Andrews Kurth LLP is pleased to announce that noted public finance attorney Adrian Patrick Patterson has joined the Houston office as a Partner in the firm’s Public Law practice.

International law firm Mayer Brown has added a new attorney to its Houston office.

Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today the opening of an office in Houston, Texas and the addition of three leading energy- focused transactional partners. The new lawyers all have prominent practices in the energy industry, which will advance the firm’s goal to build a leading energy practice. The launch of the office in Houston follows the recent announcement that the firm was the first U.S. law firm to submit preliminary applications to establish an office in South Korea.

An attorney with a focus on energy issues will run a firm’s newly opened law offices in Houston.

Latham & Watkins LLP is pleased to announce that Michael R. King has joined the firm as a partner in the Corporate Department of the Houston office. King primarily represents oil and gas companies in upstream transactional matters, particularly in regard to acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas properties, as well as farm-ins and other joint ventures, operating agreements and related agreements. He also has extensive midstream experience, including transactions involving midstream joint ventures, gathering agreements, processing agreements and fractionation agreements. He joins from the Houston office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

Porter Hedges represented Cameron International Corporation (“Cameron”) in an agreement announced today to acquire the drilling equipment business of TTS Energy Division from TTS Group ASA (Oslo Stock Exchange) in an all cash transaction valued at $270 million. The deal is expected to close in mid-2012, subject to customary closing conditions, including review and approval by the Norwegian Competition Authorities (NCA).

Bracewell & Giuliani represented Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) in connection with a $1.25 billion joint venture with a group of investors consisting of GSO Capital Partners LP, TPG Capital, L.P., Magnetar Capital and EIG Global Energy Partners.

International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced today that Garland T. Stephens has re-joined the Firm as partner in its Patent Litigation practice in Houston. Mr. Stephens is widely known for his top-notch trial work on patent and trade secret cases in the technology sector.

Porter Hedges represented SeqWright Inc. (and its parent, BioWright Holdings, Inc.) in its sale to GE Healthcare, a unit of GE (NYSE: GE), for an undisclosed amount.

Jackson Walker L.L.P. represented J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. in the successful completion of a $200 million 144A/Reg. S senior debt offering on April 2, 2012. Houston-based J.B. Poindexter also purchased in a tender offer a portion of its outstanding notes due March 2014 and called for redemption the remaining outstanding portion.