Jeffrey H. Gilbert

Energy and Real Estate Acquisitions and Dispositions

Represented Shell Oil Company in the negotiations of its corporate headquarters lease for two buildings in downtown Houston.  The lease amounts to 1.2 million square feet, which at the time of the deal was the largest commercial leasing transaction worldwide in 2011. The deal concludes a three-year project during which Bracewell advised Shell on the restructuring of more than 5.86 million square feet of holdings throughout North America, which included 682,911 square feet at One Shell Square in New Orleans and 303,358 square feet at RRI Energy Plaza in Houston.

Represented a major oil company in the development of a full-service health care facility on its campus in the Energy Corridor, Houston, Texas. 

Represented Hill-Lake Gas Storage, LLC, in the sale of a cryogenic gas plant and related assets in Eastland County, Texas. 

Represented a property developer in acquiring, leasing, developing, financing and constructing a 13-building mixed-use condominium, retail and office development in Houston, Texas.

Represented a major oil company in the leasing of approximately 600,000 square feet of Class "A" office space, in two buildings in the Energy Corridor, Houston, Texas.

Represented a mining company in the purchase of several parcels of real property in the greater Houston, Texas area totaling approximately 2,500 acres for a cumulative purchase price of approximately $80 million.

Acquisition, financing, construction, leasing, and sale of three office buildings in Houston, Texas on behalf of DNA Development, Ltd.

Counsel for City of Houston in sale of former Summit/Compaq Center to Lakewood Church.

Counsel for City of Houston in development and financing of Major League Soccer Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Represented a national banking institution affiliate in connection with loans and equity instruments related to the recapitalization of a master-planned residential community and golf club in Texas, including $9.8 million loan for purchase of 50 acre tract of land and principal reduction in original indebtedness.

Represented MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC ("MatlinPatterson") in connection with its acquisition, along with other first lien lenders, of substantially all of the assets of Foamex International, Inc. ("Foamex") through the Chapter 11 process. Total consideration for the acquisition was $232 million comprised of $155 million paid in the form of a credit bid upon closing and the investment of an additional $77 million in equity to fund the successor entity. MatlinPatterson also served as debtor-in-possession (DIP) lender in Foamex's Chapter 11 cases.

Energy and Finance Matters

Represented Rockland Capital LLC, in its purchase of the Eagle Point Power Facility, a 225 MW natural gas-fired merchant cogeneration power facility in Westville, New Jersey, from Sunoco, Inc. (R&M), which included the negotiation of a long-term ground lease.  The Eagle Point Power Facility is located in the middle of a refinery site owned by Sunoco, Inc.  The facility has operated principally in a combined cycle mode since October 2009, when the refinery ceased operation.

Represented Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, in a $300 million senior secured reserve-based credit facility for a majority Indian tribe owned exploration and production company, with an initial borrowing base availability of $60 million and secured by oil and gas assets located on tribal lands in Utah.

Represented a publicly-traded midstream oil and gas company in connection with the formation of a $1.8 billion joint venture with another publicly-traded company for the joint ownership, development, construction, operation and maintenance of the largest gathering and midstream system in the Haynesville Shale of Northwest Louisiana, which is expected to expand to 375 miles of pipeline with projected throughput of 800 million cubic feet of natural gas per day by year-end 2010.

Represented publicly traded pipeline company in the buyout of partner's 50% interest in a joint venture to operate a natural gas gathering system in the Haynesville Shale. Represented same client in the acquisition of a 25% interest in a joint venture to operate a gas and condensate gathering system in the Eagle Ford Shale. Total combined transaction value of $920 million.

Represented a infrastructure hedge fund in the acquisition of subsurface natural gas storage facilities in north Texas.

Represented a global infrastructure hedge fund in equity investment in a 464-mile pipeline with a capacity of 2.1 billion cubic feet/day which transports gas for delivery from northern Louisiana to end-users, intrastate pipelines, and interstate pipelines.

Represented Crédit Agricole in its $900 million secured credit facility for J. Ray McDermott, S.A., including the coordination of the mortgaging of approximately 20 vessels in the United States, Barbados, Panama and Canada.

Publications and Speeches

"Going Green: Environmentally Friendly Leases," Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association CLE Seminar, February 19, 2010.

"Going Green: Environmentally Friendly Leases," Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar, October 15, 2009.

"The Dixie Chicks: A Case Study for the Politics of Hollywood," Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law, Volume 9, Number 2, Spring 2008, 307.