Sidley Austin announced Monday that Paris Theofanidis, a Houston-based finance lawyer, has joined its firm as a partner in its energy, transportation and infrastructure practice.
Theofanidis joined the firm after working at Paul Hastings, where he served as a global finance partner.
“Paris is one of the leading energy lawyers in Houston and a preeminent practitioner in advising leading banks and other clients on oil and gas lending. He joins our strong roster of lawyers in Houston as we continue to serve clients in the energy industry with a full suite of capabilities across practices,” Yvette Ostolaza, Sidley’s management committee chair, said in a release.
Theofanidis received his bachelors from the University of Houston in 1991 and his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1998, earning cum laude and summa cum laude honors during his stints there, respectively.
Following his graduation and throughout his career at Paul Hastings, Theofanidis has primarily focused on finance, derivatives, and structured product cases, representing a wide range of investors and financial institutions in those deal types.
In addition, Sidley will also look to leverage the newly hired Houston-based attorney’s extensive background in negotiating and documenting commodity-styled transactions, including forward sale transactions that involved the purchase and sale of crude oil, natural gas and gold.
“Paris is well known for his work on complex transactions involving commodities and derivatives. I have known Paris since early in his career, and he is a great addition to our Houston office and our energy finance team,” said Cliff Vrielink, global leader of Sidley’s energy, transportation and infrastructure practice and co-managing partner of its Houston office.