 5$13,200
4-Jan-2022$6,400 1111916$3,204 6$3,245
28-Dec-1922$7,150 1917518$6,800 4$327.40
14-Dec-1924$36,300 2316719$9,500 5$26,800
7-Dec-1911$10,400 11557$1,082 4$9,370
November 30. 201914$2,450 1212612$1,760 2$692.50
23-Nov-1916$1,995 104111$615 5$1,380
16-Nov-1915$3,820 1313511$2,500 4$1,271
9-Nov-1925$12,900 1718223$12,200 2$575
2-Nov-1910$2,470 126192,4503$22
26-Oct-1912$5,560 147011$3,860 1$1,700
19-Oct-198$6,600 81388$6,600 00
12-Oct-1919$4,300 145516$3,800 3$500
5-Oct-1918$14,500 1916615$11,100 3$3,400
28-Sep-1919$8,100 1813218$7,560 1$550
21-Sep-1914$6,300 166611$2,160 3$4,170
14-Sep-1915$23,800 125611$21,250 4$2,570
7-Sep-1917$3,500 159814$1,900 3$1,600
31-Aug-195$8,700 6505$8,700 00
24-Aug-1916$10,000 148215$4,250 1$5,750
16-Aug-1910$1,680 5527$650 3$950
9-Aug-1917$17,700 156814$3,900 3$13,800
2-Aug-1913$5,760 1210813$5,760 NANA
27-Jul-1911$7,300 13768$6,570 3$730
20-Jul-1913$11,800 1312511$5,300 2$6,500
13-Jul-1910$775 7468$542.50 2$233
6-Jul-197$2,500 9857$2,500 00
29-Jun-1923$8,290 1515417$2,300 6$5,970
22-Jun-1917$10,700 1013914$7,700 3$3,000
15-Jun-1911$13,500 1416011$13,500 NANA
8-Jun-1913$2,870 175511$1,570 2$1,300
1-Jun-1910$4,460 11608$4,140 2$315
25-May-1917$4,360 147914$3,700 3$612
18-May-1922$9,000 1715016$3,400 6$5,600
11-May-1918$19,800 1717715$18,300 3$1,500
4-May-1910$7,075 6328$6,900 2$175
27-Apr-1915$3,200 1411714$3,160 1$40
20-Apr-1913$13,500 10909$12,200 4$1,300
13-Apr-1916$38,900 149114$37,800 2$1,100
6-Apr-1912$6,870 119410$6,730 2$50
30-Mar-1915$6,470 128410$7,91.55$5,677
23-Mar-1918$6,450 149114$5,042 4$1,408
16-Mar-1914$10,180 1211511$8,800 3$1,300
9-Mar-199$1,800 6498$1,300 1$500
2-Mar-1920$3,033 1610714$1,817 6$1,262
23-Feb-1912$2,040 8699$614.60 3$1,430
16-Feb-1916$9,970 187716$9,970 00
9-Feb-1914$6,400 1011014$6,400 00
2-Feb-1918$6,740 159916$5,720 2$950
26-Jan-1913$2,770 116711$918.95 2$1,850
19-Jan-1915$3,819 167612$2,594 3$1,225
12-Jan-1918$7,283 149215$1,683 3$5,600
5-Jan-1910$529 125010$529 00
22-Dec-1817$2,570 138714$941 3$1,629
15-Dec-1810$2,860 8268$264 2$2,600
8-Dec-1815$1,819 166512$552 3$1,267
1-Dec-1812$7,500 10909$1,200 3$6,200
28-Nov-1815$4,500 1110714$4,000 1$500
19-Nov-1818$6,137 139813$2,142 5$3,995
14-Nov-1818$9,200 1315215$8,500 3$694
6-Nov-1816$17,300 1618314$16,361 2$950
29-Oct-1814$14,400 1812717$13,800 1$600
24-Oct-1813$6,140 1312611$5,122 2$1,018
17-Oct-1818$18,390 1512514$12,292 4$6,098
10-Oct-1829$3,149 1810420$1,647 9$819
2-Oct-1818$9,300 116714$7,300 4$2,000
25-Sep-1813$7,000 117510$6,000 3$995
18-Sep-189$3,570 7449$3,570 00
11-Sep-1813$5,900 1013213$5,900 00
7-Sep-1814$5,000 158611$4,000 3$1,000
29-Aug-1815$20,700 147913$4,700 2$16,000
20-Aug-1810$12,400 11538$11,380 3$1,057
14-Aug-1812$19,900 121329$18,889 3$1,011
7-Aug-1816$68,600 1110613$67,259 3$1,340
31-Jul-1815$15,100 159511$13,060 4$2,060
23-Jul-1813$2,130 156010$1,804 3$1,100
17-Jul-1814$5,370 17989$4,310 5$1,100
9-Jul-1816$11,200 157410$11,080 6$862
3-Jul-1813$7,000 78112$6,330 1$750
25-Jun-1815$8,800 13979$4,970 6$3,930
18-Jun-1813$14,200 14807$221 6$14,290
11-Jun-1812$6,300 8968$5,910 4$803
6-Jun-1813$14,500 10888$14,154 5$579
31-May-1811$4,890 10638$3,240 3$1,790
22-May-1815$20,400 11639$19,808 6$885
15-May-1815$4,700 1510610$3,900 5$643
9-May-1811$1,400 13889$1,300 2$560
1-May-188$14,250 7887$13,400 1$450
24-Apr-1812$5,300 66111$4,470 1$800
17-Apr-189$1,800 10447$2,330 2$1,434
11-Apr-1811$2,500 8326$1,690 5$809
3-Apr-1815$13,400 111219$12,020 6$1,090
28-Mar-1810$4,000 10927$3,870 3$215
19-Mar-1817$5,800 135110$590 7$5,165
12-Mar-1815$3,130 114311$2,360 4$788
6-Mar-1819$5,400 1311610$1,530 9$4,860
27-Feb-1820$6,600 136914$5,530 6$1,030
19-Feb-1815$5,500 1411110$3,990 6$1,980
12-Feb-1823$10,900 1715712$7,110 11$3,840
5-Feb-1816$8,600 131007$1,330 9$7,800
30-Jan-1811$12,600 11685$7,300 6$4,982
24-Jan-1819$9,400 151295$2,010 14$7,337
18-Jan-1810$6,280 8492$2,100 8$4,188
9-Jan-1812$16,500 12929$15,890 3$475
3-Jan-1810$2,500 9478$2,350 2$150
27-Dec-1715$9,000 151139$7,568 6$1,784
18-Dec-1715$13,800 161649$13,010 7$1,118
11-Dec-1714$9,700 1012612$2,940 4$8,500
4-Dec-176$1,800 6315$1,510 1$300
28-Nov-177$3,850 8764$3,260 3$285
16-Nov-1710$2,700 10486$1,840 4$856
8-Nov-1715$2,380 179110$1,860 5$516
1-Nov-1712$4,700 17949$3,400 4$1,300
23-Oct-1715$10,500 106710$9,780 4$1,530
18-Oct-176$2,000 373$225 3$1,820
10-Oct-1712$6,570 1009$3,880 3$3,360
2-Oct-178$3,100 11193$1,630 5$1,750
25-Sep-178$4,880 8795$2,660 5$2,070
18-Sep-179$4,770 3$300 6$4,470
12-Sep-1711$4,430 8$2,030 3$2,400
1-Sep-174$1,310 3$317 1$1,000
23-Aug-1711$13,640 98$11,840 3$1,800

There were four capital markets transactions worth $1.408 billion and 14 M&A/private equity/venture capital deals valued at $5.042 billion.

Fourteen law firms and 91 lawyers worked the deals. Vinson & Elkins aided on four this past week along with Latham & Watkins. Gibson Dunn had its hands on two large transactions with Locke Lord working on the other side of one of them while bagging another as well. Baker Botts also was involved in two deals.

M&A/PRIVATE EQUITY/VENTURE CAPITAL DEALS

Gibson Dunn counsels Murphy on Malaysian $2.13B sale

Murphy Oil Corp. said March 21 it had agreed to sell all of its oil and gas properties in Malaysia to Thailand national oil company PTT Exploration and Production Public Co. for $2.127 billion.

PTTEP also will pay Murphy up to $100 million in bonus if some of its exploration projects show results before October 2020. Murphy expects to book a $900 million to $1 billion gain on the sale.

Gibson Dunn counseled Murphy with a team run out of the firm’s Singapore office with help from Denver/Houston associate Melissa Persons and Houston associate Graham Valenta. Jones Day represented PTTEP with a team led out of Singapore.

Murphy received financial advice from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Tudor, Pickering, Holt (Cameron Alguire in Houston).

The parties expect to close the transaction by the end of the second quarter if it clears regulators, with Murphy using the proceeds to pay down debt, fund its $500 million share buyback program and pay for potential acquisitions in the U.S.

Murphy CEO Roger Jenkins said in a statement that the sale allows the company to simplify its business and focus on its core assets in the Western Hemisphere and will provide it greater financial flexibility and allow it to continue returning cash to its stockholders through share repurchases. 

Raymond James analyst Pavel Molchanov wrote in a note that the sale marks Murphy’s most impactful M&A deal since the spinoff of its downstream assets in 2013. 

“[There’s] no escaping the dilution, but a longer reserve life and simplified asset base should support multiple expansion,” he said.

Murphy units Murphy Sabah Oil Co. Ltd. and Murphy Sarawak Oil Co. Ltd.  own interests in and operate oil and gas assets in Malaysia that produced 48,000 barrel of oil equivalent per day last year.

Gibson Dunn aids on Williams’ $3.8B JV with CPPIB

Williams and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board agreed to set up a $3.8 billion joint venture that will include Williams’ Ohio Valley Midstream system and Utica East Ohio Midstream system.

CPPIB will invest $1.34 billion for a 35 percent stake in the JV while Williams will keep 65 percent and operate it.

Gibson Dunn counseled Tulsa-based Williams. The team was mainly in Denver and New York but included associate Melissa Persons, who offices out of Denver and Houston.

A Locke Lord team led by Mitch Tiras and Ann Williams in Houston represented Momentum Midstream on the sale of its 38 percent stake in Utica East Ohio Midstream system to Williams, which became the 100 percent owner and operator.

Additional team members were Laura Ferguson, Sara Longtain, Ed Razim, Buddy Sanders and Stuart Lawson (all of Houston) and Geoff Polma of Dallas.

Morgan Stanley and CIBC Capital Markets provided financial advice to Williams. 

Utica East Ohio is involved primarily in the processing and fractionation of natural gas and natural gas liquids.

Williams said the JV with CPPIB will support its ongoing growth in the western Marcellus and Utica basins in the northeastern U.S. It added that the common ownership of the two systems will result in lower operating and maintenance expenses and enhanced capabilities and benefits for producers in the area.

“These transactions create a platform for continued optimization and growth, provide deleveraging, reduce capital spending on processing and fractionation capacity for OVM and unlock further synergies through combined operatorship of the systems,” Williams CEO and president Alan Armstrong said in a statement.

Avik Dey, managing director and head of energy and resources at CPPIB, said the JV will provide CPPIB more exposure to the North American natural gas market and complements its recent investment in Encino Acquisition Partners, an anchor customer on Utica East Ohio and other Williams gathering assets. 

Williams said the cash proceeds from CPPIB’s purchase of 35 percent of the joint venture will be used to offset the purchase price of the Utica East Ohio acquisition. It will use the remaining $600 million to fund its portfolio of growth capital and reduce debt.

The parties expect to close CPPIB’s investment in the JV in the second or third quarter if it clears regulators.

The Canada Pension Plan amounted to $274.4 billion at the end of last year.

Analysts at Tudor, Pickering, Holt said they continue to like self-help initiatives undertaken by Williams’ management but said investors might want to take some gains given the company’s recent equity outperformance, among other things.

Latham advises TMK’s Ipsco on $1.2B sale to Tenaris

PAO TMK of Russia announced March 22 that it agreed to sell Houston-based Ipsco Tubulars to Argentina’s Tenaris for $1.209 billion, including $270 million in working capital. 

Latham & Watkins represented Ipsco, including Houston partners Ryan Maierson and John Greer with associates Ryan Lynch, Patrick Sanford, Clayton Heery and Caroline Ellerbe. 

Specialists on the team included Houston partner Tim Fenn with associate Jared Grimley on tax and Houston partner Joel Mack on environmental matters.

BTIG advised TMK on the transaction, which has to clear regulators.

TMK chairman Dmitry Pumpyanskiy said in a statement that the transaction is in line with its strategy to sell its international assets and represents a “significant enhancement of the value” for all TMK shareholders.

TMK is a global manufacturer and supplier of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry. 

Tenaris established its presence in the U.S. 10 years ago when it bought Maverick Tube Corp. of St. Louis and Hydril Co. of Houston for $5 billion.

Analysts at Piper Jaffray’s Simmons Energy said Ipsco represents the third and most significant investment announced by Tenaris in the past six months, which together have amplified the company’s net utilization-risked productive capacity by 30 percent over the company’s output level last year.

“While TS [Tesoro] always has (and still will after Ipsco) preserved an underlevered balance sheet and decent dividend, we think this recent migration toward a somewhat more aggressive growth agenda suits the stock well, particularly given TS’s well-established operational credibility,” they said.

The firm initially estimates that the deal will add $230 million of EBITDA next year based on a 6 percent average annual growth factor for Ipsco and a 15 percent EBITDA margin. 

Haynes and Boone aids Blucora on $180M 1st Global purchase

Haynes and Boone said it represented Blucora Inc. on its acquisition of 1st Global Inc. of Dallas for $180 million. The transaction was announced March 19.

Haynes and Boone Dallas partner Jan Sharry led the deal team. She was assisted by partner Ryan Cox and associates Michael Pritchard and Omar Shariff. The firm’s Denver and New York offices also pitched in.

Foley Lardner represented 1st Global, including senior counsel Chris Babcock with assistance from Chris Converse and Kevin Chumney. Austin Poynter was the primary associate, Mike Donohue provided tax advice and Steve Gilles assisted with benefits.

Blucora said the acquisition brings together two leaders in the tax-focused wealth management space, which is expected to result in synergies and growth opportunities.

The target is the second largest tax-focused independent broker-dealer based on revenue with a specialization in servicing large, multi-partner accounting firms. Blucora unit HD Vest focuses primarily on converting individual tax preparers into wealth advisors.

DLA Piper advises AgileCraft on $166M sale to Atlassian

Atlassian Corp. said March 18 it acquired Georgetown, Texas-based AgileCraft for $166 million.

The price included $154 million in cash and the rest in restricted shares. The parties hope to close the transaction in April.

The Georgetown, Texas-based target helps enterprises plan their strategic projects and work streams. It’s expected to add $1 million to $2 million to Atlassian’s sales and improve its operating margins.

Atlassian provides team collaboration and productivity software to what it claims are two-thirds of the Fortune 500. Anthem, AT&T, Dimension Data, Fidelity, and Nielsen are already customers of both companies.

DLA Piper partner John Gilluly led a team advising AgileCraft while a Hogan Lovells partner in Silicon Valley assisted Atlassian.

AgileCraft previously raised $10 million in venture funding from investors including Crane Nelson. 

Scott Farquhar, Atlassian’s co-founder and co-CEO said in a statement that the combined companies can help executives align work across their organization.

AgileCraft was founded in 2013 by CEO Steve Elliott, who previously was chief technology officer at Vovici, which was acquired by Verint, and Approva, which was purchased by Infor’s Lawson Software.

Artemis raises $20M for new VC fund for female startups

Artemis has raised $20 million for a new venture capital fund aimed at investing in around 30 female-led startup companies.

The firm used Fox Rothschild for outside legal advice, including partner Kristen Howell, who is a Houston native but works out of the firm’s Seattle office, and partner Sabina Bramlett in Dallas.

Leslie Goldman founded Artemis after working as a corporate lawyer for more than 25 years. She was general counsel at Fisher Healthcare and senior legal counsel at Waste Management after working as an associate at Mayor Day Caldwell & Keeton (now Andrews Kurth) and Vinson & Elkins in Houston. 

Goldman has built teams and recruited executives as a managing director at search firm Major, Lindsey, and Africa in Houston.

Lonestar sells Eagle Ford assets for $12.3M

Fort Worth-based Lonestar announced as part of its first quarter earnings that it had sold some of its Eagle Ford oil and gas properties in South Texas to an undisclosed buyer for $12.3 million.

Lonestar general counsel Greg Packer said the company didn’t hire outside counsel on the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of this month.

The properties included the company’s Pirate assets in Wilson County that had average daily sales volumes of 219 barrels of oil equivalent per day in February. The asset includes 3,400 net undeveloped acres with seven proved undeveloped locations as of Dec. 31.

Jones Day aids Great Elm on Prestige Capital purchase

Jones Day said partner Alain Dermarkar was the lead lawyer advising Great Elm Capital Corp. on its acquisition of 80 percent of Prestige Capital Corp. from its retiring founder, Harvey Kaminski.

Lawyers at Greenberg Traurig in New Jersey counseled Kaminski, who received outside financial advice from Janney Montgomery Scott.

Alan Eliasof and Stuart Rosenthal, who have each been with Prestige and worked with Kaminski for more than 20 years, will continue to own the remaining equity and manage the company.

Founded in 1985, Fort Lee, N.J.-based Prestige is a commercial finance company specializing providing liquidity solutions to early stage and small- to mid-sized businesses through the purchase of their invoices. Its customers typically have accounts receivable of up to $25 million.

Kaminski has agreed to provide consulting services to PCC during its transition over the next year.

Great Elm CEO Peter A. Reed said Prestige’s operations and scalable business model make it an “exciting” investment.

Wick Phillips aids Hicks’ Standard on DH Pump merger

Standard Industrial Manufacturing Partners, which is backed by Hicks Equity Partners, said it’s merged with DH Pump and Supply. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Wick Phillips represented Standard, including M&A partners Rob Schroeder and Jordan Bethea and finance partner Michael Bailey. Their associates were Greg Fijolek and Kelly Wray on M&A and Isaac Brown on finance.

Kessler Collins counseled DH Pump, including shareholder Tony Barbieri and associate Andrea Perez in Dallas.

Montgomery Coscia Greilich advised Standard on accounting and RCP Advisors helped with insurance and employee benefits. DH Pump used Infinity Capital Partners for investment banking and Orix Energy Capital of Dallas provided debt financing.

Hicks Equity is the private equity arm of the Thomas O. Hicks family office, which initially invested in Standard alongside its former CEO, Jack Sitton, in 2016. 

Founded in 1979, Odessa-based Standard makes and distributes replacement parts for pumps used in production and completion applications in the oil and gas industry in the U.S. and Canada.

Weatherford-based DH Pump specializes in the manufacturing and repair of nickel and tungsten carbide coated metal plungers and other parts used in hydraulic fracturing. 

DH Pump’s executives Jeff Humphrey, Shelton Medlock and Justin Donaldson will join Standard, which is led by CEO Barry Beadle. DH Pump’s fourth shareholder, Jeff Isbell, will join Standard’s board. All four DH Pump executives will hold an equity stake in the company.

Thomas O. Hicks said in a statement that the merger will make Standard one of the country’s largest manufacturers and distributors of consumable products used in oil and gas pump applications.

Hicks founded Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, which raised more than $12 billion of private equity across six funds and completed more than $50 billion of leveraged acquisitions.

Locke Lord, Latham aid on Nuevo’s purchase of EnCap’s Republic

Locke Lord said partner Bill Swanstrom and associate Jennie Simmons of Houston represented EnCap Flatrock Midstream-backed Nuevo Midstream Dos on its purchase of Republic Midstream from ArcLight Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum.

Others on the team were John Arnold, Michael Blankenship, Laura Ferguson, Phil Lau, Sara Longtain, Jerry Higdon, Tammi Niven, Buddy Sanders, Michelle Gutierrez-Begin, Evan Blankenau, Jason McCloskey, Matt McKenna and Stefano Wach, all of Houston, and Van Jolas of Dallas.

Latham & Watkins said it represented Republic, including Houston partners Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Muñoz with associates Greg Sorensen, Corey Allen, Rebecca Kendall and Derek Haysom. 

Specialists included Houston tax partner Tim Fenn with associates Jim Cole and Kristin Oglesby.

Jefferies was ArcLight’s financial advisor on the transaction.

The parties aim to close the deal in the second quarter.

Nuevo Dos plans to expand Republic Midstream’s crude oil gathering, storage and intermediate transportation system in the Eagle Ford Shale. 

The system consists of 100 miles of gathering pipeline that feeds a central delivery point with 300,000 barrels of crude oil storage and a six-bay truck station. There’s also a 26-mile intermediate pipeline that moves volumes from the central delivery point to the Kinder Morgan Crude and Condensate Pipeline and the Eagle Ford Crude Oil Pipeline System, which is owned and operated by Enterprise. 

The Kinder Morgan and Enterprise pipelines deliver crude and condensate to multiple terminals with access to refineries, petrochemical plants and export terminals on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Nuevo Dos CEO and president Randy Ziebarth said the Eagle Ford is experiencing a resurgence and helped by its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.

EnCap Flatrock vice president Zach Kayem, a member of the Nuevo Dos board, said the firm has been partnering with the Nuevo team since 2011 and has a successful track record of acquiring a system and developing its potential, as it did in the Permian’s Delaware Basin of West Texas and southeast New Mexico. It sold that system to Western Gas in 2014.

San Antonio-based EnCap Flatrock was formed in 2008 by a partnership between EnCap Investments and Flatrock Energy Advisors and manages investment commitments of nearly $9 billion from institutional investors. It’s currently making commitments to new management teams from its fourth fund, which amounts to $3.25 billion.

Hollister advises Adell on sale to Kinderhook

Kinderhook Industries announced that it had acquired Sunnyvale, Texas-based Adell Corp. for an undisclosed sum.

Kirkland attorneys outside of Texas advised Kinderhook, but Buck Hollister from Hollister Legal Services in Austin assisted Adell.

Founded in 1952, Adell is an integrated manufacturer of protective door edge guards to the automotive original equipment manufacturers aftermarket industry. 

Edge guards protect a vehicle’s door and paint finish from abrasions and dents that occur with everyday use. The company claims its edge guards are installed on some of the most popular vehicle platforms in the U.S.

V&E advise Clovis Point on RIVS.com investment

Vinson & Elkins said it advised Clovis Point Capital on its growth equity investment in RIVS.com Inc., a Chicago provider of interview technology. Terms weren’t disclosed.

The team was led by James Garrett and Connor Long with primary assistance from David Peck, Megan James, Kristy Fields and Christie Alcala. 

RIVS said the investment will help it accelerate its growth initiatives. 

Clovis Point managing partner Chris Joseph said in a statement that the company is well positioned in the market with more than 900 clients and several partnerships.

Founded in 2011 and led by CEO Phil Leslie, RIVS allows recruiters and hiring managers to screen and select applicants through video, voice and written responses to advance in their hiring process.

Ringleader Ventures, led by Mike Bechtel, was an early RIVS investor.

Drillinginfo buys Midland Map 

Austin-based Drillinginfo said it paid an undisclosed sum for the Midland Map Co., which provides maps to customers in West Texas’ and New Mexico’s Permian Basin.

Drillinginfo VP of legal Shawn Shillington worked on the deal in-house, using Irell & Manella out of Calfornia for outside counsel. Jason Hall at McMahon Surovik Suttle in Abilene represented Midland Maps. 

Midland Map has nearly 70 years of mapmaking in the Permian, including current and historical intelligence on lease and ownership, producing zones, wildcat maps and base maps. 

Drillinginfo said while it’s best known for its emphasis on advanced technologies like forward-curve type forecasting and machine learning, mapping remains a staple in the oil and gas industry, providing wildcatters to landmen to petroleum engineers with scale and direction.

Midland Map’s library of Permian Basin maps, combined with Drillinginfo’s industry-leading SaaS analytics platforms, will make decades of research instantly accessible in web and mobile applications, Drillinginfo said.

Drillinginfo CEO and president Jeff Hughes said in a statement that Midland Map has been providing maps of 70 Permian Basin counties since 1950 out of Midland, where Drillinginfo already services more than 350 existing customers. “By joining forces, we’ll build on their success and continue to shape the industry’s future,” he said.

Silas Martin, general manager of land products at Drillinginfo, will oversee the acquisition. Tim Canon, manager of Midland Map, is staying on.

The acquisition is the third initiative led by Drillinginfo centered on historical maps and records. In January, it announced a strategic collaboration with Hart Energy’s Rextag unit, which is focused on infrastructure and mapping for midstream businesses. And in 2017, Drillinginfo acquired Oil-Law Records, which strengthened its solutions around well spacing, unitization and historical well records in Oklahoma and New Mexico.


Trammel Crow sells Houston apartment development

Trammel Crow Residential has sold the Alexan Ashford Apartments development in Houston to Allied Orion Group for an undisclosed sum.

Jones Day counseled the seller with an attorney out of its Columbus, Ohio, office. Kevin Bryant is general counsel of Crow Holdings, which he joined in 1997. The Oklahoma City University-trained lawyer began his legal career at Weil, Gotshal and Manges.

The five-story building, which is located in the Memorial/Energy Corridor area, was started in 2015 and completed in 2017. It has 312 units.

Houston-based Allied Orion was founded in 1985 and has 23,000 apartment homes under management around the country. It’s acquired or developed more than 14,000 Class A apartment homes valued at $1.3 billion. Its principals are Gene Blevins, Kirk Tate, Tim Myers and Ricardo Rivas, who is also CEO.

CAPITAL MARKETS

V&E aids underwriters on $500M Archrock notes issue

Vinson & Elkins said it advised the underwriters on a $500 million private notes offering by Archrock Partners, a unit of Archrock Inc.

The V&E corporate team was led by partners Doug McWilliams and David Stone, counsel Dan Spelkin and senior associate Brett Riesenfeld, with assistance from associates Jessica Lewis, Brett Peace and Michael Pascual. 

Also advising were counsel Larry Pechacek (environmental); and partner Wendy Salinas and associate Liz Snyder (tax).

Latham & Watkins counseled Archrock, including Ryan Maierson, Nick Dhesi, Monica White, Dan Harrist, Denny Lee and Drew Tengler-West.

The 6.875 percent senior notes are due 2027. They were priced March 7 and the offering closed March 21.

Archrock Partners Finance Corp., a unit of Archrock Partners, will serve as co-issuer of the notes. Archrock Partners intends to use the net proceeds to redeem its 6 percent senior notes due 2021 and partially repay outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility.

Archrock is a Houston-based energy infrastructure company with a pure-play focus on midstream natural gas compression. 

Baker Botts advises Halliburton on $500M revolver bump

Halliburton boosted its available credit facility by $500 million, according to a filing earlier this month with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company has replaced its previous five-year credit facility of $3 billion with a new revolver worth $3.5 billion. The facility is expected to enable the company to draw debt to cover general working capital requirements until March 2024.

Baker Botts counseled Halliburton on the new facility. A partner in the firm’s New York office led the team, which included associate Malory Weir and special counsel Chris Pratt on benefits, both of whom office in Houston.

The facility is being provided by Citibank, Mizuho, Deutsche Bank and others.

At the end of last year, Halliburton had $2 billion in cash/cash equivalents and $10.4 billion in long-term debt, or a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 52.2 percent compared with the industry average of 30.3 percent. 

The company has vowed to cut costs and reduced its 2019 capital spending guidance by 20 percent to $1.6 billion. But it also generated free cash flow of more than $1 billion last year, which some think could be used to make acquisitions of new products or services or to increase its geographic service area.

Baker Botts represents Cactus, stockholders on $308M secondary offering

Baker Botts said March 22 it represented Cactus Inc. and some of its selling stockholders on a $308 million public secondary offering of Class A common stock.

The team was led out of New York but included Houston associate Ieuan List and Houston tax partner Michael Bresson.

Vinson & Elkins represented joint book-running managers Citigroup and Credit Suisse. V&E’s team also was based out of New York but included Texas tax partners David Peck and Lina Dimachkieh.

The sale, which was completed March 21, involved a sale of 8.5 million shares of its Class A common stock for $308.1 million. Cactus won’t receive any of the proceeds.

The selling stockholders were expected to include Cadent Energy Partners II, Bender Investment Co., SBJ BIC and JAB BIC as well as CEO and president Steven Bender, Lee Boquet, Michael McGovern, Andy O’Donnell, Alan Semple and Gary Rosenthal.

V&E, Latham advise on Brigham Minerals’ $100M IPO

Warburg Pincus-backed Brigham Minerals aims to raise $100 million in an initial public offering, according to a filing last week with the SEC.

The oil and gas company’s underwriters are Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs. The company plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MNRL.”

Vinson & Elkins is advising Austin-based Brigham, including partners Doug McWilliams and Thomas G. Zentner. Latham & Watkins partner David J. Miller is assisting the underwriters.

Brigham plans to use the net proceeds from the offering to partially repay outstanding debt under its term loan facility and pay for future mineral and royalty acquisitions. 

UPDATE:

Denbury Resources Inc. and Penn Virginia Corp. said last week that they agreed to terminate their merger agreement due to difficult market conditions and shareholder opposition. The Texas Lawbook previously reported that the deal looked to be on the rocks, with activist investor Mangrove Partners threatening to vote against it and soliciting others to do the same and analysts downgrading Denbury’s stock due to lack of confidence that the company would get enough votes to close the deal. Texas lawyers from Vinson & Elkins, Skadden and Gibson Dunn were advising on the combination. Denbury’s general counsel is Jim Matthews, who previously practiced at V&E, and Penn Virginia’s chief legal counsel is Katie Ryan, who used to work as an associate at Baker Botts.

***

American Midstream Partners last week said it agreed to sell its remaining publicly traded stock to ArcLight Energy Partners for $5.25 per unit. ArcLight previously had offered $6.10 per unit and then $4.50 when the entity’s financial profile continued to deteriorate, which forced it to stop paying distributions to investors to appease creditors.

The Lawbook reported in October of last year that Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partners Hillary Holmes and Tull Florey were advising American Midstream while Kirkland & Ellis partner Matt Pacey was assisting ArcLight. 

Holmes and Florey indeed worked on it, along with partners James Chenoweth and Doug Rayburn and associates Needhi Vasavada, Eric Haitz and Monika Kluziak.

Kirkland’s team included Pacey but also partners Kim Hicks, Doug Bacon, Andy Calder and Brooks Antweil and associates Marc Lipscomb, Taylor Anthony, Bryce Gray and Brooke Milbauer; debt finance partners Lucas Spivey and associates Mitch McClellan, Brandon Elliott and Charles Martin; and tax partner David Wheat and associate William Dong.

Thompson & Knight counseled the partnership’s conflicts committee, including partner Jeremiah Mayfield, counsel Alan Baden, partner Stephen Grant and associate Dasha Hodge with assistance from tax partner Dean Hinderliter.

Bracewell represented Evercore as financial advisor to the committee, including partner William S. Anderson and associates Benjamin J. Martin and Andrew W. Monk. BofA Merrill Lynch was ArcLight’s financial advisor.

American Midstream’s in-house counsel is Chris Dial, who joined the partnership this past January. The University of Houston-educated lawyer previously was general counsel of Susser Holdings II and an associate at Andrews Kurth.

American Midstream tried to expand by acquiring Dallas-based Southcross Energy Partners in 2017 for $815 million in stock. But last summer Southcross said it canceled the deal due to American Midstream’s failure to fund it.

***

Several deals were announced last week that involved Texas companies but not Texas counsel.

HFF, a publicly traded commercial real estate financial intermediary in Dallas, agreed to a sale to Jones Lang LaSalle, or JLL, for $2 billion. Alas, non-Texas lawyers at Dechert and Sidley Austin worked on it (Dechert for HFF and Sidley Austin for JLL). JLL has closed 27,000 transactions worth $800 billion since 1998 and booked record sales last year of more than $650 million. 

Another deal went down without Texas lawyers: Austin-based Magnitude Software’s $179 million investment from 3i Group, which values the company at $340 million. Attorneys in the Boston offices of Kirkland & Ellis and Ropes & Gray worked on the deal, with Kirkland advising 3i and Ropes & Gray assisting Magnitude. The Lawbook reported in January on Magnitude’s purchase of Z Option, its fourth acquisition in a little over a year and eighth overall.

Houston-based Solugen – which aims to clean up the chemicals industry – also went outside of Texas when it raised $13.5 million in Series A funding. It used Orrick out of San Francisco. The investors, who were led by Fifty Years and Founders Fund and included Y Combinator, used K&L Gates in Palo Alto.

Finally, Kohlberg & Co.-backed Sabre Industries of Alvarado, Texas, went to New York for lawyers on its sale to the Jordan Co. Sabre used Paul Weiss while Jordan tapped Kirkland & Ellis lawyers outside of Texas. Sabre makes products for the utility and telecom markets. Houlihan Lokey and KeyBanc were Sabre’s financial advisors.

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