Kirkland & Ellis LLP issued the following announcement on July 30.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Sean T. Wheeler has joined the Firm’s Houston office as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group.
Mr. Wheeler brings more than 20 years of experience handling securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance matters for companies in the energy industry, including master limited partnerships. He has led 23 IPOs in the past five years, and, in 2016 alone, advised issuers and underwriters in over 29 securities offerings, more than any other Texas-based partner.
“Sean is a leader in the Houston legal community and a decorated veteran in energy M&A and capital markets,” said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee. “His significant experience assisting clients on sophisticated securities and M&A matters makes him a perfect fit for Kirkland’s Houston office at a time of increasing demand from our energy clients and will add further scale to our market-leading energy capital markets practice.”
“Sean has been recognized throughout his career for his securities and capital markets work and is generally considered one of the most influential lawyers in the energy space,” said Andrew Calder, a partner in Kirkland’s Houston office and a member of the Firm’s Global Management Executive Committee. “With the increasing number of deals our office is leading, he is a necessary addition. His skill set will fit well with our strategic M&A team and capital markets practice.”
Mr. Wheeler has been frequently recognized as a top M&A and capital markets lawyer. Chambers USA named him a leading lawyer in Texas for Corporate/M&A and Band 1 for Capital Markets: Debt & Equity, and the Legal 500 U.S. recognized him as one of 12 “Leading Lawyers” for Energy: Transactions - Oil & Gas. The American Lawyer named him a “Dealmaker of the Year” in 2015 and Law360 recognized him as an Energy MVP in 2013. He has also been named to The Best Lawyers in America and Texas Super Lawyers. Mr. Wheeler regularly speaks at conferences and writes thought leadership on M&A trends and capital markets issues.
Mr. Wheeler joins Kirkland from Latham & Watkins LLP’s Houston office, where he previously served as co-chair of the oil and gas industry group, vice chair of Latham’s corporate department and managing partner of the Houston office. He holds degrees from Harvard Law School and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The approximately 225 lawyers in Kirkland’s Energy Practice Group have a strong presence in Texas, New York and Washington, D.C., and handle an array of sophisticated energy transactions and advisory engagements. Law360 recognized Kirkland as a 2017 Energy Practice Group of the Year, the second consecutive year that the Firm was recognized in that category.
Kirkland opened the Houston office in 2014 to complement and enhance the service provided to existing and prospective clients in Texas, the United States and abroad. The office has approximately 140 lawyers who have experience on sophisticated transactions and are particularly active in the energy industry. Kirkland announced earlier this month that it would expand in Texas with the opening of an office in Dallas.
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