James Garrett > Latham & Watkins > Austin, United States > Lawyer Profile
Latham & Watkins Offices

301 CONGRESS AVENUE
SUITE 900
AUSTIN, TEXAS
TEXAS
United States
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James Garrett

Position
James Garrett serves as Global Vice Chair of the firm’s M&A and Private Equity Practice. He previously served as Chair of the Houston Corporate Department.
James counsels private equity investors and their portfolio companies on the full spectrum of issues that arise across the investment life cycle, as well as private and public companies on their highest-stakes M&A and joint ventures.
James combines a sophisticated understanding of both the Texas and national markets with his business-focused approach to deliver practical advice to solve clients’ complex problems in the context of:
- Energy and infrastructure transactions
- Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures
- Growth equity and private financing transactions
- Joint ventures
- Corporate reorganizations
- General corporate matters
He acts as a trusted advisor to clients in a broad range of sectors, unlocking the resources of the firm’s global platform to craft commercial solutions that advance their business objectives.
Drawing on his diverse transactional experience, he frequently counsels clients across a broad range of industries, including oil and gas, renewables, industrials, technology, software, digital infrastructure, and financial services, among others.
James serves as a Director for both CarePartners and the Texas Hearing Institute, and he is a member of The Children’s Fund. He previously served on the Founding Advisory Board of Greentown Labs Houston, the city’s first climatetech and cleantech-focused startup incubator.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
Latham & Watkins LLP advises clients across the entire oil and gas value chain, from exploration and production to midstream infrastructure, LNG, refining, and petrochemicals. The firm represents public and private oil and gas companies, private equity sponsors, investment banks, and lenders on M&A, joint ventures, and capital markets transactions. Global Chair of Latham’s Energy and Infrastructure Group, Justin Stolte, is a trusted adviser to multinational exploration and production companies, frequently handling M&A and joint ventures. Co-head James Garrett is highly regarded for his expertise in high-value M&A, private equity, and private finance transactions, while fellow co-head Lauren Anderson brings additional strength in public and private M&A, project development, and finance. John Greer has led major mergers, company acquisitions, and inventory disposals across the US, Canada, and Brazil. Michael King maintains a strong transactional focus, primarily advising sponsors and private equity clients in the upstream and midstream sectors. Ryan Maierson has a standout track record in LNG-related deals, covering inventory, project, and company transactions, alongside experience in wider hydrocarbons such as ammonia. James Robertson joined from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in October 2024. Stephen Szalkowski left the firm in March 2024. All individuals are based in Houston.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Advice to policyholders
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: global offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- International trade and national security > CFIUS
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Finance > Commercial lending: Advice to bank lenders
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Finance > Fintech
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Antitrust > Merger control
- International trade and national security > National Security
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Finance > Project finance
- Real estate > Real estate
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Industry focus > Sport
- Finance > Structured finance: derivatives and structured products
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: transactions
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
Firm Rankings
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Industry focus > Education
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
- Government > Government contracts
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Dispute resolution > International litigation
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Healthcare > Health insurers
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Finance > Commercial lending > Advice to direct lenders/private credit
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense