Energy Group to Launch McDermott's Houston Office
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 28, 2008) — McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the opening of its newest office in Houston, Texas, spear-headed by three leading Houston energy lawyers. Effective immediately, Robert Stephens, David W. Locascio and Jose Luis Vittor, all formerly with Bracewell & Giuliani, join the Firm as partners, launching the Firm's Houston office and expanding McDermott’s leading international energy practice.
"We are opening in Houston because of both client demand and the strategic importance of the Houston market to a number of our key global practice areas," commented Harvey W. Freishtat, Chairman of McDermott Will & Emery. "Our clients have told us that our presence in Houston will better serve their legal and business needs—we are responding to this need."
The group of lawyers joining McDermott are leading practitioners in the Houston energy market. They have extensive experience successfully representing clients in energy and project transactions, acquisitions and financings in U.S. and international markets. The addition of a Houston office, staffed by tremendously talented lawyers, significantly adds to the Firm’s existing international energy practice, and also lays the foundation for the growth of other important McDermott practice areas such as corporate/M&A and intellectual property.
"This is an exciting development for our international energy practice," commented Paul Pantano, head of the Firm's Energy Practice. "This is the right team to expand our energy practice in Houston, a major international center of energy industry activity. We are proud to have Robert, David and Jose Luis as our partners."
"We share McDermott's vision of a client-focused law firm providing the best legal counsel across the energy sector, and look forward to joining Paul and our other friends at McDermott and growing the Firm's market leading international energy practice," commented Mr. Stephens. "Joining McDermott gives our clients access to McDermott’s fully integrated global energy platform, with recognized capability in advising clients in highly structured transactions, mergers and acquisitions, renewable energy, commodities and energy regulation, greenhouse gas initiatives, and related dispute resolution and taxation matters. We think this is a perfect match."
McDermott represents clients in all facets of the U.S. and global energy, commodities and derivatives markets. The Energy Practice Group includes 70+ lawyers across the Firm. Many members of our Energy and Derivatives Markets Practice Group practiced with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) or State Public Utility Commissions, enabling us to provide informed advice and insights about the scope of agency jurisdiction, current regulatory focus and initiatives, compliance policies and procedures, and dealing with government investigations.
Biographical Notes
Robert Stephens represents energy companies, financial institutions, project sponsors and private investors in energy transactions and financings. Mr. Stephens' wide-ranging energy experience includes long-term structured power and natural gas supply facilities; structured energy financing transactions such as credit sleeves, credit guaranties and securitizations; regional and cross-border energy commodity transactions and facilities; project finance and development transactions involving natural gas storage facilities and pipelines, natural gas liquids storage facilities, petrochemical plants and power generation facilities; and acquisition and divestiture transactions involving energy commodity trading companies, power generation facilities and other energy assets. Mr. Stephens holds a J.D., with honors, from The University of Texas School of Law (1990), a M.B.A., Finance, University of Wisconsin School of Business (1987), and a B.B.A., University of Wisconsin School of Business (1985).
David W. Locascio represents owners and developers in the acquisition, financing, development, management and disposition of energy, infrastructure and real estate assets and companies. He has experience in the raising of equity and debt financing for energy and real estate projects, and represents clients in oil and gas asset and financing transactions and structured commodity transactions. Mr. Locascio has represented financial institutions, as lead agent and arranger, in the closing and restructuring of syndicated corporate credit facilities, project loans and structured finance transactions. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law (1989) and a B.S., University of Illinois (1984).
Jose Luis Vittor provides counsel and representation to some of the world’s largest banks, corporations, their boards and top management in commercial and corporate transactions, public private partnerships, infrastructure and other project development and finance transactions, cross-border banking, and mergers and acquisitions in Latin America, the United States, Europe and Asia. He is the past president of the Instituto Argentino del Petroleo y del Gas, Houston, an independent business relations trade organization of multinational energy companies. Mr. Vittor holds an LL.M., University of Houston Law Center (2003), a J.D., University of Buenos Aires (1989), a Postgraduate International & U.S. Domestic Law, The University of Texas at Dallas (1993).
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