Dallas private equity veteran Nate Christensen has rejoined Weil as a partner, strengthening the firm’s dealmaking expertise in sectors including energy, infrastructure and real estate. With over 20 years of experience, Christensen is the 15th partner nationwide to return to Weil since early 2023, following his roles at Norton Rose Fulbright, Foley & Lardner, HN Capital Partners and Hunt Consolidated. The arrival follows other strategic lateral hires in Texas for the firm and Christensen chatted with The Texas Lawbook about the move, the market and more.
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CDT Roundup: Big Start, Quiet Finish For Deal Week Going into Holiday
The week ending Aug. 30 saw 10 deals with a reported value of $6.6 billion. That’s a significant drop from the prior week’s 23 deals for $15.2 billion. We could write that off as a holiday week problem, but last year at this time, we saw 13 deals for $20.6 billion. The week began strong enough with the announcement of a $3.1 billion acquisition in the Permian and AT&T’s $23 billion licensing agreement with EchoStar, but M&A simply dwindled over the rest of the week. That and more in this week’s CDT Roundup.
Dynamic Energy Deal Duo: Catching up with Skadden’s Emery Choi and Mingda Zhao
Skadden’s Houston M&A group recently welcomed veteran oil and gas partners Emery Choi and Mingda Zhao, reuniting them with prominent Texas dealmaker Steve Gill. Together, Choi and Zhao bring years of experience steering energy sector clients through high-stakes M&A, joint ventures and cross-border investments. Their record includes leading transactions such as billion-dollar-plus deals for Continental Resources, Marathon Oil and Occidental Petroleum. The duo recently shared with The Texas Lawbook their insights on today’s energy M&A landscape, shifting capital trends and the evolving deal dynamics shaping the current market.
Ret. Judge Barbara Lynn Joins Lynn Pinker
Saying she “never thought about going anywhere else,” recently retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn confirmed Friday that she is joining the law firm founded three decades ago by her husband, Mike Lynn. She will join Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann as a partner. Judge Lynn’s practice will focus on mediation, trial consultancy on complex business cases and internal corporate investigations. Her hourly rate will be $2,500.
Newly Retired U.S. Judge Lynn Will Mediate Huge Boy Scouts Insurance Dispute
Barbara M.G. Lynn, the recently retired judge for the Northern District of Texas, has been appointed as mediator in an insurance dispute involving the Boy Scouts of America that the presiding judge in the matter called “the mother of all coverage cases.”
P.S. — Houston Lawyers Win National Awards, Dallas Initiatives Receive Major Support
In this week’s edition of P.S., we highlight the Houston Lawyers Association and its members who earned several national honors at the National Bar Association Convention. Meanwhile, the Dallas Bar Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to the SMU Dedman School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic, bolstered by a $40,000 matching gift from the Stanton Foundation. Finally, an auction of memorabilia from retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn raised over $8,000 for the Dallas Women Lawyers Association Foundation, supporting grants for female legal professionals and women in need across North Texas.
Holland & Knight Hires Another Longtime King & Spalding Healthcare Veteran
Holland & Knight has bolstered its healthcare transactions practice with the addition of Christina McNamara, a veteran attorney who spent 17 years at King & Spalding in Houston. Known for her experience advising hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and clinical labs, McNamara strengthens the firm’s growing healthcare and life sciences group. Her hiring follows the recent arrival of fellow King & Spalding healthcare alum Juliet McBride, underscoring the firm’s Texas expansion in serving the sector.
Barnes & Thornburg Adds PE Hire in Dallas
Barnes & Thornburg has expanded its Dallas office by hiring Jeff Connor as counsel, tapping his expertise in investment management, private equity and compliance. Indiana’s largest law firm with 23 offices nationwide, Barnes & Thornburg entered the Texas market in 2015.
U.S. Judge Jane Boyle Takes Senior Status
U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle of the Northern District of Texas announced Thursday that she is taking senior status effective Oct. 1. Judge Boyle, a former state and federal prosecutor who has served on the federal bench for more than 21 years, is the second federal judge in Dallas to take senior status this month.
Harvest Midstream Strikes $1B Deal for MPLX Gas Assets in Rockies
Harvest Midstream is making a $1 billion bet on the Rockies, agreeing to acquire natural gas gathering and processing assets from Ohio-based MPLX. The deal expands Houston-based Harvest’s footprint in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado with 1,500 miles of pipelines and 845 million cubic feet per day of processing capacity, underscoring the private midstream company’s push for scale in natural gas. A Texas team from Kirkland & Ellis advised Harvest on the transaction.