Aaron Roffwarg, chair of the firm's real estate department, counsels clients on strategic transactions in a creative, efficient and effective manner. He represents and counsels clients in transactions that involve real estate and construction projects, including synthetic lease and sale-leaseback transactions, complex midstream oil and gas projects, pipelines and terminals used to transport oil, gas and other petroleum products and merchant electric generation facilities. He represents private equity investors, developers, financial institutions and utilities in transactions that include acquisitions and divestitures of assets and companies, structured finance, leveraged finance, project development and project finance. In addition, Aaron regularly represents healthcare organizations regarding real estate development and mergers and acquisitions transactions.
Bracewell LLP
Lawyers
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Partner
Allan Taffet has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in complex civil disputes through trial and appeal. Allan represents multiple institutional clients in the financial services industry and capital markets in cases that involve securities, structured derivatives, employment and non-competition, breach of contract and contract construction, fraud, RICO, shareholder and partnership disputes and dissolutions. Over the last two decades, Allan has tried numerous cases in federal and state courts and before arbitration panels and administrative bodies.
Amber Dodds counsels employers in all areas of employment law. Her advice includes analysis and direction on employment and benefits issues, such as leave administration, employee investigations, use of background checks and consumer reports, employee discipline and preventing harassment and retaliation claims. She drafts employment policies and employee handbooks specific to client industry and management needs. Amber also routinely advises on employee pay practices, such as compliance with overtime, per diem, pay deduction, and exemption classification requirements. She has experience advising clients on compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) regulations, including the General Duty Clause, Process Safety Management, and a variety of industry or hazard-specific regulations.
In addition to regulatory and employment-law compliance, Amber represents employers in pre-litigation administrative investigation and hearings, settlement negotiations, and federal and state court litigation. Her litigation matters have included a variety of employment-law claims, such as retaliation, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour issues, as well as general civil litigation matters in the public, private and religious organization employer context. Amber is also experienced in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action litigation, including class certification and notice issues.
Amber served as an intern in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas with the Honorable Lee Yeakel and the Texas First Court of Appeals with Justice Evelyn V. Keyes.
Amy Halevy counsels and represents employers in all areas of employment law. She guides her business clients in the preparation and application of employment policies and procedures. Amy also provides valued advice in assisting with complex and high level company investigations when there are concerns of employee misconduct or in other areas related to the employment relationship. She serves in the role of trusted advisor by helping clients with difficult employee terminations.
Energy
Andrew represents both lenders and borrowers in a variety of traditional and creative secured and unsecured credit transactions. He advises clients in connection with leveraged and investment grade credit facilities, including reserve based loans, acquisition financings, multi-currency facilities, and cross-border facilities, as well as distressed credits in restructuring and workout situations. A large portion of Andrew’s practice consists of representing large commercial banks, both domestic and international, in connection with syndicated credit facilities to exploration and production companies, midstream companies, oilfield services companies, and commodity trading and storage companies.
Andrew (Andy) Prihoda counsels governmental entities on state and local government finance matters, including public finance, infrastructure development, and public private partnerships (PPP). He serves as bond counsel to state and local issuers, as well as underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, borrower’s counsel, and bank counsel. Andy also assists governmental entities in matters involving the investment of public funds, state legislation, and other public law matters.
Prior to private practice, Andy served as deputy chief of the Public Finance Division in the Office of the Texas Attorney General. In this role, he coordinated Division rulemaking efforts, and functioned as a liaison between the Division and other state agencies. He also frequently testified before and served as a resource to the Texas Legislature regarding a variety of public finance-related topics.
Ann Navaro advises on and litigates under the federal laws and policies governing natural resources and the environment. After more than 25 years as a top litigator and policy adviser to the federal government, Ann brings exceptional insight and acumen to clients seeking to build infrastructure, produce valuable natural resources, or improve government policies and programs affecting their businesses. She has held senior legal and policy positions at the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of the Interior, including most recently as Counselor to the Solicitor at the Department of the Interior. Ann spent more than 10 years as a trial lawyer in the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the US Department of Justice, as well as 10 years litigating and managing civil works litigation for the Army Corps.
Annie Cook represents oil and natural gas pipeline, terminal and LNG facility operators with regard to transportation, safety and related laws. Annie regularly advises clients on construction and siting, incident response, regulatory compliance, litigation strategy and enforcement defense under the Pipeline Safety Act, the Natural Gas Act and related state laws. Annie has assisted clients in successfully challenging administrative agency actions at the federal appellate level. She also assists with confidential and large-scale investigations and compliance audits to identify legal risks and prepare defenses on enforcement matters, including investigations led by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.
Partner
Austin Lee represents and counsels clients in the acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas properties, as well as a broad range of transactional and operational matters regarding upstream and midstream operations. In addition, Austin also counsels clients in the upstream and midstream space who are dealing with distressed situations, whether in the form of restructuring financial arrangements or acquiring or divesting properties. Additionally, Austin represents lenders and borrowers with respect to the financing of oil and gas properties; pipeline systems and other midstream assets; and other development facilities.
Barbara S. Jones, former judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, focuses her practice on corporate monitorships, compliance issues, internal investigations and arbitrations and mediations. During her 16-year term in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Jones presided over a diverse range of cases, including accounting and securities fraud, antitrust, fraud and corruption involving city contracts and federal loan programs, labor racketeering and terrorism. In May 2010, Judge Jones was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to serve on the seven-member Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation; she served on the panel until October 2012.
As a result of his experience with virtually all types of governmental entities and diverse finance structures, Barron Wallace’s public finance practice is both unique and broad. His clients benefit from his knowledge of traditional and highly structured project finance conduit transactions involving state agencies, cities, school districts, airports, higher education, housing, industrial development, private and primary secondary schools, cultural arts organizations, regional mobility authorities, special districts and not-for-profit organizations. His multifaceted practice spans traditional municipal finance, tax increment finance, urban redevelopment, as well as general public law.
Partner
Ben Martin has experience assisting clients throughout a legal entity’s life-cycle, from its incorporation and establishment of governance procedures to its termination through merger, conversion or other business combination.
His M&A experience includes the representation of public companies, private investment firms and private companies in the acquisition and sale of public and private companies. In his M&A experience, he has coordinated with financial advisors to the firm’s clients to help manage robust auction processes in search of the most attractive disposition opportunity. He has also assisted clients in their investment in strategic joint ventures.
Ben has also represented issuers in various securities offerings that have collectively raised more than $8 billion.
Blakely Latham Fernandez focuses her practice in the space where business and government intersect, recognizing that complex business issues and solutions often exist in a political environment, just as complex public issues and solutions often benefit from private partnerships. She represents both governmental entities and private sector clients in structuring projects that include public benefit and, often, incentives. As a former elected official, she recognizes the stewardship and political considerations that are an important part of project development.
Bob Wagman has experience representing U.S. and foreign companies of all sizes in a broad range of industries in all facets of conducting business with the government including government contracts, grants and other federally-funded projects. His experience ranges from representing companies in litigation matters before courts and administrative tribunals to advising clients in transactional matters and regulatory compliance. Bob has represented numerous companies in civil False Claims Act (qui tam) matters ranging from representing companies at the early stages of DOJ/Inspector General investigations, to securing dismissal of qui tam complaints, to defending firms in jury trials. He has conducted internal investigations on behalf of companies and boards of directors and advised on self-disclosure obligations. Bob also has represented companies and individuals in suspension and debarment matters. He has experience in representing government contractors in criminal investigations involving alleged misconduct on government programs. In the bid protest arena, he has successfully represented both protesters and intervenors in bid protest matters at the GAO, the Court of Federal Claims and before agencies. He has prosecuted claims on behalf of companies and also represented companies in prime/sub disputes.
Brad Chin, chair of Bracewell's IP Practice Group, is a registered patent attorney who counsels and represents clients concentrated in the energy and high-tech industries. Brad’s deep technical experience, industry and market knowledge, and background as a chemical engineer equip him to counsel clients in managing IP portfolios and strategic business relationships. His practice focuses on assisting clients with patent and trademark procurement and enforcement, licensing and technology transfer, invalidity, non-infringement, and freedom-to-operate opinions, post-grant review proceedings (IPRs, PGRs, and CBMs), IP DFARS/FARS government contracting compliance, and corporate due diligence. Brad prosecutes patents in the chemical, electrical and mechanical arts for U.S. and international (China, Japan, Korea and Middle East) clients, particularly in the areas of oil and gas drilling equipment, chemical processing, telecommunications, automotive, robotics, consumer electronics, OLED and plasma displays, semiconductors, energy storage, renewable energy, clean technology, catalytic filtration systems, coatings, food products, medical devices, nanotechnology, electronic health care systems and treatments and life sciences. Brad also represents clients in intellectual property litigation matters before state and federal courts.
For over 20 years, Brad Benoit has maintained a practice that serves both plaintiffs and defendants, something that sets him apart from many other litigators. This balance helps him see both sides of a case more clearly and provide his clients with a broader approach to complex commercial litigation. Following along with Bracewell's core strengths, Brad focuses on representing clients in energy-related litigation, securities/derivative litigation, and bankruptcy-related litigation.
Brett Rector focuses his litigation practice on healthcare and commercial disputes. He represents all types of healthcare providers, including hospital systems, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, physicians groups and individual physicians. He has significant experience litigating disputes involving managed care, billing and reimbursement, employment, contracts, restrictive covenants and other complex commercial matters. He also represents healthcare clients in regulatory and compliance matters, including government investigations, qui tam suits and matters relating to alleged violations of federal and state anti-kickback provisions and Stark laws.
Brett has notable experience as a stand-up litigator, having successfully briefed and argued a variety of procedural, discovery and dispositive motions. He has also assisted in preparing and trying multiple cases to verdict, as well as examining and cross-examining both fact and expert witnesses during deposition.
Brian Teaff has a multifaceted tax practice, advising clients in connection with tax-exempt financings and other business transactions in the public finance area, as well as counseling public charities and private foundations on a wide range of tax planning and compliance matters. In addition, Brian advises a variety of types of clients with respect to the "opportunity zone" provisions enacted under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Brian Tompkins’ practice focuses on patent prosecution, patent portfolio analysis and client counseling. He serves clients in the software, computer and petroleum industries. Brian has also advised clients on product development strategies and has provided opinions of counsel and patent landscape analyses.
Labor
Brian Rogers advises private debt funds, banks and other financial institutions, commodity merchants, private equity funds, family offices, and public and private companies in a variety of debt financing transactions in all levels of the capital structure, including term loans, asset-based loans, unitranche, intermediations, monetizations, prepayments, trade finance, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, rescue financings and other special situation transactions. Brian has extensive experience negotiating transactions relating to renewable and conventional energy and commodities, infrastructure and related asset classes, and his practice includes a focus on structured transactions involving commodities and energy, including some of the market-leading transactions in the space.
Britt Steckman focuses her practice on civil and criminal litigation and federal securities law. Her clients include individuals, broker-dealers, municipal advisors, large and medium sized investment banks, municipal issuers, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, and energy companies, among others.Britt defends enforcement actions by state and federal authorities; advises clients on compliance matters; conducts internal investigations; represents clients in all stages of civil litigation, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations and administrative litigation; and advises on federal securities law issues in municipal securities transactions. Her experience includes federal securities laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) including establishing and maintaining compliance programs, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the False Claims Act (FCA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), Federal Power Act (FPA) and the Natural Gas Act. Britt also has experience with appeals.
Brittany Pemberton advises energy, oil and gas, and industrial clients in environmental regulatory compliance and enforcement matters, including handling stationary source enforcement and compliance matters under the Clean Air Act (CAA) before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies. She also represents companies and trade associations participating in the federal rulemaking process, including developing comments on a variety of EPA, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) proposals and challenging final agency rules in federal court. Her practice also regularly includes representing companies in administrative appeals before federal agencies, such as the DOI. In particular, Brittany's experience includes extensive Administrative Procedure Act litigation and rulemaking comments surrounding cap-and-trade regulatory regimes and research regarding the permitting process for deep geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. Additionally, Brittany has experience obtaining federal and state authorizations for major projects and transactions and in defending these government authorizations in court.
Brock Bailey, managing partner of Bracewell's Dallas office and a member of the firm's management committee, represents and counsels developers, borrowers, owners and lenders in the acquisition, development, financing and divestiture of large commercial and industrial projects. His experience in the real estate industry includes office, healthcare, hospitality, stadium development, industrial, multifamily, mixed use and retail real estate projects. He counsels clients on all aspects of real estate development, acquisition and construction finance, management, and infrastructure development, as well as construction, leasing, acquisition and disposition matters.
Bryan Dumesnil provides Bracewell’s clients with the intense dedication needed when facing complex litigation challenges. Although most cases are resolved outside the courtroom, a trial lawyer must be willing and able to try a case in order to achieve the best results for the client. Bryan knows this, and that is why he approaches every case as if it will be tried. By doing so, Bryan is prepared to zealously protect his clients and their interests if a negotiated resolution is not possible.
Bucky Brannen advises clients on ways to reduce state and local taxes (SALT) in every phase of business. He helps negotiate pre-investment economic incentives, structure operations to minimize tax, manage audits and dispute assessments and property tax valuations, and facilitate growth through tax-efficient restructurings, acquisitions and dispositions.
Regarding economic development tax incentives, Bucky has advised on many of the largest tax incentives packages in Texas history — frequently developing novel solutions to optimize economic benefits while ensuring a positive, long-term partnership with the local community.
Carlton Wilde is a trial lawyer with jury experience. He brings a quick wit and an ability to dive into the details of a case while advising clients on strategy implications in an easy-to-follow manner. As a member of Bracewell’s insurance recovery group, Carlton represents corporate policy holders in complex insurance coverage matters related to all types of policies, including reps and warranties, business interruption, commercial property, cyber, and professional and fiduciary liabilities. He also has first and second chair experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a diverse range of complex business litigation and arbitration matters in the energy, construction, consumer products, real estate and healthcare industries.
Carlton handles all aspects of trial and litigation strategy from pre-suit investigation and discovery through trial and post-trial motions. His approach to each client is to clearly communicate complex legal issues, connect legal advice to the client’s business needs, and remain calm throughout stressful litigation battles.
Carrie Douglas is a passionate advocate who works tirelessly to achieve maximum reimbursements from commercial payors and third-party administrators for hospital systems, ambulatory surgery centers and large physician practices. She represents clients in a variety of reimbursement related legal disputes, involving managed care contracts and other payor-provider disputes wherein she uses her efforts to resolve matters at the pre-litigation stage.
Carrie has extensive experience on matters pertaining to unilateral payor policies involving COVID-19 reimbursement, reference-based pricing, out-of-network plans and E/M downcoding. She has also established successful strategies related to disputes involving experimental/investigational designations, medical necessity, diagnosis-related groups (DRG) downgrades and refunds, offsets and other adjustments, which have allowed for pre-litigation resolutions. In addition, she advises hospitals and health systems on compliance with the Hospital Price Transparency Rule.
Hall of fame
Catherine McCarthy has represented asset owners and others on energy regulation and policy matters for more than two decades. She chairs Bracewell's Energy Regulatory Department and is the current Chair Elect of the American Bar Association's Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section. Her experience includes obtaining Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and state authorizations for major projects and transactions; FERC compliance and enforcement matters; FERC transmission and centralized markets issues; and rate, tariff and refund matters. She also represents energy clients before the Department of Energy, the Federal Communications Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Cathy has extensive experience advising public utilities and competitive energy issuers on securities offerings. She represents issuers, underwriters and institutional investors in the full range of debt, equity and hybrid securities offerings by such issuers, including offerings of first mortgage and collateral trust bonds, green bonds, unsecured notes, tax-exempt debt, debt for projects, high-yield debt, and common and preferred equity. She also represents energy and utility companies in commercial lending transactions.
For more than 30 years, Catherine Little has counseled oil and gas pipeline, terminal and LNG clients across the United States on energy, transportation and safety-related legal matters at the federal, state and local levels. In particular, Catherine regularly advises on a full range of regulatory compliance and enforcement defense matters, including construction and siting, operations, maintenance, inspection, incident response and security issues. Catherine counsels clients with respect to litigation strategy and frequently manages large-scale confidential investigations and compliance audits to assist companies in identifying legal risks and preparing defenses. Catherine and her team have favorably resolved criminal investigation matters led by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the US Department of Justice, and successfully sought federal appellate review for precedential pipeline enforcement matters.
Clients praise Charles H. Still for his excellent judgment, responsiveness, creativity and understanding of their businesses. He combines these qualities with technical skills, gained over more than two decades of practice, to provide practical advice and solutions to help clients achieve their business objectives. In addition to maintaining an active capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and securities compliance practice, with a particular focus on the energy industry, Charles serves as co-chair of the firm's corporate and securities department.
Charles (Charley) Mills focuses his practice in the areas of derivatives, commodities, crypto and securities trading law. Exchanges, market intermediaries, advisors, traders, end users and product developers turn to Charley for his deep knowledge of the regulatory agencies, the law, trading and the markets. He represents these clients in law enforcement investigations and actions, internal investigations, federal court litigation and regulatory compliance counseling involving the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice, the regulated futures exchanges, the National Futures Association and FINRA. He has tried over 60 court cases, administrative proceedings and arbitrations to successful outcomes and prevailed for clients in many appeals.
Business and Regulatory
Clark Lord has a wide-range of experience in the public sector and in private practice. He serves special districts and governmental clients, many of which he created through the legislative or regulatory process, in a variety of areas ranging from their day-to-day affairs, to bond issuances. Clark frequently represents developer clients on special land development issues involving governmental regulations and bureaucracy. His experience with economic development matters has enabled him to create economic development programs for a variety of governmental units. He also represents many private developers and businesses in a variety of economic development transactions. Additionally, Clark drafts and lobbies for legislation involving special districts and economic development clients and industry. He often serves on special legislative working groups and committees in this area.
Clark is a frequent lecturer on economic development, special districts, and real estate development at various industry conferences and educational forums. Prior to entering private practice, he spent five years in the Houston City Attorney's Office managing economic development, special finance and land use matters.
Conor Civins represents companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in patent, trade secret and trademark litigation, as well as disputes involving breach of contract, fraud and unfair competition. Over the past several years, he has litigated cases in the Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas, as well as in various districts in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, New York and Oregon. Conor has also argued before the Federal Circuit and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Constance Rhebergen, a member of the firm's management committee, serves as chair of the firm’s technology section. She is known for quickly determining what clients need, and more importantly, what it takes to achieve these goals. Her multi-national clients benefit from her experience as an engineering consultant. In addition to her responsibilities, she has served as a member of the firm’s management committee. As a registered patent attorney, Ms. Rhebergen is extremely well placed to counsel and represent business clients in the identification, protection, licensing and transfer of intellectual property assets and in providing patent infringement and validity opinions. She brings to bear a comprehensive range of skills to advise businesses and government agencies in the United States, Latin America, Europe, MENA region and beyond with a proficiency on all matters concerning intellectual property, portfolio management and international intellectual property law disputes.
Cristy Edwards practices in the area of public finance and tax-exempt finance, with a primary focus on transactions involving hospitals and other healthcare facilities, colleges and universities, private schools, nonprofit organizations, industrial development, waste disposal facilities, airports and state agencies. She serves as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, disclosure counsel, trustee’s counsel and underwriters counsel in such financings. Cristy also represents electric cooperatives in finance transactions. Cristy is experienced as trustee’s counsel in default and workout situations.
Daniel Connolly's practice focuses on representing clients in such diverse industries as banking, construction and pharmaceuticals in a wide spectrum of white collar defense and regulatory compliance investigations, as well as bankruptcy, class action and complex commercial litigation cases. In addition to representing clients in federal and New York State trial and appellate courts, Dan regularly appears before numerous federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, as well as various state investigatory and enforcement agencies. He has represented major corporations and senior executives in an array of criminal or regulatory matters and has served as compliance and ethics advisor to companies and boards of directors.
Daniel Hemli regularly advises clients on complex antitrust issues relating to mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures and advocates before federal, state and foreign antitrust authorities. He has experience representing both buyers and sellers in connection with investigations of numerous national and multinational acquisitions and joint venture transactions across a broad range of industries, including oil and gas, electric power, chemicals, commercial and industrial equipment, waste services, construction materials, consumer goods, healthcare, technology and financial services. He has advised on transactions in a variety of contexts, including negotiated deals, hostile takeovers and distressed situations. Dan also counsels clients on a broad range of antitrust matters arising out of their day-to-day operations and assists clients in designing and implementing antitrust compliance programs. He prides himself on having a thorough understanding of his clients' business operations and objectives and providing very practical and business-focused advice.
During his more than 40 year career at Bracewell, Dan Witschey has focused on providing thoughtful, practical advice to companies, their boards of directors and committees. Equally adept in the mergers and acquisitions and securities arenas, Dan also regularly counsels on corporate governance matters and fiduciary duties. He frequently represents special committees of master limited partnerships in conflict situations ranging from dropdown transactions to equity restructurings and sales of the company.
Danielle Garbien represents energy and commodities companies, financial institutions, private equity companies, developers and hedge funds in a wide range of complex energy financing, investments, power purchase agreements, and commodity and hedging transactions, with a focus on power and renewable energy. Danielle has experience negotiating and drafting EPC contracts, REC purchase agreements, turbine supply agreements, operating and management agreements and other procurement agreements for energy and infrastructure projects. She also advises on structuring hedges for the financing and acquisition of energy facilities; renewable energy transactions, including solar and wind development and offtake arrangements; long-term supply and credit facilities for retail and wholesale energy contracts; and prepaid natural gas and electricity transactions.
Danielle Varnell has extensive experience in energy M&A including with respect to both development stage and operating projects, portfolio acquisitions and divestures, and complex multi-party joint ventures. In addition to her experience with fossil generation assets and onshore wind and solar assets, Danielle has significant experience in carbon capture and sequestration, battery storage and offshore wind.
Danielle also has extensive experience on all aspect of energy and infrastructure project development, including the negotiation and drafting of build transfer agreements, EPC contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, construction management agreements, asset management agreements, shared facilities agreements, build out agreements and equipment procurement and supply agreements (including gas and wind turbines, modules and transformers), as well as numerous other project development agreements.
Partner
David Perlman represents and counsels clients in regulatory and compliance matters concerning the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and state public utility commissions, energy-related transactions and financings, and in the establishment of compliance programs and training. His clients include utilities, commodities merchants, oil and gas pipeline companies, electric generators, energy marketers, industrial customers, generators, lenders and financial institutions and oil and gas producers.
David Super offers first-chair trial experience to clients across multiple industries. He handles complex commercial litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country. David’s experience includes litigation involving regulatory and environmental challenges to major infrastructure projects, and environmental claims under the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response (RCRA), Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. Beyond his experience in environmental litigation, David has taken a lead role in a diverse set of complex commercial disputes, including defense of class actions, allegations of fraud and other business torts, breach of contract, partnership disputes, actions before federal agencies, energy issues and constitutional takings.
David Ball splits his practice primarily between bankruptcy/restructuring and intellectual property. He has experience representing both debtors and creditors in complex bankruptcy proceedings, with an emphasis on handling contested matters, and representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent and trademark infringement matters. David’s understanding of complex products, varied industries, and financial analysis lends itself to both practice areas. He is routinely called upon to quickly understand different industries and the economics of clients’ businesses to work with financial advisors and expert witnesses. David has experience in Chapter 11, Chapter 15 and Chapter 9 bankruptcy matters, and has litigated numerous Chapter 11 matters – most recently Alta Mesa, MDC Texas Energy, ENXP, Optim Energy and Ahern Rentals – before the bankruptcy courts and federal appeals courts.
Dave Shargel is a business litigator with extensive experience representing clients in complex commercial disputes and arbitrations. Dave has built his practice representing clients in a wide range of business sectors and circumstances. His experience includes litigating contract disputes, shareholder disputes, business valuation, insurance coverage and fraud. He also handles real estate, construction and employment disputes as well as matters involving constitutional law such as under the Commerce and Due Process clauses. Additionally, as co-head of the firm’s ePractice Department, Dave assists firm attorneys with eDiscovery best practices and guidance, as well as case-specific discovery strategy and management. Dave is also a member of the firm’s COVID-19 Crisis and Recovery Task Force, advising clients on various issues related to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including matters related to the government’s stimulus loan programs.
Deanna King, co-chair of the firm's energy litigation practice group, represents domestic and foreign energy-industry clients in a broad range of matters related to market access, competition, market behavior and market design, enforcement and compliance, and restructuring and cross-border issues related to participation in United States energy markets. She counsels energy sector clients on regulatory and compliance matters and represents them in enforcement, administrative and litigation proceedings, with a particular focus on organized and bilateral energy markets in the west, contract negotiation and dispute resolution, and compliance with market rules.
Derek Speck’s practice focuses on matters related to corporate and securities, energy and oil and gas. He counsels clients in corporate formation, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, securities offerings, corporate restructurings and private equity transactions. Derek also has experience in the upstream and midstream sectors.
For more than 28 years, Dewey Gonsoulin has effectively and efficiently represented clients in all types of financing transactions. He devotes a significant portion of his practice to energy financing, and is a frequent speaker and writer on topics related to upstream oil and gas reserve based financings. He represents commercial lenders, mezzanine lenders, corporate borrowers and other financial institutions in all types of financing transactions. Dewey focuses primarily on credit facilities in the upstream energy sector, including traditional borrowing base credit facilities provided by senior bank lenders to independent producers as well as more complex mezzanine and development financing transactions. In addition to working on upstream financings, Dewey also has extensive experience in oilfield service and midstream pipeline financings. In periods of economic downturn, Dewey works alongside the firm’s restructuring practice, serving as lead transaction counsel on numerous workouts and restructurings involving energy companies. In addition to his client responsibilities, Dewey serves as chair of the firm’s finance department, and has previously served as a member of the firm’s management and finance committees.
Doug Rommelmann is a registered patent attorney and counsels companies in all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. He advises on patent procurement and designing around competitor’s patents, provides opinions on patent and trademark invalidity and infringement issues, represents companies in contested U.S. Patent & Trademark Office proceedings, including inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. In addition, he leads IP due diligence teams for major mergers and acquisitions and also maintains an active IP litigation practice
Doug Stewart's experience spans a wide range of technologies, including computer hardware and software, consumer electronics, image processing and LED technology, data transmission and encryption, telematics, mechanical devices, and chemical and pharmaceutical compounds, among others.
A registered patent attorney, Doug's practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property and technology litigation and counseling, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and domain names. He litigates patent and other intellectual property disputes in courts throughout the United States, including key patent jurisdictions such as the Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, the District of Delaware, and the Northern and Central Districts of California, with a particular emphasis on assisting international technology companies with U.S. patent issues. Doug also represents companies in Section 337 actions before the International Trade Commission, appeals to the Federal Circuit, and contested administrative proceedings before the PTAB and the TTAB. In addition, Doug represents and advises clients in connection with non-litigated IP issues, including licensing and IP strategy; patent portfolio and prosecution management; technology agreements; patent royalty audits; and related diligence issues.
Drew is a commercial litigator with jury trial, international arbitration, and first-chair bench trial experience. His energy and strategic thinking have been the key to quick and efficient resolution of many disputes. Drew has had the lead role in state and federal court hearings, mediations, trials, and depositions to resolve complex oil and gas, intellectual property, construction, environmental, and securities litigation. His clients range from multi-national corporations, to mid-sized companies, to small, startup businesses and individuals. And in addition to his dispute resolution practice, Drew routinely advises universities, private schools, healthcare institutions, and non-profits regarding internal governance, tax compliance, and fiduciary duty matters.
Dee Martin is co-chair of the firm's Policy Resolution Group, the government relations and strategic communications section of Bracewell. Dee represents clients before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies, developing and implementing policy and media strategies that achieve her client’s goals. Dee has 20 years of experience providing strategic advice to corporations, non-profit organizations and trade associations. Her work covers a broad range of issues, including energy and the environment (oil & gas; power; renewables); national security (federal law enforcement); women’s rights (economic and violence issues); and financial services (credit rating agencies; consumer protection). Dee has successfully led clients through legislative, appropriations and oversight campaigns. In addition to her policy work, Dee represents clients involved in agency inquiries and Congressional investigations, including hearings and testimony.
Edmund Robb focuses his practice on commercial disputes arising out of the energy industry. He has experience prosecuting and defending complex commercial litigation, oil and gas disputes, energy agreements, environmental and regulatory matters and securities claims. Edmund works closely with in-house teams to manage and prepare cases at all stages, from initial investigation to final judgment. He has represented clients in state court, federal courts and in arbitration, and has conducted numerous internal investigations on behalf of corporations, boards and board committees. Edmund also has experience handling probate, product liability and construction cases.
Ed Fierro serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel and purchaser’s counsel in a spectrum of public finance transactions. He also counsels municipal issuers, obligated persons and regulated entities on legal, regulatory and policy issues. Ed provides clients with a comprehensive understanding of the application of federal securities laws when analyzing regulatory, compliance and enforcement issues.
Previously, Ed served as senior counsel to the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Municipal Securities. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating the SEC’s municipal securities activities and administering the rules pertaining to the municipal securities market. While at the SEC, Ed was instrumental in executing the SEC’s short-term fixed income market structure initiatives, implementing the municipal advisor regulatory regime, reviewing examination findings and enforcement actions, and proposing amendments to Rule 15c2-12.
Partner
Elizabeth McGinley, chair of Bracewell's tax department, regularly advises clients on acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, joint ventures and debt and equity investments in the upstream and midstream oil and gas and conventional and renewable power industries. She represents both public and private energy companies as well as private equity funds. In addition to her traditional energy practice, Liz also advises on tax issues arising in connection with the energy transition including federal tax credits and investment structures. Liz has experience with the use of carbon dioxide emissions for enhanced oil recovery.
Elizabeth Bowes serves as counsel to issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements of municipal bonds. She has particular experience in housing, transportation, prepaid natural gas and other structured project finance transactions. Elizabeth has worked on transactions utilizing multi-modal bonds, interest rate swaps and other advanced financial products. She advises clients with respect to primary and continuing disclosure matters and has advised issuers, bondholders and trustees on default, forbearance and work-out matters.
Fernando Rodriguez Marin advises developers, investors and financial institutions on infrastructure, energy and real estate projects. He represents clients in project finance and public private partnership (P3) transactions, including roads, rail, brownfield and greenfield infrastructure projects and renewable energy projects. In addition, Fernando negotiates, drafts and reviews P3, concession and credit agreements on behalf of government agencies, private businesses and investors.
François Feuillat has over 25 years’ experience handling complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, joint ventures, private equity deals and corporate finance transactions involving more than 70 countries and worth a total of more than $100 billion.
François represents private equity and corporate clients in the energy, infrastructure, industrial and technology sectors. He is a trusted adviser to boards and independent committees. He regularly advises on deals governed by the UK Takeover Code and Listing Rules, as well as represents activist investors on strategic and M&A-related campaigns. François is recognized in Best Lawyers for M&A (2023-2024) and as a “Notable Practitioner” in IFLR1000 for M&A. He has previously been recognized as a leading practitioner by The Legal 500 UK.
Prior to joining Bracewell, François served as a corporate partner at an international law firm in London.
Frank Lee uses his extensive experience and deep knowledge of the energy industry to advise clients on corporate finance, securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, SEC compliance and corporate governance matters. He started his legal career at an energy-focused boutique and draws on his years of experience in his work on behalf of renewable energy developers, project sponsors and solar panel manufacturers, as well as publicly traded and privately held companies, investment banks and private equity funds, on acquisitions, divestitures and commercial arrangements.
Frank also represents issuers and underwriters in various securities offerings and other financings. Within the last decade, he has been involved in the issuance of more than $15 billion of securities. Frank acts as regular underwriter’s and issuer’s counsel for several US utilities and energy companies. He has also represented clients on transactions involving the financing, development, acquisition and sale of transmission and generation facilities — including merchant and peaking fossil fuel facilities — and renewable generation facilities, including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and waste-to-energy facilities.
Frank Maisano is a skilled media specialist with more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications. His focus on media relations, crisis communications and strategic counseling services has allowed him to build a client base of United States and international clients, including upstream and downstream energy companies, renewable power companies, cement companies, transmission builders, and chemical manufacturers. Frank’s contacts and knowledge of energy and environmental issues has resulted in a track record of success in working with media outlets across the country. He has organized comprehensive media relations programs in the U.S. on a range of energy and environmental issues, and his weekly energy update is considered a “must-read” by thousands of journalists, policymakers and lobbyists across the country.
Alan Rafte, chair of the firm’s business and regulatory section, serves clients in transactions that involve upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas assets; merchant electric generation facilities; and energy commodity trading. He represents private equity investors, energy businesses, financial institutions and commodity trading businesses in transactions that include acquisitions and divestitures of assets and companies, joint venture arrangements, structured finance, leveraged finance, project development and project finance.
George Fatula’s practice focuses on energy-related transactions, regulatory matters, projects, and controversies. George has extensive experience navigating the intersection of regulatory and commercial issues involved with the development and operation of major energy infrastructure projects. He regularly advises natural gas, oil, liquids and CO2 pipeline and storage project developers in negotiating terms of service, drafting definitive agreements, and steering through the regulatory approval process for the development of new and re-purposed pipeline and other infrastructure projects before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other regulatory agencies. George also represents midstream service providers, producers, and marketers in commercial, transactional, and FERC regulatory matters, including purchase and sale transactions, compliance matters, tariff and certificate proceedings, and contested matters.
Partner
Greg Bopp has served as the managing partner of Bracewell since 2016. Prior to becoming managing partner, Greg co-chaired the firm’s business and regulatory section and served numerous terms on the firm’s management committee. Greg has extensive experience in a broad range of corporate transactions, including joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions for midstream and upstream companies, including master limited partnerships (MLPs).
Heather Brown’s practice focuses on complex financial transactions with emphasis on the energy industry including upstream, midstream, downstream, and services. She represents both lenders and borrowers in large, syndicated and bilateral, secured and unsecured, and traditional and structured financing arrangements, including acquisition and working capital facilities, asset based loans, reserve based loans, dividend recapitalizations, institutional term loans, first and second lien arrangements, bond financing credit enhancement, project financings, contract monetizations, and insolvency matters.
Cliff Gunter has devoted more than 49 years of practice to providing strategic, effective trial representation to energy and a diverse array of other, major industrial and financial clients in complex, high stakes, multiple-party litigation, both internationally and domestically. Cliff has a lengthy history of representing clients in class action litigations in industries such as financial services, energy, transportation, electric utility, consumer products and securities. He has advised board of directors with respect to and has conducted numerous internal investigations on diverse subjects ranging from financial reporting issues, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, power trading and bidding, law enforcement and regulatory investigations and shareholder derivative claims. Cliff has advised clients on remedial and preventative measures in connection with these investigations.
Dean Hinderliter has over 30 years of experience in complex tax analysis and planning. He advises clients on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and other transactions across a range of industries, including energy.
Dean has extensive experience advising on the tax aspects of private equity funds and their investments, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, public offerings, tax-free reorganizations, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures and S corporations. He also provides tax advice for partnerships, private equity funds, hedge funds, and limited liability companies related to ongoing operations, acquisitions, restructurings, financings, unwinds and incorporations.
His transaction planning practice includes special knowledge in the taxation of natural resources, partnership and corporate transactions involving the petroleum industry, and the formation and operation of private equity funds and their portfolio companies.
Energy
Jim Kizziar has devoted his law practice to the representation of management for labor and employment law issues for 43 years. Jim advises all levels of management, including boards of directors, executives and Human Resources, regarding compliance with federal and state employment laws and local ordinances. His practice encompasses all aspects of employment law, including executive employment agreements, separation agreements, confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, developing and implementing voluntary exit programs and reduction in force plans and drafting employment policies, reviewing employee handbooks and conducting employment training for executives, managers and supervisors. Jim has also represented employers for over three decades regarding union organizing campaigns and representation elections, proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, collective bargaining negotiations, contract administration and unfair labor practice charges.
Jim Plummer concentrates his practice on tax-exempt financings, tax credits and governmental contracts at the federal, state and local levels. His practice includes a substantial amount of work related to affordable housing and housing bonds, as well as state and local taxation. Jim also has extensive experience in public private partnerships (PPP), particularly negotiating development, management and operating contracts involving governmental entities and contracts with tax-exempt financing.
Jane Macon focuses her practice on public finance and administrative law, public and private partnerships, real estate, civil litigation, zoning, platting, condemnation and municipal bonds.
Jared Schuettenhelm focuses on all aspects of intellectual property, including IP litigation, IP counseling and strategy, technology licensing and transactional matters, patent royalty audits and related due diligence matters. He has represented clients in cases involving a wide array of technologies, including computer operating systems, security and encryption systems, audio processing systems, printing technologies, computer networking systems, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Jared represents both United States and international clients, with particular experience representing Japanese clients in a variety of intellectual property matters.
He litigates offensive and defensive patent infringement disputes in courts throughout the U.S., including the Eastern District of Texas, the Northern and Central Districts of California, and the District of Delaware. Jared also represents companies in Section 337 actions before the U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. In addition to his litigation experience, Jared assists and advises clients in protecting, licensing, and transferring intellectual property. A registered patent attorney, Jared also has experience prosecuting patent applications to issue, which he leverages to help clients develop effective strategies to analyze and protect their patent portfolios.
Over the last 12 years, Jason Cohen has represented corporate debtors and senior and junior secured creditors in all phases of corporate debt restructurings, including negotiating out-of-court workouts and litigating in-court Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases with assets ranging from $20 million to more than $1 billion. Jason has often advised parties on debt and equity financing, as well as asset sales.
Jason Hutt, chair of the firm’s environmental department, advises and defends clients with a deep appreciation of the high-profile and complex environmental and energy issues of our day. His advice and advocacy are informed by a technical understanding for how energy and key industrial sectors operate as well as an acumen for the challenges Bracewell’s clients must navigate to achieve their business objectives. Jason is a key member of Bracewell's incident response and internal investigation teams for matters subject to the jurisdictional reaches of these agencies. Jason's experience and perspective inform his advice to project developers, debtors, investor groups and financial institutions focused on the business implications of various policy initiatives as well as the environmental risks and liabilities associated with transactions. His thoughts on legal and policy matters are regularly reflected in the mainstream media and trade publications covering energy and environmental issues.
Jason Jean is experienced in advising public and private businesses, including private equity investors, in the financial services sector, upstream and midstream energy sector, and other sectors with respect to mergers and other business combinations, asset and stock purchases and sales, restructurings and joint ventures. Jason also advises businesses in private capital markets transactions, including Rule 144A private placements and PIPEs, and public capital market transactions listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ, Amex and London Stock Exchange. His capital markets experience extends to representation of issuers, underwriters and placement agents on a variety of debt and equity offerings, including initial public offerings. Jason’s practice also includes advising businesses on corporate governance and compliance issues.
At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jeff Vaden was responsible for directing criminal prosecutions and grand jury investigations in areas including U.S. export controls and sanctions, bank fraud, public corruption, immigration, money laundering, counterterrorism, and national security. His honors include the Director’s Award for Superior Performance in 2008, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary’s Award in 2007, and the 20th Anniversary National Award, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2002. He has worked on domestic and international matters with federal law enforcement and investigative agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Commerce-Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Department of the Treasury, Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Secret Service, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service.
Jeff Oldham is an experienced appellate attorney who has presented oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas Supreme Court, federal appellate courts nationwide, and state courts of appeals throughout Texas. He is a board-certified appellate specialist who has handled high-stakes appeals in a wide variety of subject matter areas, with a particular emphasis on energy and complex commercial litigation. Jeff also regularly works with trial counsel to formulate pretrial and trial strategy, write dispositive motions, prepare jury charges, preserve error at trial, and handle post-trial proceedings.
Jeff Andrews’ broad transactional practice focuses on outsourcing, sourcing and technology transactions. He is best known for structuring and negotiating complex domestic and international information technology and business process outsourcing agreements. Jeff, chair of the firm's technology transactions practice, has assisted clients in outsourcing all major business functions and operations. He has negotiated opposite every major multinational and Indian outsourcing service provider. His clients span a wide range of industries, including energy, financial services, consumer products, retail, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, commercial aviation and telecommunications.
Jeff Holmstead, former assistant administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency for Air and Radiation, is one of the nation’s leading climate change lawyers as recognized by Chambers USA (2008-2020) and heads the environmental strategies group (ESG) at Bracewell. The ESG is a multi-disciplinary group that includes environmental and energy attorneys, public policy advocates and strategic communications experts – most of whom have had high-level government experience. Under Jeff’s leadership, they work together on a daily basis to advise and defend companies and business groups confronting major environmental and energy-development challenges, both domestically and globally.
Jeff Danley represents companies on IP enforcement, defense and litigation matters across a range of technologies, including electronics and semiconductors, medical devices, software and internet, and telecommunications. He is a registered patent attorney whose practice encompasses all aspects of patent prosecution and intellectual property litigation, including trade secrets and copyright matters.
Jeff has extensive experience as a first-chair patent litigator, including initial fact investigations, discovery and disposition motions, expert testimony and reports, claim construction and invalidity positions, as well as representing clients at trial and on appeal.
Jenny Speck advises clients on qualifications for and the monetization of energy transition tax incentives. She has worked on a range of energy transition projects, including onshore and offshore wind, solar, carbon capture, hydrogen and clean fuel credit projects.
She has firsthand knowledge of the carbon capture industry, having served as the senior manager of tax and regulatory compliance at Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC from April 2022 through October 2023. At Navigator, Jenny led all aspects of tax qualification, utilization and reporting compliance for federal income energy tax credits, and served as Navigator’s sole liaison with the US Department of Energy.
Jenny also provides tax advice on traditional purchase agreements, joint ventures, financings and other general transactional work.
Jeris Brunette focuses her practice on commercial lending and project finance in a variety of industries with an emphasis on the renewable energy sector. She advises, structures and negotiates a range of secured and unsecured financial transactions, including structuring and negotiating senior and subordinated debt financings, acquisition and project financings, structured financings, securitizations and physical and financial commodity hedges. Jeris’ clients include financial institutions, private equity funds and other energy-sector borrowers.
Notably, Jeris represented Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank as collateral agent to the revolving debtor-in-possession lenders in the $2.81 billion prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring transaction for McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) approved January 23, 2020 and as lead arranger, revolving agent and collateral agent in the $1.7 billion superpriority rescue financing for MDR closed October 21, 2019.
She has been recognized by The Legal 500 United States for Commercial Lending (2018-2019, 2023) and Project Finance (2018-2019). Jeris has also been named to list of Rising Stars by IFLR1000 Financial & Corporate and M&A Guide in Banking (2016-2023), Law360 Banking Rising Star (2021), as well as the New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for Securities & Corporate Finance (2017-2019).
Jeris Brunette focuses her practice on commercial lending and project finance in a variety of industries with an emphasis on the renewable energy sector. She advises, structures and negotiates a range of secured and unsecured financial transactions, including structuring and negotiating senior and subordinated debt financings, acquisition and project financings, structured financings, securitizations and physical and financial commodity hedges. Jeris’ clients include financial institutions, private equity funds and other energy-sector borrowers.
Partner
Jonathan Frels assists governmental bodies, nonprofit corporations and entities that contract with governmental bodies with respect to Public Information Act issues. In addition to his experience in private practice, Jonathan served as deputy attorney general for legal counsel at the Texas Office of the Attorney General, 2008 – 2010. In this role, he acted as counsel to the attorney general and supervised the Office of the Attorney General’s non-litigation civil legal divisions, including the agency’s Public Finance Division, Opinion Committee, General Counsel Division and Open Records Division. While with the Office of the Attorney General, Jonathan frequently testified before and served as a resource to members and committees of the Texas Legislature on a variety of subjects, including public finance and open government matters.
Jonathan Leatherberry focuses his practice on public debt offerings and business transactions, particularly related to the healthcare industry. He has served nationally as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, trustee’s counsel for general obligation and revenue financings involving hospitals, nursing facilities, retirement facilities, primary and secondary education facilities, universities, cultural arts centers and charter schools. Jonathan also advises non-profit and for-profit organizations on general corporate matters, fiduciary responsibilities, mergers and acquisitions, liquidity and credit facilities, workout and restructuring situations, and disclosure matters. He has experience drafting and negotiating public and private debt offerings and all related documentation for 501(c)(3) organizations.
Jonathon Hance is both a litigator and an intellectual property lawyer. As a litigator, Jonathon is at home in the court room, where he represents both plaintiffs and defendants and works hard to enforce his clients' intellectual property rights and data confidentiality rights, to protect his clients' brands, to bring value to his clients in the restructuring context, and and to resolve complex commercial disputes in the design and construction, real estate, energy, healthcare, and technology industries. As an IP lawyer, Jonathon works to protect and monetize his clients' innovations and protect his clients' brands across a variety of sectors, including the energy, real estate, and technology industries. He also advises healthcare institutions regarding corporate governance issues and patient data privacy and protection under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Josh Zive is an advocate and counselor for clients confronting complex legislative, regulatory, and legal compliance issues. He has worked with clients in wide range of industry sectors to develop and implement advocacy strategies built on a deep knowledge of the client’s needs and arguments that can succeed in front of legal, political, and public audiences. Josh works with clients on all stages of legislative and regulatory advocacy, and is able to help clients design and implement strategies to have an impact on public policy. This work includes crafting formal rulemaking comments, designing effective lobbying strategies, and the development and implementation of public messaging campaigns.
Josh Klein represents corporations and individuals in complex disputes involving corporate, securities and commercial issues. He advises clients, both as plaintiffs and defendants, in cases involving allegations of breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference, fiduciary duty, antitrust and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organzaitions Act (RICO). Josh also advises entities and individuals in various enforcement investigations and proceedings brought on by governmental agencies and regulators.
Julie Partain focuses on public debt offerings and business transactions involving cities, counties, school districts, universities, economic development corporations and water districts. She serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and disclosure counsel in financing transactions for all types of public entities. Julie also works on financings and debt issuances for special districts, including special legislatively created districts. In addition, she advises clients on their economic development initiatives and incentives for public/private projects.
Julie has worked on and represented clients in expedited declaratory judgment actions in District court in response to legal challenges to clients’ proposed bond issuances or to validate new and innovative financing techniques. Her broad experience also includes master lease financings and general counsel for local government investment pools. Additionally, Julie has worked on various complex projects, including large venue projects for a major sports stadium, hotel and convention center financings, entertainment venue financing and development and the creation and financing of Public Improvement Districts, which includes refinancing and multi-phase assessment projects and financings.
Prior to entering private practice, Julie served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Nathan L. Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court.
Corporate and M&A
Kate Day focuses her practice on debt financings in the energy industry. She represents international banks and other lenders, corporate borrowers and private equity sponsors. Kate has particular knowledge of reserve based lending facilities, master limited partnership (MLP) financings, asset-based lending facilities, first and second lien financings, acquisition and working capital facilities, leveraged and investment-grade financings, commodity finance, bond credit enhancement facilities, and hedging arrangements. Kate also handles restructurings and workouts of loans in the energy industry.
Kate Barrington McGregor advises and represents clients on M&A and joint venture transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Her M&A experience includes the representation of public and private companies in a variety of corporate transactions, including stock and asset purchases and sales, joint ventures, mergers and other business combinations. Her recent experience includes acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas pipelines and storage terminal facilities, as well as the negotiation and drafting of build transfer agreements, EPC contracts, O&M agreements and construction management agreements with a focus on power, renewable energy and energy storage. She also provides counsel on securities matters, corporate finance and general corporate transactions.
Kelly Robreno Koster focuses her practice on complex commercial and labor and employment litigation. With a background both as in-house counsel and at large national law firms, she offers employers extensive experience in cases related to discrimination, termination, restrictive covenants, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and statutory employee benefits. She also provides litigation-preventive counseling for employers by reviewing and drafting personnel policies, handbooks and other employment documentation.
Kevin assists companies responding to government investigations after major industrial accidents and chemical releases in the energy and chemical sectors. Kevin has experience responding to investigations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), California regulatory authorities, and state and federal prosecutors.
Kevin Ewing is a natural resources lawyer who helps clients address challenges in “federal” Washington, DC. He advises chiefly energy and infrastructure companies pursuing development projects, federal authorizations, or changes in agency policy, and in responding to federal enforcement and incident investigations. His clients are often involved in offshore exploration and development, natural gas and liquids pipelines, LNG, power transmission and specialty chemicals. Kevin has frequently been involved in efforts to improve federal policies governing infrastructure projects and related permitting and agency reviews.
Kirk Morgan's practice focuses on complex energy issues, but clients can count on him to make things understandable and be commercially minded. Kirk provides strategic advice to oil and gas pipelines and project developers with respect to jurisdictional issues, rate options, capacity allocation methodologies, regulated practices, and business opportunities. He is regularly called upon by pipeline clients and developers regarding new infrastructure projects, including greenfield pipelines and expansion projects. This requires him to lead clients through the process of preparing open season materials, negotiating and drafting precedent and transportation agreements, and preparing tariffs. Kirk also works closely with clients to obtain regulatory approvals required for new pipeline infrastructure.
Christopher (Kit) Crumbley draws on his two decades of experience serving within the US Patent & Trademark Office and the Department of Justice to provide comprehensive intellectual property advice and counsel to businesses across all technology fields, with a particular focus on post-grant validity challenges and the appeals of those proceedings.
From 2012 to 2023, Kit served as an Administrative Patent Judge with the US Patent & Trademark Office’s Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB), including nearly seven years in PTAB leadership as a Lead Administrative Patent Judge. During his 11-year tenure with PTAB, he participated in more than 400 panels deciding the outcome of AIA petitions and ex parte appeals, and he personally authored over 100 decisions on institution and more than 70 final written decisions. He also frequently advised agency leadership and was deeply involved in significant PTAB and agency reform efforts, including PTAB’s Consolidated Trial Practice Guide, rulemaking on motions to amend and decision-making procedures.
Prior to being appointed to PTAB, Kit served for nearly a decade as a trial attorney with the Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, defending the government in patent litigation suits before the US Court of Federal Claims and appeals before the Federal Circuit.
Laura Sheldon concentrates on US and cross-border transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including the sale and purchase of renewable assets, as well as the development and infrastructure stages of energy projects. She advises clients on asset and stock purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, transition services agreements, operation and maintenance agreements, build-out agreements, project administration agreements, EPC agreements and other procurement and development agreements.
Leslie Selig Byrd has 35 years of experience exclusively representing employers in labor and employment issues and controversies. She has been involved in hundreds of administrative investigations, as well as administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the United States Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Leslie defends employers in federal and state employment law motion practice and litigation, and is also a qualified mediator, limiting her work as a mediator to labor and employment litigation.
Lytch Gutmann represents public and private companies, master limited partnerships (MLPs) and special committees in a variety of corporate transactions, including stock and asset purchases and sales, joint ventures, mergers and other business combinations. She also provides counsel to private equity funds and their portfolio companies, along with management teams seeking private equity capital. Lytch’s practice focuses on the midstream and upstream areas of the energy industry. Her recent experience includes acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas pipelines and storage terminal facilities, water infrastructure assets, and other midstream companies and assets.
As a lawyer licensed in Mexico, Manuel Vera represents U.S. financial service institutions, energy companies and investment firms in acquisitions in Mexico and Latin America, also guiding them through cross-border project finance transactions and joint ventures. Manuel has worked with clients on projects in more than a dozen Latin American countries, with a special emphasis on Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, as well as Spain.
Mark Lewis, managing partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office, focuses his practice on oil and gas pipeline and related midstream, regulatory and transactional matters. His clients include oil and gas pipeline developers, owners, operators and investors; oil and gas producers and marketers; gas distributors; and large industrial energy consumers. He handles US and international oil and gas pipeline development projects with respect to project structuring, contracting and governmental approvals. He represents regulated pipelines, pipeline ownership interests regarding pipeline management issues, clients in transactions involving the acquisition of pipeline companies and pipeline assets, and developers of pipelines and other oil, gas and CO2 infrastructure. In his practice, Mark provides legal counsel in contract negotiations involving operating, transportation, and purchase and sale agreements. He also advises clients regarding regulatory aspects of project development, contract, tariff, rate and compliance matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and various state regulatory agencies.
Mark Dendinger is the managing partner of Bracewell’s Connecticut office. He is also a financial restructuring partner who focuses on all aspects of corporate restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. He represents debtors, equity owners, creditors, creditors’ committees, and distressed investors (including hedge funds and private equity funds) in acquisitions, out-of-court restructurings and chapter 11 cases. He also advises boards of directors and senior management of financially troubled companies regarding fiduciary duties and corporate governance. He has broad restructuring experience across several industries, including energy, shipping and retail.
Mark C. Evans serves as co-chairman of the firm. He served as the firm's managing partner from 2008-2016, making him the second longest serving managing partner in firm history. During his tenure as managing partner the firm opened its Seattle office; relaunched its London office, focusing exclusively on energy; and entered the Am Law 100. Before assuming the role of managing partner, Mark's practice focused on representing French, Dutch, Scottish, Japanese and United States commercial banks and other lenders in complex commercial finance transactions, including syndicated loans, revolving credit and term loans, leveraged transactions, structured transactions, subordinated and mezzanine investments, credit enhancement for commercial paper and bond transactions, letters of credit and commercial paper facilities, production payment and other oil- and gas-related credits, project finance, bankruptcy and restructurings. He has also represented international banks in lending funds to Japanese, Mexican, Canadian, Venezuelan and French companies.
Mark Hunting is a qualified solicitor-advocate specializing in internal and external investigations, contentious and non-contentious criminal and regulatory matters and civil litigation. He advises companies and corporate executives on business-related criminal and regulatory matters, including money laundering, bribery and corruption, financial and trade sanctions and export controls, corporate investigations, health and safety, and financial institution trading regulations. He also has significant experience advising on internal investigations, mass tort litigation, health and safety prosecutions, and government enforcement actions.
Martin Gusy is a dual-licensed common law-civil law disputes attorney and leads the firm’s international arbitration practice. He has over 20 years of experience serving as legal counsel to commercial parties as well as sovereigns in more than 100 high-stakes, cross-border disputes and transactions, including international arbitration dispute resolution, international commercial arbitration, investor-state/investment arbitration, US litigation and corporate matters.
Martin regularly serves as sole arbitrator, president of the tribunal and party-appointed arbitrator in more than two dozen ICC, AAA/ICDR, UNCITRAL and ad hoc arbitrations. He has been a member of the AAA/ICDR International Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators since 2010 and served as a mediator in an international commercial dispute involving a sovereign. He is the co-author of the second edition of A Guide to the ICDR International Arbitration Rules (2019), a leading industry text published by Oxford University Press, as well as the co-author of the AIPN research paper, “A Global Review of Joint Operating Agreement Disputes” (2020).
He is recognized by his peers for his international legal experience and broad substantive experience, including technology, manufacturing and engineering joint ventures, energy, oil and gas, mining, banking and finance, construction, distribution and franchising, insurance, IP protection and IP licensing. He has prior work experiences in Frankfurt, Singapore, Paris, Houston and São Paulo, and regularly advises clients from Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. He has counseled dozens of parties in international arbitrations under rules including ICC, ICSID, AAA/ICDR, JAMS, LCIA, UNCITRAL, DIS, VIAC and SIAC International Arbitration Rules. Martin is active in various professional associations, including serving on the Executive Committee of the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC) and on AAA/ICDR committees. He has helped draft institutional arbitration rules and is regularly asked to speak at industry events or teach on international arbitration.
Matt Paulson represents companies in the oil and gas, refining, power and chemical manufacturing industries on environmental matters, including strategic permitting, regulatory compliance, investigations, enforcement and civil and appellate litigation. His work includes advising clients on issues arising under all of the major federal environmental laws and their state counterparts. Matt regularly advises clients at the early project planning stages, assisting with scoping a broad array of regulatory and permitting requirements across all media and disciplines, from air, water and waste permitting, endangered species and cultural resource reviews and approvals, and US Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration authorizations, to land use, local registration and licensing obligations, as well as other federal, state, and local requirements that can affect project timing and viability. Matt also provides assistance on crisis management and prevention, including responding to major accidents, conducting internal investigations associated with allegations of criminal and civil wrongdoing, preparing risk management, emergency response and business continuity plans, and preparing for inspections by regulatory authorities.
Matt Grunert advises clients on a broad range of compensation and employee benefits matters for public and closely-held companies, as well as private equity funds and portfolio companies. He has vast experience counseling clients with the design, implementation and on-going operation of Section 409A non-qualified deferred compensation plans and equity compensation arrangements, including stock options, restricted stock, phantom stock, Section 162(m) grandfathering issues and partnership profits interests. Matt also regularly counsels both companies and executives with the negotiation and drafting of executive compensation arrangements, including employment agreements, retention and severance agreements and change-in-control arrangements.
Matthew Nielsen represents companies, boards, executives, and securities firms and professionals in internal and government investigations and litigation involving civil and criminal misconduct. Matthew has deep experience in handling matters involving public company accounting and disclosure issues, insider trading, securities fraud, US export controls and sanctions, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), whistleblower complaints and healthcare fraud. In addition, Matthew regularly represents clients before and in litigation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Financial Industry Regulatory Agency (FINRA), Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Department of the Treasury and other federal and state agencies.
Michael Brooks focuses his practice in the areas of energy, commodities and derivatives law. He represents energy companies and commodity trading companies in a wide variety of commercial, regulatory, compliance and enforcement matters and routinely advises clients regarding federal rules and regulations governing the trading, ownership, transportation and transmission of energy commodities. His counsel includes advising clients regarding emerging technologies and related privacy, cybersecurity, commercial and regulatory issues.
Michael Chibib focuses all aspects of intellectual property litigation, with an emphasis on district court and ITC patent litigation in the areas of semiconductors, telecommunications, electronics, software and energy. He has an active post-grant practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and also provides IP portfolio counseling.
Partner
Molly Butkus represents and counsels developers, exploration and production companies, midstream companies, private equity funds, purchasers and sellers in all aspects of upstream and midstream transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures, joint venture formation and other day-to-day operational representation. Molly also focuses on representing upstream producers and water management companies in the drafting and negotiation of water gathering, disposal, supply and recycling agreements, as well as the acquisition and divestiture of produced and fresh water assets and infrastructure.
Nancy LeGros has devoted her entire legal career to serving healthcare clients. She has 25 years of experience in advising clients on healthcare regulatory compliance, reimbursement, and operational matters such as medical peer review, academic affiliations and governance. Nancy’s clients have included hospitals, academic medical institutions, clinical research organizations, physician groups, home health and hospice agencies, long term care facilities and mental health facilities.
Nancy is a trial lawyer with jury trial experience. She represents domestic and international companies in complex commercial disputes in a variety of industries including healthcare, energy, and banking. Nancy’s practice focuses on disputes involving breach of contract, fraud and other business torts, civil rights, personal injury, and products liability for both plaintiffs and defendants in state courts, federal courts, and arbitration proceedings. She also has experience in class actions, mass torts, and bankruptcy-related litigation, as well as insurance coverage disputes.
Nancy has handled all aspects of trial matters from pre-suit discovery through trial and post-trial motions. Clients who have worked with Nancy have commented that they appreciate Nancy’s technical skill, smart and clear communication, ability to connect legal advice to the client’s business, and energy and enthusiasm for her cases.
Corporate and M&A
Nicolai Sarad advises financial institutions, developers, equity investors and governmental agencies in the United States and internationally on project structuring, development and financing, acquisitions and dispositions, and restructurings, as well as operation and maintenance. He focuses on infrastructure projects, including public private partnerships (P3), thermal and renewable power, biofuels, water, mining, process plants and major manufacturing.
Nicole Boeckmann represents companies and individuals in complex criminal and civil investigations, drawing on her extensive trial experience at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York County District Attorney’s Office.
Nicole served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York from 2004 through 2024. She successfully prosecuted, briefed and served as the lead attorney for 10 jury trials and argued multiple appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
She held various positions at the Eastern District, including First Assistant US Attorney, Chief of the Criminal Division and most recently Chief of the Long Island Division. As Long Island Chief, Nicole supervised over 60 employees, including 25 assistant US attorneys in the Criminal and Civil Divisions, on white-collar crime, public corruption, national security, cybercrime, money laundering, False Claims Act and environmental justice matters.
Partner
Partner
Parker Lee advises strategic companies and private equity and infrastructure funds on M&A, project development and joint venture transactions in the energy and infrastructure industries. He represents petrochemical companies, refiners, storage and logistics companies, midstream developers and operators, exploration and production companies, project developers and financial investors on complex projects and transactions in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors, as well as on tollways, bridges and other traditional infrastructure projects.
Parker also has significant experience on energy transition projects, including carbon capture utilization and sequestration, renewable fuels, renewable natural gas, ammonia, hydrogen, helium and carbon offtake transactions.
Patrick Bredehoft focuses his litigation practice on healthcare and commercial disputes. He maintains an active trial and arbitration practice, having secured significant settlements, judgments and awards for plaintiffs and defendants nationwide. He represents healthcare providers, including hospital systems and hospitals, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, physicians, and long-term care facilities.
Patrick has significant experience litigating healthcare disputes involving managed care, billing and reimbursement, qui tam and false claims, healthcare fraud and malpractice. He also litigates complex commercial matters, including contract, tort, employment and business disputes.
In addition, Patrick advises his clients on government investigations and on regulatory, compliance and reimbursement issues, including matters involving ERISA, Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Patrick serves clients across the energy sector in transactions that include mergers, acquisitions and divestitures of assets and companies, joint venture arrangements, and project finance. Patrick also has extensive experience with the development of energy projects, including the negotiation and drafting of EPC agreements, construction management agreements, operation and maintenance agreements, and various other procurement and project development agreements.
With more than 25 years of experience in strategic, crisis and corporate communications, Paul Nathanson's focus is on reputation management, message development and implementation, public policy analysis, media relations and strategic counseling services for a range of U.S. and international clients. He assists clients in formulating arguments in persuasive ways and ensures that clients’ views are heard and understood by their target audiences, including Members of Congress, policymakers, the news media and the public. Over the years, he has managed comprehensive crisis communications planning and response programs for a range of clients in the fields of consumer products, energy, renewable power and natural resources, manufacturing, finance and health industries. Paul has also provided crisis communications and media training to a range of corporate CEOs and other senior executives, trade association leaders and non-profit heads.
Paul Schuster represents healthcare providers on a range of litigation and regulatory matters, including contractual disputes, statutory violations, industry regulations, business torts and class actions. He also has extensive experience representing clients in technology, antitrust, securities, owner/shareholder, consumer finance, insurance and real estate disputes.
Prior to joining Bracewell, Paul was a litigation partner at an international law firm. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Phillip Sampson has spent decades aggressively pursuing and advocating for his clients’ interests in complex business disputes. Phillip’s consistent approach to fully understanding and then preparing a matter for trial or arbitration emphasizes thoroughness, responsiveness, creativity, and practicality. Phillip is co-chair of the firm's construction litigation practice group, and he represents clients in a diverse range of complex business litigation and arbitration matters involving the energy, construction, manufacturing, steel, oil field services, chemical, petrochemical, software, financial services, consumer products, and real estate sectors. Phillip has experience and a particular focus on matters involving contract and payment issues, fraud and other business torts, construction defects, products liability, consumer protection claims, personal injury, real estate and landlord/tenant issues, and trade secret and intellectual property rights for both plaintiffs and defendants. Phillip has also successfully handled a number of appeals at the state and federal level.
Rachel Goldman is a commercial litigator with over 20 years of experience in federal and state courts, at the trial and appellate levels, and in both domestic and international arbitration proceedings. She represents clients in various sectors, including financial institutions, multi-national corporations and private equity funds. Her practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, such as breach of contract and fraud claims, securities litigation, bankruptcy litigation, construction litigation, class actions, RICO and False Claims Act litigation. Rachel's practice also includes challenges to government agencies under the Commerce, Takings and Supremacy Clauses, and First Amendment and libel actions. In addition, she is actively involved in the firm's monitorship and compliance matters. Her prior experience as both a lawyer representing the government and as in-house counsel provides a valuable perspective of client needs and objectives. Rachel is also a member of the firm’s COVID-19 Crisis and Recovery Task Force, advising clients on various issues related to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including matters related to the government’s stimulus loan programs.
Rebecca Keep's practice focuses on complex financial transactions. She represents both lenders and borrowers in large, syndicated and bilateral, secured and unsecured, financing arrangements, including acquisition and working capital facilities, asset based loans, reserve based loans, dividend recapitalizations, institutional term loans, first and second lien arrangements, bond financing credit enhancement and restructurings, with a focus on the energy industry.
Richard Whiteley, co-chair of the firm's construction litigation practice group, enjoys solving complex problems for his clients in an adversarial context, and believes an aggressive strategy of always preparing a case like it will ultimately go to trial is the best way to achieve the most favorable outcome. Richard has a wide range of experience in trial work and arbitration, with an emphasis on construction litigation, intellectual property litigation, products liability litigation, real estate litigation, and other types of commercial litigation. Richard has tried and arbitrated cases involving general contractual disputes, patent infringement, construction defects, manufacturing issues, trade secret misappropriation, trademark and copyright infringement, products liability, defamation, fraudulent transfers, real estate disputes, business disputes, deceptive trade practices, personal injury, and premises liability. In addition, Richard has experience with obtaining extraordinary and injunctive relief for clients, including temporary restraining orders, temporary injunctions and other writs.
Partner
Rob Collins’ practice focuses on public finance, in particular tax-exempt financings. He serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and disclosure counsel in financing transactions for cities, counties, school districts, economic development corporations, venue projects, water districts and special districts. Rob also advises clients in connection with economic development incentives for public/private projects.He has successfully represented several cities and special districts in expedited declaratory judgment actions filed in response to or in anticipation of certain legal challenges asserted against the clients' proposed issuance of bonds and/or projects to be financed with bond proceeds.
Notably, Robin represented Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank as agent to the revolving debtor-in-possessions lenders in the $2.81 billion prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring transaction for McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) approved January 23, 2020 and as lead arranger and revolving agent in the $1.7 billion superpriority rescue financing for MDR closed in October 21, 2019.
Partner
Roslynn R. Mauskopf joined Bracewell after a four-decade career in public service, including as a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, as the United States Attorney for that district, and, most recently, as Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. She focuses her practice at Bracewell on government and internal investigations, regulatory enforcement and compliance, corporate governance, white-collar litigation, arbitrations and corporate monitorships, and providing advice and counsel to companies, boards of directors and corporate executives on sensitive matters involving reputational risk.
As Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts from February 1, 2021, through January 31, 2024, Judge Mauskopf served as the chief administrative officer of the federal courts. In announcing Judge Mauskopf’s retirement as Director and from the federal judiciary, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. praised her for bringing “superb judgment to bear in addressing a broad range of issues,” including guiding the judiciary through the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing workplace conduct and ethics reforms, strengthening the courts’ cybersecurity defenses, and serving as secretary to the Judicial Conference of the United States, the principal policy-making body for the federal court system, and as a board member of the Federal Judicial Center. She also served as the Judicial Branch’s congressional liaison, working with congressional committees to advance the legislative interests of the Third Branch and to secure the Judiciary’s annual appropriation and execute the Judiciary’s budget.
Ryan Holcomb, chair of the firm’s power practice, represents clients in a wide variety of transactions in the electric power and oil and gas industries. He negotiates and documents acquisitions and divestitures of assets and companies, joint venture, financial and commodity hedge transactions for private equity investors, energy companies, utilities, financial institutions, and commodity trading businesses.
Sara Burgin uses her scientific background and more than 30 years of legal experience to assist clients with issues relating to water use, management and disposal. She advises on permitting, compliance and enforcement matters in association with onshore and offshore wastewater and storm water discharges; issues relating to surface water and ground water rights; water contracts; Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan requirements and applicability issues; Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction; issues associated with public water systems at industrial facilities; and dredge and fill permit requirements.
Scott Sanders provides counsel to publicly traded and privately owned companies in the design, implementation and administration of employee benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements. He also handles the compensation and benefits issues that arise in corporate acquisitions, financings, initial public offerings, spin-offs and other corporate transactions. Scott helps guide companies in implementing numerous qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, cash-and equity-based incentive plans, executive compensation arrangements, change in control arrangements and other types of employee benefit plans. His practice focuses on the corporate and tax issues that are critical to the design, implementation and administration of employee benefit and executive compensation arrangements. Scott represents clients on tax and benefit matters before the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor.
Scott Segal is co-chair of the firm's Policy Resolution Group, the government relations and strategic communications section at Bracewell. He has more than two decades of experience across a broad range of policy and communications issues, with particular experience dealing with energy, the environment and natural resources. Other areas of experience range from healthcare to financial services to trade and manufacturing issues. A practicing lawyer, Scott assists clients with effective participation in the legislative and regulatory processes. Additionally, Scott helps guides clients with strategic planning and communications in changed circumstances through public-affairs initiatives, monitoring, advocacy and negotiations with the United States Congress and administrative agencies of the federal government. He has testified before Congress and administrative agencies numerous times on matters related to energy and environmental policy.
Scott Le Bouef represents clients in a wide variety of commodities and derivatives transactions and related regulatory matters, with a focus on energy commodities. He advises investment banks, brokers, energy and commodity merchants, hedge funds, producers, suppliers and end-users in energy and commodity trading and finance. He has extensive experience with the structuring and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, intermediation arrangements, physically and financially settled hedge transactions, energy management agreements, tolling agreements, supply and off-take agreements, transportation agreements and storage agreements, whether such agreements are entered into on a stand-alone basis or in the context of project acquisitions or project development. Scott’s experience also includes structuring and negotiating industry standard master agreements, including the ISDA, EEI and NAESB.
Seth DuCharme draws on his experiences serving as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States and the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to advise companies and individuals on cases involving cross border regulation, cyber security and breach response, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) diligence and litigation, export controls, sanctions compliance and anti-money laundering. In 2021, Seth was appointed to the Criminal Justice Act panel to represent defendants in federal court.
Seth served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York from 2008 through 2021. He held various positions at the Eastern District, including Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section and Acting United States Attorney. In his various leadership roles, Seth supervised some the Department’s most important cases, including the trial of “El Chapo” Guzman; the indictment of tech giant Huawei; the RICO prosecution of Keith Raniere in connection with the NXIVM cult; the investigation of a global financial institution for its involvement in the 1MDB Malaysian bond deal, resulting in the largest criminal penalty ever obtained in an FCPA case; the arrest and indictment of eight individuals charged with conspiring to act as illegal agents of the People’s Republic of China; and the conclusion of a deferred prosecution agreement over a major financial institution in connection with its potential exposure for international money laundering.
Project Finance
Partner
As an award-winning partner in the firm’s premier finance practice, Stephanie Song has dedicated more than 16 years of her practice to counseling and representing domestic and foreign financial institutions, mezzanine funds, private equity funds, other credit providers and borrowers in all types of secured and unsecured credit transactions, including asset based lending, senior and subordinated debt financings, cross-border financings, debt restructurings, project and acquisition financings, letter of credit facilities, term loans, working capital loans, bond credit enhancement facilities, securitization and conduit lending transactions, oil and gas secured financings, as well as loan restructures and workouts and other various interbank relationships involved in syndicated loan transactions.
A seasoned business litigator in his 32nd year of practice at Bracewell, Steve Benesh brings his experience and judgment to bear in helping his clients reach the best resolution of their issues, whether that means vigorously protecting those interests in the courtroom or working collaboratively to reach a common-sense resolution outside the courtroom. He has represented clients in diverse matters, including securities, class action, business torts, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, deceptive trade practices, breach of contract, and products liability. Steve has first chair jury and non-jury trial experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts, as well as arbitration and mediation experience.
Stephen Braga chairs the firm’s national Government Enforcement & Investigations practice. He has over 35 years of experience representing individuals and companies in criminal and civil matters before trial and appellate courts throughout the United States.
Stephen Crain has spent his career advocating for clients in high-stake and complex commercial disputes in the United States and internationally. Stephen’s practice largely focuses on energy, securities, and construction. His diverse energy practice ranges from oil and gas royalty class actions to power-trading disputes to claims in adversary proceedings. In securities matters, Stephen represents officers, directors, and corporations in class actions and has successfully defeated multiple injunctions sought to prevent mergers. Stephen also represents owners in large-scale construction disputes.
Steven Cook advises clients on matters involving environmental and natural resources law and policy.
Prior to joining Bracewell, Steven served as Deputy Assistant Administrator at the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During his tenure at the EPA, Steven led teams responsible for issuing final rulemaking packages and guidance documents addressing the risk management plan or RMP rule, closure of coal ash (or CCR) ponds and landfills, disposal and destruction of PFAS contaminated waste and other PFAS remediation issues as well as developing new approaches to cleaning up abandoned hardrock mining sites.
Steven chaired the Superfund Taskforce which developed and implemented over 40 recommendations to improve the program with an emphasis on timely addressing contamination and returning the land back to the community as a useful asset. He was also instrumental in helping the EPA team move forward with clean-up plans at some of the most complex river and port sites and other languishing clean-ups.
Summer concentrates her practice on tax-exempt financings, tax credits and governmental contracts at the federal, state and local levels. Summer has experience advising purchasers, sellers, lenders, borrowers, landlords and tenants in various real estate transactions, including financings, acquisitions, dispositions and leases. She also has experience counseling clients on corporate governance, choice of entities and non-profit matters.
Ted Duver focuses his practice on representing renewable energy companies and investor-owned and cooperative utilities in matters implicating federal and state regulatory issues. He has extensive experience representing investor-owned and cooperative utilities before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and state public service commissions in a wide array of matters, including ratemaking proceedings and generic rule-makings. Ted represents renewable energy project developers in M&A and other transactional matters, including the financing, sale, acquisition and development of community distributed generation and other renewable energy projects, including advising on and negotiating project development agreements.
Tom Tomlinson has spent his career working on energy transactions with a particular focus on the financing, development, acquisition and divestiture of traditional and renewable energy projects. As chair of the firm’s Project Finance practice, he regularly counsels and assists energy-sector investors, sponsors and lenders regarding the development, financing, acquisition and divestiture of power generation facilities, upstream and midstream oil and gas projects, refineries and petrochemical facilities, pipelines, gathering and storage facilities, wind and solar facilities and other energy projects. Tom's deep understanding of the energy industry has been gained over decades of experience helping to structure and successfully navigate a wide variety of transactions in the sector. His goal on any engagement is to leverage that knowledge and the use of project and structured finance techniques to assist clients in maximizing the credit potential and value for the subject assets.
Thomas Kokalas is a partner in Bracewell’s New York office in the Government Enforcement & Investigations practice. Tom focuses his practice on responding to regulatory investigations as well as conducting corporate-wide compliance reviews and risk assessments. He has extensive experience in regulatory enforcement, government and internal investigations, white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation. He counsels corporate clients in a range of complex issues, including US Department of Justice investigations, Regulatory Enforcement actions and internal Compliance Reviews. Prior to joining Bracewell, Tom served as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as a member of the Frauds Bureau, where he successfully prosecuted complex financial crimes involving securities fraud, RICO, larceny and schemes to defraud. He also served in the Trial Division where he prosecuted and tried felony criminal cases in New York County Supreme Court in addition to handling long-term investigations into weapons and narcotics trafficking. Tom is also a member of the firm’s COVID-19 Crisis and Recovery Task Force, advising clients on various issues related to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including matters related to the government’s stimulus loan programs.
Tim Urban leads the tax policy practice at Bracewell’s Policy Resolution Group. He is an experienced tax lobbyist who has advocated for clients on every major tax bill introduced in Congress over the past 20 years. Tim represents companies on business tax issues, extension of temporary tax provisions and federal tax policies within the energy sector.
Tim’s clients rely on him for the defense of environmental enforcement actions and assistance with the environmental aspects of major transactions and project development matters, including siting and permitting. Tim has also overseen environmental compliance audits involving thousands of locations, handled hundreds of environmental audit disclosures and pioneered the development and use of US EPA’s audit policy for new owners. Although he undertakes matters in all environmental media, Tim has special depth in issues involving hazardous waste.
His clients report in Chambers USA that “he’s the premier lawyer in Texas," "the best on all environmental matters,” and “the rare outside counsel who combines subject-matter expertise with outstanding commercial judgment” (2023). They have said that “one of Tim’s chief strengths is his ability to explain the law in a way that anyone can understand” (2019). They have also described him as “a very astute lawyer, liked for his quickness and thorough responses” (2007); as having “a good blend of scientific knowledge and legal acumen that helps navigate challenging regulatory issues” (2021); as having “great business acumen and amazing negotiation skills” (2009); and as capable of delivering “practical, cost-effective solutions for his clients” (2011). Tim was also recognized by Law360 as a 2023 Environmental MVP.
In addition to his duties at Bracewell, Tim periodically teaches the course in Corporate Environmental Law at The University of Texas School of Law. Before joining Bracewell, Tim was research assistant to Professor Laurence H. Tribe of Harvard Law School, editor-in-chief of the Harvard Environmental Law Review, and a judicial clerk for the Honorable Henry A. Politz, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Todd Greenwalt works with governmental entities and tax-exempt organizations, advising them with regard to tax-exempt financings and other business transactions, and resolving tax-exempt status issues. His clients include all types of state and local governmental entities, hospitals, other health care organizations, colleges and universities, charter schools, museums, arts organizations, community and economic development organizations, private foundations, advocacy groups and other charities. Todd provides federal income tax advice as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel and borrower's counsel in connection with tax-exempt financings and advises tax-exempt organizations on a wide-range of federal tax and state nonprofit law issues, including formation and application for tax-exempt status, unrelated business income tax, intermediate sanctions, IRS examinations, accountable care organizations and other health care-specific issues and structuring joint ventures to comply with IRS guidelines.
Todd Eckland has over 30 years of experience representing investment banks and public and private companies in capital markets transactions. He has successfully guided clients through more than 250 public offerings of investment grade and high-yield debt securities, preferred and common stock and other hybrid securities, most notably in the energy, technology and life science sectors. Todd also advises on project financings, private placements and strategic investments, as well as on corporate governance matters, including policies and strategies to respond to changes in regulation.
Partner
Infrastructure & Development
Tony Visage, Chair of the firm's securities and corporate governance litigation practice group, focuses his trial practice on shareholder class actions and derivative cases alleging violations of the Securities and Exchange Acts, as well as insider trading, fraud, accounting irregularities, reporting requirement violations and state law claims. Tony has first-chair jury and bench trial experience. He defends companies and individual directors and officers. He has conducted numerous internal investigations in response to derivative demands and other matters giving rise to the need for a special investigation by independent counsel. Tony also works with special committees and conflicts committees of boards on matters involving fiduciary duties.
Partner
Troy Harder advises clients in all aspects of corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on corporate finance transactions. He has experience representing both issuers and investment banks in a wide range of capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings, public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, tender offers, consent solicitations and exchange offers. He also counsels clients in connection with SEC reporting and corporate governance and compliance matters, including insider reporting and compliance with the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.
Ty Johnson counsels domestic and international energy clients in energy regulatory matters and in offshore wind development and permitting.
In his energy regulatory practice, Ty advises on the regulatory regimes administered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the US Department of Energy, as well as other federal and state agencies. He represents energy marketers and transmission owners in matters involving compliance with the Federal Power Act, and he represents clients involved in regulatory litigation before FERC and in related appellate litigation. Ty works with clients on energy regulatory developments in the Northwest and the Western United States, with a focus on transmission and rate matters related to the Bonneville Power Administration and in related appellate proceedings. He is experienced with FERC’s natural gas transportation regulations, including with tariff and certificate proceedings, compliance audits and enforcement proceedings. He has also advised clients on numerous aspects of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and exports, including Department of Energy licensing and FERC certificate proceedings.
Victoria Ozimek offers legal advice to clients regarding all aspects of tax advantaged obligations, from vetting the tax issues on proposed financing structures to assisting issuers with post-issuance compliance matters such as remedial actions and private business use analyses. In addition to traditional state and local government financings, Victoria has worked on transactions for the financing of multifamily and single family housing, universities and colleges, charter schools, airports and seaports, and water facilities. She has also acted as special tax counsel to a number of issuers in situations where an issuer's regular counsel may not be in a position to provide the specific tax experience needed.
Vince Morgan has helped clients obtain billions of dollars in insurance proceeds and other recoveries. He represents corporate policyholders in complex coverage matters related to all types of policies, including commercial property and business interruption, reps and warranties, CGL, cyber, professional and fiduciary liabilities, D&O, E&O, environmental, trade credit and intellectual property. Many of these have involved some of the most pressing issues of recent times, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Deepwater Horizon disaster, virtually every hurricane and other major weather disaster in the last 20 years, major wildfires, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and the opioid crisis. Aside from representing corporate clients, Vince has also obtained millions of dollars on behalf of pro bono clients.
Cle Dade advises clients on a variety of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and insolvencies. He also provides counsel to clients in connection with the formation of joint ventures and the implementation of corporate control arrangements. His recent experience includes acquisitions and divestitures of natural gas and liquids pipelines, gathering systems, storage terminals and related logistics facilities, as well as acquisitions and dispositions of manufacturing, distribution and industrial services companies in a variety of industries.
W. James (J. J.) McAnelly serves as co-chair of the firm’s oil and gas projects practice group. He represents oil, gas and energy industry clients in a broad range of oil and gas transactions, including the purchase, sale and/or financing of exploration and producing properties, processing plants, production and storage facilities and pipeline systems, as well as day-to-day operational representation. He also assists in the formation of joint ventures and partnerships for the funding, acquisition, operation and development of energy projects. His finance practice focuses on the representation of commercial banks, investment banks and hedge funds in energy lending. He also represents lenders in structured finance, restructurings and off-balance sheet transactions.
Glenn Opel currently chairs the firm's public finance department. Over the past 25 years, Glenn has worked alongside virtually every kind of governmental entity on state and local government finance matters, including traditional municipal finance, tax increment finance, and public improvement districts. His comprehensive practice focuses on public finance, infrastructure and transportation development, and public/private partnerships. His knowledge of traditional and highly structured project finance conduit transactions assist his clients in all types of industries, including state agencies, transportation entities and regional mobility authorities, cities, counties, school districts, airports, higher education, river and port authorities, public/private partnerships, industrial development, and special districts. In addition to acting as bond and disclosure counsel, Glenn represents national and regional investment banking firms as underwriter’s counsel and letter of credit bank counsel in public finance transactions.
Walter Simons is an appellate lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes business disputes in Texas and across the United States. His practice focuses on preparing top-quality briefs for appellate courts in traditional appeals, interlocutory appeals, and mandamus proceedings.
Walter also frequently serves as appellate counsel during trial proceedings from the early stages of a case. In this capacity, he provides strategic advice to trial teams, drafts pleadings, handles dispositive motion practice and other trial briefing, assists at trial, and ensures that errors are properly preserved for appeal.
Prior to joining Bracewell, Walter served as a law clerk to the Honorable Patty Shwartz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and to the Honorable Gray H. Miller of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Warren Harris chairs the firm’s appellate practice group. He handles high-stakes appeals in Texas and across the country. He has handled hundreds of appeals, primarily handling cases that were originally tried by other law firms. He also serves as appellate counsel in major trials to provide strategic advice, preserve of error, argue jury charges, and handle post-verdict motions.
Whit Swift advises industrial companies on air quality matters, such as state and federal new source review permitting and Title V operating permit matters. In connection with that permitting work, he has represented applicants in contested permit matters before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH).
Will Anderson, co-chair of the firm's corporate and securities practice, chair of the firm’s financial institutions group and a member of the firm's management committee, focuses on capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions and SEC compliance and disclosure matters. Will is consistently recognized as a national leader in capital markets offerings and large-deal M&A transactions. Will's capital markets practice includes initial public offerings, follow on equity offerings and high-yield and investment-grade debt offerings. Will has advised issuers and underwriters in more than 100 securities offerings that have collectively raised more than $50 billion.
William A. (Trey) Wood III, chair of Bracewell’s distinguished financial restructuring department, has more than 28 years of experience and 11 years of recognition in Chambers USA for his work representing debtors, creditors, committees and other parties in interest in all facets of the bankruptcy process and out-of-court restructurings, including plan creation and confirmation, asset purchases and sales, environmental claims, claim allowance and complex bankruptcy litigation. He has appeared in bankruptcy courts throughout the United States, has been recognized nationally as a leading bankruptcy/restructuring attorney.
Bill Avila's practice focuses on public finance law, specifically providing legal counsel, negotiating, drafting documents and securing governmental approvals. He has closed approximately 1,000 transactions, totaling more than $50 billion in aggregate principal amount of municipal bond transactions as bond counsel, underwriters' counsel, issuer's counsel, user's counsel and trustee's counsel for a variety of public infrastructure and improvement projects.
William Ebert represents large financial institutions, private equity funds and companies in all types of secured and unsecured commercial lending transactions, including acquisition financing, project financing, syndicated loans, asset based and reserve based financings, as well as restructurings and DIP financings. His practice focuses largely on clients in the upstream, midstream and renewable energy sectors operating in both the United States and international markets.
Bill Mahomes has more than 30 years of experience as a public finance, real estate and transactional lawyer. He provides practical advice on public projects and public private partnerships (P3s) based on his experience serving on the board of directors of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the Texas Turnpike Authority. Bill has been involved in negotiating numerous contracts and public agreements between political bodies and their respective projects, including public hearings, professional selections and financing. He has also worked on negotiations involving public and private property matters, as well as matters among various public and private entities.
Will Moss focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation matters with a special emphasis on energy disputes. His wealth of experience in oil and gas litigation enables him to provide effective business advice to both resolve and prevent disputes as well as advise clients navigating the energy transition. This includes everything from trade secrets and title disputes to joint operating agreements and ownership of subsurface pore space for carbon sequestration and enhanced recovery.
Will interned for the Honorable Frank Montalvo of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas and for the Honorable Reed O'Connor of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Will also worked as an in-house landman for Chesapeake Energy Corporation and as a licensed commercial real estate broker which lend an inside perspective to his practice.
Wilson Jones is chair of Bracewell’s healthcare regulatory and litigation practice. Over the course of his 28-year career, he has provided counsel on the full range of legal issues faced by clients in the healthcare, pharma and life sciences industry, including representing and advising clients in compliance and regulatory matters, health industry transactions, and investigations and enforcement actions. Wilson also has extensive experience with internal investigations, complex regulatory and reimbursement analyses, overpayment disputes and negotiations with various government agencies and enforcement bodies.
In addition, Wilson represents healthcare clients on M&A transactions involving medical group practices, assisted living facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, joint ventures, management services organizations, physician practice management companies and various other healthcare entities.