Kaam Sahely > Vinson & Elkins LLP > Houston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Combining industry and product knowledge, Vinson & Elkins LLP‘s multi-disciplinary offering –  which utilizes experts from across the firm’s M&A, project development and finance, regulatory and tax groups –  provides a very comprehensive service to a wide range of clients, including electric generating, transmission, and distribution utilities, independent power producers, financial institutions, power traders, and private equity and venture capital investors. Houston-based team head Trina Chandler is the cornerstone of the firm’s power transactional practice and is regularly at the forefront of the most significant M&A, joint ventures and finance transactions in the space, including her recent work for Riverstone Holdings on the formation of a new European independent power producer, Onyx Strategic Investment Management I BV, and its subsequent acquisition of a fleet of coal-and biomass-fired power stations from affiliates of ENGIE. Kaam Sahely is also based in Houston and regularly handles conventional power work as part of his broad-ranging transactional energy practice.

Deeply imbued in the energy ecosystem since its foundation over 100 years ago, Texas headquartered powerhouse Vinson & Elkins LLP has a peerless track record across the full spectrum of oil and gas transactions throughout the value chain, where it ‘can be relied on for complex, bespoke transactions‘. A balanced client roster, which includes private equity sponsors, public companies, independent oil and gas exploration and production companies, ensures that it is well hedged and is well-versed across the gamut of both private and strategic M&A. As well as transactional lawyers with core oil and gas industry expertise, the firm is also able to draw upon practitioners with the requisite regulatory, tax and environmental knowledge. Corporate head Keith Fullenweider has excellent private equity-related oil and gas credentials and recently advised TPG Pace Energy Holdings on its $2.66bn acquisition from EnerVest of the oil and gas assets within EnerVest’s South Texas Division. The ‘very experienced, practical and responsive‘ John Connally co-heads the firm’s overarching energy transactions and projects group alongside Kaam Sahely, and has vast experience in the midstream and upstream areas, in particular. Bryan Loocke ‘is a wizard when it comes to oil and gas and market knowledge’, and alongside Danielle Patterson is one of the younger generation of partners at the firm who is garnering significant praise from clients. All named practitioners are based in Houston.

Texas-based energy heavyweight Vinson & Elkins LLP has successfully followed the market and has continued to keep abreast of the fast-changing renewables sector, enabling it to provide a compelling combination of ‘excellent subject matter asset knowledge‘, allied to strong product expertise relating to the M&A, financing and the day-to-operational needs of a primarily investor/borrower focused client base. As the principal adviser to Goldman Sachs’ renewable power group, the team has been kept extremely busy over the past 18 months, advising the fund on numerous high-profile transactions, including its $350m acquisition of South Jersey Industries’ solar portfolio. Located out of Houston, John Connally and Kaam Sahely co-head the firm’s overarching energy transactions and projects group, with Sahely regularly involved in renewables work for core investor clients and a key member of the team that also includes the ‘excellent‘ Danielle Patterson. Patterson has significant coverage across both transactional and commercial work in the sector, and as well as regularly handling renewables asset M&A, also regularly advises on commercial contracts in the sector, including on power purchase agreements (PPA) and joint development agreements. The team was strengthened on the finance front by the arrival in January 2019 by New York-based partner Eamon Nolan from Linklaters LLP.

Vinson & Elkins LLP is best known for its market-leading expertise in the oil and gas sector, particularly through its strong Houston office where practice heads John Connally and Kaam Sahely are both based. LNG-related projects remain high on the agenda, although the team has an extremely strong reputation for sponsor-side advice in the power sector having advised on several significant conventional and renewables projects. Transport infrastructure is another area of expertise, particularly in Texas, where partners such as Mark Brasher have strong experience. Other key individuals in Houston include Keith Fullenweider, while in New York, partners such as Karen Smith, David Wicklund, and Eamon Nolan (who also has strong Latin America experience) are all very active in the market.

Vinson & Elkins LLP ’s international construction group is overseen by Nick Henchie from the firm’s London office. However, Ferguson McNiel – known for his broad litigation handling – and Kaam Sahely – an infrastructure and finance specialist – lead a ‘highly-skilled and seriously client-focused‘ US department in Houston. One of the team’s main strengths lies in its ‘ability to find viable legal solutions to complex commercial and technical topics‘, during public and energy sector work. To this end, Sahely is assisting Gulf Coast Ammonia with their $800m hydrogen-based ammonia production facility in Texas, with backing from ‘very good lawyer, but even better shepherd of projects‘ Alan Alexander and senior associate Stephanie Coco. Mark Brasher and Dallas-based Mark Early are representing Texas Central Partners in the development and construction of a $20 billion high-speed rail line between the DFW Metroplex and Houston, featuring an Italian contractor and Japanese technology consortium, alongside the intended domestic operator.