Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Duston K. McFaul has joined the firm’s Houston office as a partner in both its Corporate Reorganization and Bankruptcy, and Energy practices. Mr. McFaul is an experienced restructuring lawyer with a concentrated practice built around complex business restructurings, negotiated workouts and contested proceedings. More >>

Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented the conflicts committee of Crestwood Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: “CMLP”) (“Crestwood Midstream”) in the negotiation of a definitive agreement to merge Crestwood Midstream and Crestwood Equity Partners LP (NYSE: “CEQP”) (“Crestwood Equity”) into a single publicly traded partnership with a consolidated enterprise value of $7.5 billion. More >>

Jackson Lewis P.C., one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, is pleased to announce Lucrecia M. Davis has joined the firm’s Houston office as Shareholder. Ms. Davis joins Jackson Lewis from Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, where she spent almost 15 years practicing exclusively in the field of corporate immigration and nationality law.

“We are delighted to welcome Lucrecia to Jackson Lewis,” said Sean G. Hanagan, Leader of the firm’s Immigration practice group. “Her extensive background working within the complexities of U.S. immigration law, and specifically her experience with the energy sector, will greatly benefit our client base in Texas and throughout the country.” More >>

Jackson Walker L.L.P. welcomes Alfie Meyerson, Thad Armstrong, David Jones, and David Robins as partners in the firm’s Houston office. The four partners, who join the firm from Thompson & Knight LLP, add considerable depth and distinction to Jackson Walker’s already robust Real Estate and Finance practice groups.

“The addition of this excellent group of lawyers, along with other high-profile lateral partners who have joined us recently, truly gives us the premier real estate practice group in the Southwest,” said Jackson Walker managing partner Wade Cooper. “We anticipate great synergies from having a large, efficient, and cost-effective real estate team that is as good as any in this part of the world.” More >>

McKool Smith PC has added a seasoned patent trial litigator to serve as a principal with a dual assignment in its Houston and Washington, D.C., offices, after he spent nearly 42 years working at Vinson & Elkins LLP, McKool Smith announced on Monday.

At McKool Smith, William “Bill” LaFuze will handle a wide range of intellectual property law issues, with a particular focus on patent litigation in the smartphone, computer, electronics, oilfield equipment, telecommunications and Internet-related fields, the firm said. LaFuze’s clients have included Chesapeake Energy Co., Motorola Corp., The Coca-Cola Co., Halliburton Co. and Harley-Davidson Inc., among others, his new employer said. More >>

Akin Gump advised Genesis Energy, L.P., a master limited partnership or MLP, in an approximately $204 million underwritten public offering of common units representing limited partner interests. Genesis will use the net proceeds from that offering for general partnership purposes, such as funding acquisitions (including organic growth projects) or repaying a portion of the borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit facility More >>

Akin Gump advised Sanchez Energy Corporation (SN) in the execution and closing of an agreement with Sanchez Production Partners LP (SPP) to sell escalating amounts of partial working interests in certain wellbores and associated assets to a subsidiary of SPP for aggregate consideration of approximately $85 million to the Company, subject to normal and customary closing and post-closing adjustments. In connection with the transaction, SN novated certain gas and oil hedging transactions related to the production of the wellbores to SPP More >>

Charles Eskridge, a former partner at Susman Godfrey, has joined Quinn Emanuel’s Houston office as partner. Mr. Eskridge is an experienced trial lawyer and appellate advocate. He has tried a wide range of complex commercial matters and argued numerous appeals in both federal and state courts. His professional experience includes matters involving such diverse areas as antitrust, intellectual property (including patents and trade secrets matters), aviation disasters, securities fraud, the First Amendment, ERISA, and asbestos bankruptcy litigation, along with state law issues concerning complex contractual disputes, accounting and legal malpractice, fraud, employment and trade secret issues, and insurance coverage. More >>