Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is adding an energy infrastructure partner to its new Houston office as Jennifer Gasser joins the Wall Street firm’s M&A Group within the Corporate Department.
Gasser comes to the growing Paul Weiss Houston office from Kirkland & Ellis. She advises private equity sponsors and public companies in the energy and infrastructure industries on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures.
“Jennifer’s arrival marks another key step in the continued buildout of our Houston team” Paul, Weiss Chairman Scott A. Barshay said. “We are excited to welcome her to the firm.”
Paul Weiss opened an office in the nation’s fourth-largest city in early February, joining other nationally elite firms who have announced plans to open or significantly expand offices in Texas in what has become Big Law’s version of the “transfer portal” in college sports.
Paul Weiss said Gasser has advised Pittsburgh pipeline company EQT Corp. in multiple transactions, including its midstream joint venture with Blackstone Credit & Insurance and its merger with Equitrans Midstream in March 2024.
She also has advised multiple SPAC clients and targets, as well as helping public companies through numerous offerings of common equity, preferred equity and debt securities. Gasser has worked on numerous deals regarding data center development, as well as partnership and LLC agreements, securities laws compliance and corporate governance matters.
A sample of Kalka’s deal portfolio includes work for:
— Arcosa in its $1.2 billion acquisition of Stavola
— Celanese in its $500 million divestiture of its Micromax business to Element Solutions
— Cloverleaf Infrastructure in its sale of powered land to Vantage Data Centers in connection with the development of a 1.3 GW data center campus in Wisconsin and similar sale transactions
— Daseke in its $1.1 billion sale to TFI International
— Forum Energy Technologies in its acquisition of the remaining interests of Global Tubing from the joint venture partner and management
— Guardian Capital Group in connection with Guardian Smart Infrastructure Management’s acquisition of a controlling interest in Q-Free ASA
— Kimbell Royalty Partners in its $404 million acquisition of mineral and royalty interests and equity interests from Haymaker Minerals & Royalties and Haymaker Resources
— McDermott International in its $6 billion acquisition of Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V.
— ONEOK in its $3.3 billion acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners’ equity interests in Medallion Midstream
“Jennifer is a highly skilled M&A lawyer specializing in energy and infrastructure,” according to Sean Wheeler, global co-chair of M&A and head of the firm’s Houston office. “Her proven track record advising clients in these spaces on their most important transactions makes her an invaluable addition to our growing Houston team.”
Wheeler and Debbie Yee, two M&A mainstays at Kirkland, left for Paul Weiss in February to form the firm’s Houston office.
Gasser said she has “long been impressed by the caliber of work” handled by the M&A team at Paul, Weiss. “I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and expanding the firm’s leading capabilities within Houston, a hotbed of activity for energy and infrastructure,” Gasser said.
She earned a bachelor’s from Portland State University, and a JD from the University of Texas.
Allen Pusey contributed to this report.