Mr Jason Bennett > Baker Botts L.L.P. > Houston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Primarily centred out of its Texas stronghold, the ‘excellent team‘ at Baker Botts L.L.P. has longstanding experience across the gamut of transactional work impacting clients in the oil and gas industry. Combining ‘vast industry knowledge‘ with cutting-edge corporate and financing expertise, the team provides ‘great judgement and sound advice‘, and is regularly involved in many of the most significant upstream, midstream and downstream mandates in the market. Houston-based partner Erin Hopkins has a flourishing reputation and is frequently at the forefront of the firm’s biggest ticket M&A mandates, including his work (which included the mobilization of lawyers from across many different practice areas) for BHP Billiton on its $10.5bn sale of oil and gas interests in the Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Permian basins. Houston-based partner Jason Bennett is one of the overarching co-heads of the firm’s energy, projects and transactions team, and alongside his core oil and gas expertise, is also regularly engaged in complex liquified natural gas (LNG) corporate and commercial matters. Promoted to partner at the beginning of 2019, Houston-based partner Scott Looper  is also gaining recognition in the oil and gas space, both from a domestic and international perspective.

Now based out of the firm’s Houston office, the construction practice at Baker Botts L.L.P. is chaired by the head of global projects Jason Bennett, and has a predominant focus on energy or infrastructure-oriented disputes and transactional work. Joseph Colagiovanni, co-section chair of real estate and construction, leads on many matters; most notably, in representing INVISTA S.à r.l. during the drafting and negotiation of a $600m engineering, procurement and build contract to install latest generation technology at its Texas chemical plant. Colagiovanni also continues to advise Hines on design and construction agreements for the innovative $1bn commercial office tower development in Boston, situated on top of South Station’s existing rail and bus terminal. Further cases involve licensing and site acquisitions, along with a full range of damages claims.

Widely known for its advice to project and energy investors in China and across Asia, Baker Botts L.L.P. stands out for its regional upstream, midstream and downstream projects expertise. The group is highly rated for its advice on exploration and production developments, financing and M&A, in relation to oil, gas and LNG supply and transport arrangements and infrastructure. Its expertise extends to pipelines, LNG terminals and power generation and transmission projects, as well as the recently developed area of floating LNG projects. Michael Arruda is a projects and energy specialist in the Hong Kong office, where Russell Wilkinson and Joanne Du are also highly experienced projects partners. Jason Bennett heads the global projects group from Houston.

Upstream projects are a core strength of Baker Botts L.L.P.‘s practice, and the team is equally adept at handling midstream, downstream, and floating LNG projects for a number of prominent global energy sector companies. Houston-based Jason Bennett heads up the firm’s projects group; practitioners to note include Russell Wilkinson, who is well versed in handling oil and gas and LNG projects; Joanne Du, who is noted for advising oil and gas sector clients on project investment matters; and Michael Arruda, who has expertise in advising on Indonesia-based projects. Associate Janet Zheng is also noted.