From New Orleans, Gordon Arata advises producers and operators, pipeline companies, oilfield service companies, financial institutions, and landowners. The Gulf-focused and energy boutique firm handles M&A and divestitures, transactional litigation, and dealing with federal and state regulatory mandates. Scott O'Connor leads the transactional energy team from New Orleans.

Patrick Schenkel in Houston, Josh Abrams in Columbus, and Shaun Schottmiller in Dallas are at the helm of Oliva Gibbs PLLC’s transactional energy team. The oil and gas-focused firm advises clients across M&A, joint ventures and development agreements, operational contracts, and pooling, unitization, and production sharing mandates. The team has a strong reach across Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

The transactional oil and gas practice at Akin represents public and private oil companies, sponsors and portfolio companies, management teams, and investors across the energy value chain. Zachary Wittenberg co-leads the corporate practice from New York, while Wesley Williams co-leads the larger energy practice from Dallas. Williams supports the practice’s energy transaction structuring capabilities and serves as a key advisor to private equity funds, public and private companies, and management teams. Other key contacts include Cole Bredthauer in Fort Worth, focused on acquisitions and dispositions of exploration and production and midstream assets and companies. In Houston, Charlie Ofner is an expert in the negotiation of asset and equity purchases, sales agreements, and joint ventures. Trent Bridges supports the practice’s ability with infrastructure development projects and investments for publicly traded oil and gas companies. John Goodgame has extensive experience with energy clients on capital-raising transactions. Mary Lovely is a key practitioner in acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic joint ventures in midstream and downstream transactions. Bridges, Goodgame, and Lovely are all based in Houston.

Bracewell LLP advises major domestic and international energy and oil and gas clients across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. From Houston, G. Alan Rafte, a key advisor on upstream oil and gas projects, pipelines and midstream facilities, and carbon capture mandates, leads the practice. Alongside as co-head is James McAnelly, a specialist in oilfield services, M&A, and financing and refinancing, also bringing a burgeoning focus on CCUS projects. Houston-based Jason Jean is a key practitioner for private equity investors, the upstream and midstream sectors, and restructuring and joint ventures. Other standout practitioners in Houston include Lytch Gutmann, specializing in upstream and midstream acquisitions and divestitures, and Benjamin Martin, experienced in securities offerings. Parker A. Lee, versed in advising private equity and infrastructure funds on M&A and project development, and Austin Lee, focused on advising clients on acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas properties, are the key contacts in New York.

Multinational and independent oil and gas companies, private equity and commercial lenders, oilfield service companies, refineries, and multinational drilling contractors choose Holland & Knight for its longstanding experience in the oil and gas sector. The team is experienced across the full spectrum of oil and gas transactions, from drillcos, concessions, and licensing to pipeline and facilities construction and midstream joint ventures and agreements. The practice is led by Seth Belzley in Denver and Jolisa Dobbs and Robert Dougherty in Dallas. Belzley specializes in advising clients on transactional and regulatory issues in the pipeline and midstream industries; Dobbs focuses on acquisition and disposition transactions for oil and gas plays and land rights issues; and Dougherty supports the practice’s ability in M&A with exploration and production companies. Andrew Derman is a key practitioner for oil and gas investment projects and cross-border transactions.

With a strong presence in Houston, the transactional oil and gas team at Norton Rose Fulbright is adept throughout upstream, midstream, carbon capture, critical minerals, and downstream mandates. Structuring, joint development, drillcos, participation agreements, and farm-ins and farm-outs comprise the typical work that clients often instruct the team to undertake. Clients include international infrastructure firms, national oil companies, private equity investors, oilfield services companies, and financial institutions. From Dallas, Scarlet McNellie co-heads the corporate, M&A and securities team alongside Kessar Nashat in New York. Other stand-out practitioners include Craig Vogelsang, focused on exploration and development mandates and offshore transactions throughout the Americas, and Mac Marshall, experienced in onshore, offshore, upstream, midstream, and international work. Debra Hatter supports the practice’s M&A, joint venture, strategic partnerships, and financing ability. Lindsey Swiger is a key contact for M&A with clients in exploration and production, gathering and processing, LNG, joint development, and upstream properties. Vogelsang, Marshall, Hatter, and Swiger are all based in Houston.

Combining a stand-out M&A practice with deep experience in the oil and gas sector, the energy, transportation, and infrastructure team at Sidley Austin LLP excels in midstream and LNG transactions and projects, ranging from single-asset transactions to portfolio financings and acquisitions. The team is led by Cliff Vrielink and Herschel Hamner in Houston, Kenneth Irvin in Washington, DC, and Tara Higgins in New York. Vrielink specializes in advising private equity groups and infrastructure funds in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, as well as in power generation, oilfield services, and energy trading. Other key transactional oil and gas practitioners include Stephen Boone in Houston, focusing on upstream acquisitions and divestitures and midstream joint ventures and drillco financings. In Dallas, Jeremy Pettit is a key contact for M&A, joint ventures, and private equity investments.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has a standout oil and gas team, representing clients across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, including the midstream and LNG value chain. The team regularly advises on the acquisition and divestiture of upstream and midstream assets, forming energy-focused private equity funds, restructuring of distressed assets, and regulatory matters before governing bodies. The Houston and Dallas-based Archie Fallon, experienced in platform investments, M&A, financings, joint ventures, and project development, leads the team alongside Dallas-based Sarah McLean, a leader in the private equity sphere with an emphasis in the energy sector. Joining the team’s Dallas office in April 2025, Lawrence Hall and Jonathan Platt bolster the practice’s ability with private equity-backed companies and corporate energy transactions. Tan Lu is a notable practitioner in Houston, focused on upstream and midstream acquisitions, disposals, and drilling and oilfield services.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP experience in transactional oil and gas matters covers acreage mandates, asset and entity acquisitions, and exploration, production, development, and transportation transactions. Independent producers, energy service companies, financial institutions and equity funds, and midstream and downstream companies are regular clients of the team. From Houston, Carl von Merz, focused on advising private equity funds and public and private companies on equity investments, joint ventures, and M&A, leads the practice. Michael O’Leary is a key contact on the team for representing issuers and underwriters in energy-related public and private offerings, and with M&A for private equity firms. Philip Haines is a stand-out advisor in debt, equity, and preferred securities mandates in the energy infrastructure sector. O'Leary and Haines are also based in Houston.

Across the upstream, midstream, downstream, and LNG sectors, the energy industry group at O'Melveny has a growing ability with transactional oil and gas mandates, especially with the firm’s continued expansion into Houston, Dallas, and Austin. At the helm in Dallas is Jason Schumacher, with experience in oil and gas mergers, stock and asset acquisitions, and divestitures. Houston-based Steven Torello is a key advisor to private equity funds, management teams, independent sponsors, and large-cap publicly traded operators across the upstream, midstream, and energy transition sectors. Other notable practitioners include Ryan Sears in Dallas, focused on M&A and regularly acting as outside general counsel for energy clients.

Porter Hedges LLP advises public and private E&P, oilfield services, and midstream and downstream companies. The team has experience in asset-backed securitizations, advising debtors, creditors, and bidders on the sale of oil and gas assets in bankruptcy proceedings, and with joint venture structuring. The Houston-based James Thompson and Jeremy Mouton lead the practice, with Thompson specializing in upstream and oil and gas transactions and Mounton acting as a key advisor to E&P companies, private equity firms, and lenders in upstream and midstream mandates. Other key practitioners include the upstream M&A specialist Michael Byrd. Benjamin Rajabi and David Mann support the practice’s upstream and midstream transactional ability. Byrd, Rajabi, and Mann are also located in the Houston office.

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP has a growing energy transactional practice, following the merger between Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord. The team works across exploration and production to gathering, processing, storage, and transportation, particularly on midstream M&A transactions. Based in Houston, Bill Swanstrom and Terry Radney lead the practice. Swanstrom is a veteran in energy transactional work in the midstream sector, while Radney offers extensive experience with oil and gas assets, pipelines, processing plants, and refineries. Dallas-based Henry Benton adds to the practice’s ability in M&A, private equity, and midstream and upstream transactions. David Wilhelm is a key contact for midstream commercial and M&A transaction agreements. Case Towslee is a rising practitioner in upstream and midstream transactions. Wilhelm and Towslee are both in Houston.

Winston Taylor‘s energy and infrastructure group advises clients across the oil and gas value chain, from upstream E&P and midstream gathering and storage, to oilfield products and services. The transactional oil and gas practice focuses on acquisitions and dispositions, joint developments, joint operating agreements, and drilling and oilfield agreements. Kevin Brophy in Houston and Mike Pikiel in New York lead the practice. Brophy specializes in M&A and asset and equity dispositions for energy companies, particularly in the upstream sector. From Houston, Ming Lei supports private equity investments, project finance, and complex commercial contracts across oil and gas exploration, midstream pipeline, and refinery and petrochemical industries. Also in Houston, Jon Bodle is a rising practitioner for M&A, joint ventures, and corporate governance with oil and gas clients.

From New Orleans, Marjorie McKeithen and Grady Hurley lead Jones Walker LLP‘s energy practice, specializing in energy infrastructure projects, oil and gas, CCUS, and hydrogen and ammonia-related mandates. The practice focuses on Gulf Coast-based oil and gas issues, particularly in the offshore space. McKeithen focuses on large infrastructure projects and the associated regulatory challenges, while Hurley supports the energy litigation ability of the practice. Other key practitioners include Lauren Mastio, focusing on joint operating agreements, mineral leases, and oil and gas asset purchases. David Hunter has extensive experience in energy project development, including with exploration and production companies, project developers, and transactional oil and gas work. Both Mastio and Hunter are based in New Orleans.

McGuireWoods LLP‘s energy industry team represents E&P companies, developers, storage, transport, and energy processors across the transactional oil and gas space. The team specializes in gas-related mandates, with a strong reputation in midstream assets and regulatory matters. Other areas in which the practice works include pipeline and transmission matters, gas-gathering agreements, and midstream transactions. From Pittsburgh, Anthony Carna chairs the oil and gas practice. Carna is a key advisor to public and private energy companies across M&A, project development, regulatory matters, and mineral transactions. Supporting the Pittsburgh-based team is Molleigh Thomas, focusing on energy M&A, asset purchases, lease transactions, and corporate mandates.