Advises clients in strategic and capital-raising transactions.
Works with public companies and their boards of directors regarding strategic transactions and corporate governance.

John helps clients navigate strategic transactions, primarily in the energy business. He advises public and private companies and private equity funds in initial public offerings (IPOs) and other public and private equity and debt offerings, as well as complex joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, John counsels public companies, their boards of directors and board committees in strategic and governance matters, including mergers, sales of control and conflict situations, as well as Securities and Exchange Commission compliance. John was the partner in charge of the Houston office and the co-head of Akin’s global corporate practice until 2022.

Representative Work

Represented Talos Energy Inc. in its $1.29 billion agreement to acquire QuarterNorth Energy.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its $2.2 billion, all-stock acquisition of QEP Resources, Inc. and in its acquisition of all leasehold interests and related assets of Guidon Operating LLC in exchange for 10.63 million shares of Diamondback common stock and $375 million of cash.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its acquisition of all publicly-held common units of Rattler Midstream LP.
Represented the conflicts committee of the board of directors of Golar LNG Partners LP in its acquisition by New Fortress Energy Inc., a transaction with an enterprise value of $1.9 billion.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP in its $1 billion acquisition of Permian Basin mineral and royalty interests from Warwick Capital Partners and GRP Energy Capital.

Represented Rattler Midstream Operating LLC in its $225 million sale of its 43% membership interest in OMOG JV LLC, a midstream joint venture.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP in its acquisition of certain mineral and royalty interests from Swallowtail Royalties LLC and Swallowtail Royalties II LLC in exchange for 15.25 million units of Viper common stock and $225 million of cash.
Represented Stone Energy Corporation in its merger with Talos Energy.
Represented the conflicts committee of the board of Crestwood Equity Partners LP on Crestwood’s $268 million acquisition of approximately 11.5 million common units and the general partner interest from Crestwood Holdings, a transaction that provided First Reserve a complete exit from its investment in Crestwood.
Represented an informal group of HighPoint Resources Corporation noteholders in connection with that company’s $376 million merger with Bonanza Creek Energy.
Represented the conflicts committee of Summit Midstream Partners, LP (SMLP) in its acquisition of Summit Midstream Partners, LLC, the private entity that indirectly owns SMLP's General Partner, for $35 million in cash plus warrants covering 10 million SMLP common units.
Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its $2.4 billion acquisition of the Yates Companies.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership, in its conversion to Viper Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
Represented Viper Energy, Inc. in its $264 million secondary common stock offering.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP in its $400 million Rule 144A offering of senior notes.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its registered offering of $1.1 billion of senior notes.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its registered offering of an aggregate of $2.2 billion of senior notes and related tender offers for up to $2.4 billion of outstanding senior notes.
Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its registered offering of an aggregate of $1.5 billion of senior notes.
Advised Vital Energy, Inc. on the launch of its “at-the-market” offering program for sales of up to $75 million of its common stock.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in a registered offering of an aggregate of $3 billion of senior notes.
Advised Rattler Midstream LP in its $765 million initial public offering.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in the formation of its Deep Blue Midland Basin LLC joint venture with Five Point Energy LLC, which joint venture created the largest independent water infrastructure platform in the Midland Basin.
Represented Talos Energy Inc., which through its Talos Low Carbon Solutions division, formed a joint venture with Carbonvert, Inc. and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. to develop the Bayou Bend CCS offshore carbon capture and sequestration hub.
Represented Rattler Midstream LP in its formation of a joint venture with a private affiliate of an investment fund and the joint venture’s acquisition of a majority interest in a Midland Basin gas gathering and processing company from West Texas Gas, Inc. and its affiliates.
Represented Rattler Midstream LP in the formation of its midstream joint venture with Oryx Midstream.
Represented Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in the formation and sale of a 33% equity interest in its Shin Oak joint venture subsidiary to Altus Midstream Company.

Represented Rattler Midstream Operating LLC in its $225 million sale of its 43% membership interest in OMOG JV LLC, a midstream joint venture.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP in its acquisition of certain mineral and royalty interests from Swallowtail Royalties LLC and Swallowtail Royalties II LLC in exchange for 15.25 million units of Viper common stock and $225 million of cash.
Represented Stone Energy Corporation in its merger with Talos Energy.
Represented the conflicts committee of the board of Crestwood Equity Partners LP on Crestwood’s $268 million acquisition of approximately 11.5 million common units and the general partner interest from Crestwood Holdings, a transaction that provided First Reserve a complete exit from its investment in Crestwood.
Represented an informal group of HighPoint Resources Corporation noteholders in connection with that company’s $376 million merger with Bonanza Creek Energy.
Represented the conflicts committee of Summit Midstream Partners, LP (SMLP) in its acquisition of Summit Midstream Partners, LLC, the private entity that indirectly owns SMLP's General Partner, for $35 million in cash plus warrants covering 10 million SMLP common units.
Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its $2.4 billion acquisition of the Yates Companies.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership, in its conversion to Viper Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
Represented Viper Energy, Inc. in its $264 million secondary common stock offering.
Represented Viper Energy Partners LP in its $400 million Rule 144A offering of senior notes.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its registered offering of $1.1 billion of senior notes.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its registered offering of an aggregate of $2.2 billion of senior notes and related tender offers for up to $2.4 billion of outstanding senior notes.
Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its registered offering of an aggregate of $1.5 billion of senior notes.
Advised Vital Energy, Inc. on the launch of its “at-the-market” offering program for sales of up to $75 million of its common stock.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in a registered offering of an aggregate of $3 billion of senior notes.
Advised Rattler Midstream LP in its $765 million initial public offering.
Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in the formation of its Deep Blue Midland Basin LLC joint venture with Five Point Energy LLC, which joint venture created the largest independent water infrastructure platform in the Midland Basin.
Represented Talos Energy Inc., which through its Talos Low Carbon Solutions division, formed a joint venture with Carbonvert, Inc. and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. to develop the Bayou Bend CCS offshore carbon capture and sequestration hub.
Represented Rattler Midstream LP in its formation of a joint venture with a private affiliate of an investment fund and the joint venture’s acquisition of a majority interest in a Midland Basin gas gathering and processing company from West Texas Gas, Inc. and its affiliates.
Represented Rattler Midstream LP in the formation of its midstream joint venture with Oryx Midstream.
Represented Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in the formation and sale of a 33% equity interest in its Shin Oak joint venture subsidiary to Altus Midstream Company.

"One of the most talented corporate lawyers in the country; he's focused on getting the right answer for the client, every time."

Chambers Global, 2022

Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center, cum laude, 1997
B.S., University of Florida, 1993

Bar Admissions
Texas

Recognitions

Chambers Global, Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States, 2020, 2022-2025, and Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional): Central United States, 2024-2025.
University of Houston Law Center, Private Practice Award, 2022.
The Legal 500 US, Energy: Transactions: Oil and Gas, Leading Lawyer, 2019-2024; Capital Markets: Debt Offerings: Advice to Issuers, 2019-2023, 2025; Capital Markets: high-yield debt offerings, 2025; Corporate Governance, 2019-2021; Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power, 2021; Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas, 2019-2025; M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+), 2022, 2025; M&A / Corporate and Commercial: corporate covernance, 2025; and "Leading Partner," 2025.
The Legal 500 Latin America, Projects and Energy, 2022.
Chambers USA, Capital Markets: Debt and Equity, 2013-2025; Capital Markets: Debt and Equity, Central United States, 2019 and 2021-2025; Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional), 2019 and 2021-2025.
IFLR1000, Notable Practitioners, 2020.
IFLR1000 United States, Notable Practitioner in Capital Markets: Debt and Capital Markets: Equity, 2019.
Acritas, Acritas Star, 2019.
Law360, Energy MVP, 2013 and 2018.

Speeches and Publications

“Shifting In-House Counsel Priorities in Uncertain Times,” (Webinar with Association of Corporate Counsel, August 26, 2020).
Panelist, “Peak, Trough or Somewhere in Between: Navigating the Uncertainties of an Ever Changing Energy Market,” UT Law 2018 Mergers and Acquisitions Institute, (Austin, Texas, October 2018).
Speaker, “Pitfalls in Joint Ventures,” UT Law 2018 Corporate Counsel Institute, (Austin, Texas, May 2018).
Panelist, “Nuts and Bolts of Structuring and Executing Oil & Gas Deals in Today’s Market,” UT Law 2017 Mergers and Acquisitions Institute, (Austin, Texas, October 2017).
Panelist, “From Peak to Trough: Structuring Energy Deals on the Way Down,” UT Law 2016 Mergers and Acquisitions Institute, (Austin, Texas, October 2016).
Panelist, “Midstream Contracts and MLP Relationships,” Credit Suisse Restructuring Mini-Conference, (Houston, Texas, January 2016).
Panelist, “Bottoms Up: Doing Opportunistic Deals in Today’s Energy Sector,” UT Law 2015 Mergers and Acquisitions Institute, (Austin, Texas, October 2015).