National Chambers and Partners USA

Projects

The Lawyers: This practice is noted for the breadth of its expertise and is able to work for any party on any stage of a project. A star lawyer in the Houston office, Alan Rafte [Band 3] has a practice that covers the full range of work, from pure energy E&P and project development to more esoteric financing vehicles such as volumetric production payments. In addition to its oil and gas practice, the firm is recognized for its longstanding association with Kinder Morgan and its outstanding pipeline expertise. Highlights here include acting for Rockies Express Pipeline on the construction financing of its $5 billion natural gas pipeline. Infrastructure is another feature of the workload, an area where the skills of Thomas Moore [Band 4] come to the fore. He represented the SH 130 concession company in the successful negotiation and financing of a 50-year concession for the SH 130 toll road project. In the Washington, DC office, Nancy Wodka [Band 4] is able to offer "brilliant advice on any type of power project." She was engaged by Westinghouse to advise on the negotiation of contracts for the development and construction of new nuclear power plants. Her "polite brand of persuasion works brilliantly for a client where negotiations last for two years and everyone needs to keep getting along."

Texas Chambers and Partners USA

Real Estate (Band 2)

The Firm: Nearly 30 well-respected, knowledgeable attorneys focus on real estate work at Bracewell & Giuliani. The team represents a diverse roster of local and national clients, including major developers and lenders, on the full spectrum of commercial real estate transactions, and is praised for its competitive billing. The firm enjoys strong ties with the energy industry, and a significant amount of its real estate work, particularly for the Houston office, has an energy component

The Lawyers: Clark Thompson represents clients from a range of industries, offering extensive development experience that extends from chemical plants to wind farms. He is also noted for his expert handling of leasing transactions and novel financing transactions. Project finance expert Aaron Roffwarg works on transactions involving power plants, mines, manufacturing facilities and other commercial and industrial real estate. In a recent notable matter, Thompson and Roffwarg represented a real estate development and investment firm on a 36-acre mixed-use development in Houston.

For more information about Chambers and Partners, visit their website at www.chambersandpartners.com.

The Legal 500

Real Estate and Construction: Texas (Band 2)

PRACTICE: ‘Superb local knowledge’ is at the heart of the Bracewell & Giuliani LLP real estate practice, which has a notable presence in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

In 2008, the group acted for the City of Houston in connection with the $120 million acquisition and development of a MLS soccer stadium in the city. When put together with other deals over the same period, such as acting for Discovery Green Conservancy and a public-private venture to develop a 13-acre, $125 million park in the Houston business district, the group’s sustained presence in the market is clear. Such public mandates have been a key source of work and the group has repeatedly shown its capacity to win them providing ‘complete coverage of the technical and practical issues.’

Developers also make up an important part of the group’s workload. Through 2007-08 the group acted for Midway companies in relation to a 36-acre, mixed-use development in Houston, including handling leasing and construction loans.

On the other side, this ‘creative and responsive’ group has grown in stature representing fund clients, work it has been able to hold on to in a turbulent market. The team represented the UCAL fund in connection with the acquisition and renovation of $600 million in student housing complexes around the country. The mix of national work of this scale, and local work, as well as the ability to tailor deals to function in adverse market conditions, have both been key to the practice’s rising profile.

CLIENTS: Clients include BP, Colvill, Crescent, Midway, Wachovia, Thomas Properties, Societe Generale, and Knight.

INDIVIDUALS: Houston partner Clark Thompson is ‘very, very talented and intuitive’ and possesses ‘a good deal of business acumen and industry savvy.’

‘A benefit to anything he works on,’ partner Aaron Roffwarg, also practicing out of Houston, is described as ‘punctual, responsive and considerate of various stakeholders.’

For more information about The Legal 500, visit their website at www.legal500.com.