O’Melveny Worldwide

Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Split Rock Resources, LLC on its US$97.5 million acquisition of core non-operated oil and gas assets in New Mexico and Texas
  • Veritas Energy and Carnelian Energy Capital Management in the sale of Permian Basin assets to Northern Oil and Gas for US$406.5 million
  • Bruin Purchaser LLC in the US$465 million sale of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bruin E&P HoldCo, LLC, to Enerplus Resources (USA)
  • Forge Energy in the US$946 million sale (cash and stock) of oil and gas assets in Texas’ Delaware Basin to Oasis Petroleum Inc.
  • A domestic gas producer in multiple basins in the US$787 million sale of the company to a public MLP
  • A privately held E&P company with offshore operations in Peru in the US$1.2 billion sale of the company to a consortium of foreign national oil companies
  • A domestic gas company with more than 2.9 Tcf of natural gas reserves in the US$540 million sale of its oil, natural gas, and coal-bed methane assets in two states to a pair of publicly-traded purchasers
  • Sabinal Energy (a portfolio company of Kayne Anderson) in the acquisition of approximately 65,000 acres of producing leasehold in Texas’ Central Basin Platform and Northwest Shelf from Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
  • Samson Resources Company in the sale of a portion of its position in Converse County, WY to an undisclosed buyer in exchange for cash consideration of US$44.4 million
  • A foreign national oil company in auction sales involving a US$1 billion position in producing Gulf of Mexico lease blocks, both developed and undeveloped, including joint venture interests and infrastructure
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds in the US$345 million sale of 10,000 net acres in the Midland Basin, with multiple joint sellers
  • A pair of private equity portfolio companies in the US$360 million sale and joint development program involving Oklahoma shale oil assets with a Korean conglomerate
  • A private equity fund with several billion under management in a US$420 million investment in a non-operated interest in a Wyoming gas field
  • A mid-cap public company in the US$85 million sale of a regulated pipeline in the Gulf Coast region to another mid-cap public company
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds (with a US$450 million commitment) in an acreage exchange valued at US$70+ million involving leasehold in Texas’ Central Basin Platform and the Delaware Basin
  • A portfolio company of a private equity fund in the US$80 million sale of a liquids processing plant, Appalachian natural gas reserves, and a commercial pipeline to two independent operators
  • Adventure Exploration Partners II, LLC (a Kayne Anderson portfolio company) in the US$249 million sale of operated Midland Basin oil and gas assets with various joint sellers to RSP Permian, Inc.
  • A domestic oil and gas company with more than 1.9 Tcf of natural gas reserves in a US$270 million bid on undeveloped leasehold in the Texas Panhandle
  • A portfolio company of a global hedge fund in the US$125 million sale of oil and gas assets in Texas’ Delaware Basin to a public mid-cap operator
  • An Australian public company in the sale of Permian Basin leasehold to a public MLP for US$125 million in cash and partnership units
  • A portfolio company on multiple private equity platforms in two transactions worth approximately US$160 million to acquire non-operated interests in Bakken oil and gas assets
  • A portfolio company of a private equity fund in multiple transactions to acquire acreage in the Powder River Basin
  • A portfolio company of a private equity fund in the structuring and acquisition of US$180 million of legacy PDP oil and gas assets in Alberta, Canada with significant environmental obligations
  • A portfolio company of a private equity fund in the US$180 million sale of its oil and gas assets in the Williston Basin to a private equity-backed purchaser
  • A foreign national oil company in the sale of a Texas refinery and its related business
  • A publicly traded E&P company with a US$4.1 billion market cap in the acquisition of US$75 million in Bakken Shale assets in two transactions
  • An independent CO2 trading and enhanced oil recovery company in the structuring and acquisition of US$25 million in natural gas assets in Colorado with an associated processing plant and pipeline
  • An energy services company in the US$60 million sale of substantially all of its assets in various eastern states to a public company
  • Various domestic E&P companies and private equity portfolio companies, including a mid-cap and a large-cap public company, in most aspects of the upstream business, including acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, farmouts, oil and gas leasing, and bank financing

Private Equity Investments

  • Kayne Anderson in its agreement with Warburg Pincus to provide a US$1 billion equity commitment to WildFire Energy, I LLC
  • Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors in its equity commitment to Ensign in the acquisition of Eagle Ford acreage from Pioneer Natural Resources
  • Juniper Capital Advisors, L.P. in its US$188.4 million investment in Penn Virginia Corporation (NASDAQ:PVAC)
  • A private equity fund with several billion dollars under management in connection with various structured, preferred return investments up to $250 million each in domestic upstream oil and gas assets, including the engagement of management teams to operate the assets
  • A private equity sponsor with more than one billion under management and focused on long-life assets in multiple equity commitments of US$300 million each to experienced management teams
  • An international private equity sponsor in the structuring and completion of a majority investment in a pair of downhole drilling technology companies
  • An international private equity sponsor in a joint venture investment in a service company with proprietary scalable drilling technology
  • A private equity fund in the structuring and negotiation of multiple preferred return investments in excess of US$50 million total, targeting legacy oil and gas assets in the Mid-Continent region, and other basins
  • A private equity fund in the organization and structuring of an operating company for its various portfolio investments
  • An independent management team in obtaining two separate equity financing commitments of US$100-$150 million from a global hedge fund
  • A global asset manager in providing a US$50+ million equity commitment to a new operator to acquire and develop a producing Permian Basin oilfield
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds (with a US$450 million commitment) in connection with a recapitalization
  • An independent management team in obtaining a US$275 million investment commitment from two private equity funds, and the acquisition of developmental drilling prospects with capital commitments exceeding US$50 million
  • The management team of a private equity portfolio company in connection with a corporate reorganization and the sale of developed and undeveloped oil and gas assets
  • A distressed-investment hedge fund in the consideration, structuring, and negotiation of US$50-$100 million investments in the debt or equity of public oil and gas companies
  • A private equity fund in connection with various investments up to US$300 million each in growth-oriented consumer companies

Oil and Gas Joint Venture

  • A large-cap independent E&P company in a US$400 million capital program with an outside investor to fund the drilling of a domestic gas field
  • A pair of private equity portfolio companies in the US$360 million sale and joint development program involving Oklahoma shale oil assets with a Korean conglomerate
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds (with a US$275 million commitment) in multiple drill-to-earn transactions in the Midland basin, requiring capital in excess of US$50 million
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds (with a US$450 million commitment) in a joint venture to construct and operate an intra-state pipeline and associated midstream infrastructure with a financial investor
  • A Korean investment consortium (including Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd) in a US$300 million investment and joint venture to further develop producing blocks in the Gulf of Mexico operated by a foreign national oil company
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds in a US$40 million acquisition and joint venture to develop leasehold assets in Scurry County, Texas
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds (with a US$450 million commitment) in four separate joint ventures valued in excess of US$100 million to develop leasehold in a Texas Panhandle horizontal drilling play and in new prospects in the Permian Basin
  • A large-cap independent public E&P company in a comprehensive capital program to fund the completion of DUC wells in three basins
  • An independent oil company in a US$150 million investment and joint venture with a Korean public company to develop Mississippian Shale assets
  • An independent operator in a joint venture to enhance production and drill additional wells in Goose Creek Oil Field on Galveston Bay
  • An independent CO2 trading and enhanced oil recovery company in the structuring of a CO2 injection project in a long-life oilfield using net profit interests to capture the uplift value from enhanced production
  • A hedge-fund backed portfolio company in multiple drill-to-earn transactions involving Texas acreage

Energy Finance

  • A portfolio company of a private equity fund in obtaining a Reserve Based Loan to finance the US$65 million acquisition of PDP oil and gas assets in East Texas
  • Multiple portfolio companies of a private equity fund with several billion under management in connection with the negotiation or restructuring of Reserve Based Credit Facilities, from US$15 million to US$100 million
  • A portfolio company of two private equity funds in obtaining a US$150 million Reserve Based Credit Facility, and in multiple restructurings of the facility
  • A private equity portfolio company in the sale of a Volumetric Production Payment on oil and gas reserves in a CO2 flood
  • An independent oil and gas company in the US$25 million acquisition of PDP oil and gas assets in Goose Creek Field, including the establishment of a Volumetric Production Payment to finance the acquisition
  • A private equity-backed E&P company in obtaining bank financing and acquiring US$50 million of PDP oil and gas assets with upside potential in the Texas Panhandle in several transactions

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Texas

Education

  • University of Notre Dame, J.D.: cum laude
  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., History (Honors), Linguistics, Business: summa cum laude

Honors & Awards

  • Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Energy Transactions: Oil & Gas (2023-2024, 2026); Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power (2023); and Project Finance (2023)
  • Recognized by Chambers USA in Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) (2022-2026)
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for Energy Law and Oil & Gas Law in Houston, TX (2021-2026)
  • Recognized by Chambers Global: USA in Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) (2023-2026)
  • Named a “Top Rated Energy & Natural Resources Attorney” and “Rising Star” by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers (2016-2022)
  • Recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” in Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions, Project Development, Project Finance, and Industry Sectors: Energy and Oil & Gas by IFLR1000 (2022)

Professional Activities

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Hispanic Bar Association of Houston
  • Texas Young Lawyers Association

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, “Oil and Gas: Opportunities in a Global Market,” Global Energy Symposium (November 2016)
  • Speaker, “Clean Getaways: Surveying M&A Issues From Negotiation to Post-Closing,” Annual Conference for Association of Energy Service Companies (July 2010)