White & Case has added muscle from the Noble Energy legal department to its energy transactions lineup in Houston as the firm sees an increased demand for deals in the environmental sector.
Taylor Pullins was managing counsel, director of sustainability and assistant corporate secretary at Noble when the Houston exploration and production company was acquired by Chevron last summer. He led a legal team that was responsible for environmental, health, safety and regulatory matters across the company’s portfolio of domestic and international energy assets, including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters.
“Joining White & Case is a tremendous professional opportunity for me,” Pullins said. “I’ve paid close attention to how the Firm has grown its Houston office and am impressed with the Firm’s leadership and culture. Moreover, I’m excited to contribute to the world-class transactional practice at White & Case.”
In the merger with Chevron, Pullins was lead internal counsel for Noble on environmental, health and safety and regulatory matters. During his tenure at Noble, he also led efforts to publish the company’s first climate resilience report and to refresh its sustainability reporting to include key elements of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.
At White & Case, Pullins will focus his practice on M&A, project finance, environmental permitting and environmental enforcement advisory matters. He joins the firm at a time when oil and gas companies face increasing pressure to demonstrate a responsible approach to managing ESG risks and opportunities.
“The change in federal administration brings potential for increased regulatory scrutiny of the oil and gas industry, including how aggressively federal and state agencies may pursue environmental enforcement matters,” he added. “There is also the possibility for the promulgation of new environmental regulations affecting our clients’ businesses.”
Prior to his time in-house, Pullins practiced for 10 years at Vinson & Elkins, which is also the former home of White & Case Houston office executive partner Jay Cuclis.
“Growing our energy and environmental industry expertise is a main focus for our Houston office,” Cuclis said in a statement. “Taylor is an important addition to further broadening and strengthening our capabilities in this sector.”
Pullins was a professional baseball player in the Seattle Mariners organization before deciding to pursue his legal career.
“I didn’t hit enough to continue to get paid to play the great game of baseball, but I loved every minute of my time on the field,” said Pullins, who played second base and shortstop.