William D. Morris is principally engaged in debt financing and derivative transactions in the energy and investment fund industries. He also has extensive experience in Russia.
Mr. Morris has represented borrowers, issuers, sponsors and financial institutions in debt and related transactions with commitments and issuances totaling approximately $85 billion and over 50 families of funds in connection with debt, prime brokerage and derivatives matters. His noteworthy experience includes—
- representing a large independent oil and gas company in connection with its $24 billion financing of simultaneous acquisitions of two publicly traded energy companies
- representing a major Russian oil company in connection with its joint venture with a major U.S. oil and gas company and a related $5 billion project financing facility
- advising investment funds with respect to mitigating counterparty credit risk.
Mr. Morris was the managing partner of Akin Gump’s Moscow office from January 2001 through September 2003, and a member of the firm’s management committee from April 2006 through June of 2009. He is an advisory member of the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund, a former member of the board of directors of the Houston Ballet and served as general counsel of the Houston Katrina Relief Fund.
Mr. Morris received his B.A. from Claremont McKenna College in 1980, his M.P.P. from Harvard University in 1982 and his J.D. from Duke University in 1985.