Bracewell & Giuliani LLP represented BHP Billiton Petroleum (Deepwater), Inc., a mining and petroleum company, in the negotiations of a build-to-suit lease for its corporate headquarters in the Galleria area of Houston, as well as the reorganization of more than 700,000 square feet of additional office space in the company’s existing portfolio of office space. Once constructed, the new building at 1500 Post Oak Boulevard will contain approximately 543,143 square feet.

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Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP advised the conflicts committee of the LINN Energy board of directors in LINN’s purchase of Berry Petroleum Company.

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Mayer Brown, a leading global law firm, announced that it represented Chesapeake Energy Corporation in the negotiation of a 10-year agreement with Methanex, the world’s largest supplier of methanol, to supply 350 billion cubic feet of natural gas required for Methanex’s methanol plant in Louisiana. The structure of the agreement links natural gas prices to the price of methanol, reducing the exposure to natural gas price fluctuations. Natural gas deliveries will coincide with the startup of the plant in 2014.

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Attorneys with the law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP represented WBI Energy, Inc., a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE: MDU), in the formation of Dakota Prairie Refining, LLC, a $300 million joint venture with Calumet Specialty Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: CLMT) that will develop, build, and operate a diesel refinery in southwestern North Dakota. The transaction was announced on Feb. 7, 2013.

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Porter Hedges represented a Special Committee of the Gulfport Energy Corporation (“Gulfport”) Board of Directors in the $220 million acquisition of Utica Shale acreage from Windsor Ohio, LLC (“Windsor Ohio”). The purchase includes approximately 22,000 net acres in the Utica Shale in Eastern Ohio and increases Gulfport’s leasehold interests in the Utica Shale to approximately 137,000 gross (128,000 net) acres and increases its working interest in the acreage to 93.8%.

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Winston & Strawn LLP has announced Chris Ferazzi and Richard (“Dick”) Wynne have joined its Houston office, expanding the firm’s corporate and transactional capabilities in the growing market. Mr. Ferazzi and Mr. Wynne join Winston & Strawn from Porter Hedges LLP and add significant depth in areas including mergers & acquisitions, private equity and securities. The addition of these practitioners underscores Winston & Strawn’s commitment to developing a full-service platform in Houston.

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Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. is pleased to announce a new practice area and the expansion of their Houston team. With the addition of attorney Gary J. Ilagan, and paralegals, Miguel Cervantes and Leticia Rodriguez, this team adds immigration as a new practice area for the Houston office.

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International law firm K&L Gates announced the opening of a new location in Houston, Texas this week.  Partner Charles Strauss moves from Fulbright & Jaworski to head the office, bringing a strong corporate practice with him.

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King & Spalding advised Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. in the company’s binding 20-year liquefaction tolling agreement with an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of BP p.l.c., covering 50 percent of the production capacity from the initial two trains of Freeport LNG’s natural gas liquefaction and LNG (liquefied natural gas) loading facility on Quintana Island near Freeport, Texas.

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Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added a fourth Texas office — its 25th in the United States and 47th worldwide — with the opening of a Houston office. Joining K&L Gates in the establishment of the office is corporate partner Charles L. Strauss, who arrives at the firm from the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., where he was a partner since 1991 and served as head of the firm’s securities practice group. During his 30 years with Fulbright & Jaworski, Strauss advised clients across a wide range of industry sectors on various corporate and securities matters, including clients based in the oil and gas, aerospace, trucking, and financial services industries, among others. Strauss also served in a variety of management functions at Fulbright & Jaworski, such as the partners committee and multiple diversity and inclusion committees.

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