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Douglas E. McWilliams
Douglas E. McWilliams
Partner — Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions
Partner — Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions

Douglas E. McWilliams

Douglas E. McWilliams
Houston

Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002

Douglas E. McWilliams

Experience Highlights

  • Earthstone Energy in the $4.5 billion merger with Permian Resources

  • Denbury Inc. in its $4.9 billion sale to ExxonMobil

  • DoublePoint Energy in its $6.4 billion sale to Pioneer Natural Resources Company (NYSE: PXD) (2022 Finalist in D CEO’s $1 Billion + Deal of the Year Awards)

  • Brigham Minerals in its $4.8 billion business combination with Sitio Royalties

  • Parsley Energy in its $4.5 billion sale to Pioneer Natural Resources Company

  • WildHorse Resource Development in its $4 billion sale to Chesapeake Energy

  • Noble Energy in its $13 billion sale to Chevron

  • MN8 Energy, Inc. in its initial public offering of common stock (In Registration)

  • Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. in its $324 million initial public offering of Class A common stock

  • Brigham Minerals, Inc. in its $261 million initial public offering of Class A common stock 

  • MN8 Energy, Inc. in its initial public offering of common stock (In Registration)

  • Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. in its $324 million initial public offering of Class A common stock

  • Brigham Minerals, Inc. in its $261 million initial public offering of Class A common stock 

  • Berry Petroleum Corporation in its $183 million initial public offering of common stock 

  • Ranger Energy Services, Inc. in its $85 million initial public offering of common stock 

  • Underwriters to ProPetro Holding Corp. in its $402 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Ramaco Resources, Inc. in its $81 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Jagged Peak Energy Inc. in its $474 million initial public offering of common stock

  • WildHorse Resource Development Corporation in its $447 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. in its $728 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Switchback Energy Acquisition, Switchback II Corporation, Sentinel Energy Acquisition, Vantage Energy Acquisition and the underwriters of Silver Run Acquisition, each special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), in their initial public offerings

  • Earthstone Energy in the $4.5 billion merger with Permian Resources

  • Denbury Inc. in its $4.9 billion sale to ExxonMobil

  • DoublePoint Energy in its $6.4 billion sale to Pioneer Natural Resources Company (NYSE: PXD) (2022 Finalist in D CEO’s $1 Billion + Deal of the Year Awards)

  • Brigham Minerals in its $4.8 billion business combination with Sitio Royalties

  • Parsley Energy in its $4.5 billion sale to Pioneer Natural Resources Company

  • Switchback II Corporation, a SPAC sponsored by an affiliate of NGP Energy Capital Management, in its $2.3 billion business combination with Bird Rides, a leader in shared short range environmentally friendly electric transportation

  • Switchback Energy Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC sponsored by an affiliate of NGP Energy Capital Management, in its $2.4 billion business combination with ChargePoint, a leading electric vehicle charging network

  • Noble Energy in its $13 billion sale to Chevron

  • Jagged Peak Energy in its $2.27 billion merger with Parsley Energy

  • Rice Energy in its $6.7 billion merger with EQT Corporation, creating the largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States

  • Felix Energy in its $2.5 billion sale to WPX Energy

  • Lario Oil & Gas Company in the $1.5 billion sale of Midland basin oil and gas assets to Diamondback Energy

  • KKR in the $5.7 billion merger between Independence Energy and Contango to form Crescent Energy Company

  • WildHorse Resource Development in its $4 billion sale to Chesapeake Energy

  • Memorial Resource Development in its $4.4 billion merger with Range Resources 

  • RSP Permian in its $9.5 billion sale to Concho Resources, creating the largest unconventional shale producer in the Permian Basin

  • Patterson-UTI Energy in its $1.76 billion merger with Seventy Seven Energy

  • Deep Gulf Energy Companies, a deepwater oil and gas exploration and development business operating in the Gulf of Mexico and a portfolio company of First Reserve, in its $1.225 billion sale to Kosmos Energy

  • Sabine Oil & Gas in its merger with Forest Oil Corporation through an all-stock transaction

  • TPG in its $2.66 billion acquisition of assets from EnerVest in a SPAC business combination

  • Desert Peak Minerals in an agreement to combine with Falcon Minerals Corporation in a $1.9 billion transaction

  • Hiland Partners in the $3 billion sale of the company to Kinder Morgan

  • Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. in its $400 million offering of senior notes 

  • Underwriters to Tapstone Energy Inc. in its $300 million offering of senior notes 

  • Covey Park Energy LLC in its $450 million offering of senior notes 

  • Parsley Energy, Inc. in its $450 million offering of senior notes 

  • WildHorse Resource Development Corporation in its $350 million offering of senior notes

  • RSP Permian, Inc. in its $450 million offering of senior notes

  • Parlsey Energy, Inc. in its $650 million offering of senior notes 

  • Extraction Oil & Gas Holdings, LLC in its $550 million offering of senior notes 

  • RSP Permian, Inc. in its $200 million offering of senior notes

  • Rice Energy, Inc. in its $400 million offering of senior notes

Credentials

  • Harvard Law School, J.D. magna cum laude, 1995
  • University of Texas, B.B.A., Finance with highest honors, 1992
  • Legal 500 U.S., Energy Transactions, 2017; Capital Markets: Equity Offerings, 2012−2015, 2018, 2023 and 2024; Capital Markets: Debt Offerings, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2023 and 2024; US Taxes: Non-Contentious, 2019; Finance: Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt Offerings, 2022-2024; M&A/Corporate & Commercial: M&A: Large Deals ($1 Billion-Plus), 2023 and 2024; M&A/Corporate & Commerical: Private Equity Buyouts, 2024
  • Chambers USA, Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (Texas), 2015−2019, 2021–2024; “Up and Coming” in Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (Texas), 2014; Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (Central United States)(Nationwide), 2019−2024; Corporate/M&A (Texas), 2021–2024; Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt (Texas), 2023 and 2024
  • Chambers Global, Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (Central United States)(USA), 2021–2024
  • Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2004, 2007–2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), (Houston), Corporate Law  2007–2015 and 2017–2025; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2025; Securities / Capital Markets Law, 2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Lawyer of the Year,” Corporate Law (Houston), 2020
  • Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2004
  • H Texas Magazine, one of the “Lawyers on the Fast Track,” 2004
  • IFLR1000, 2020–2023
  • Selected to the 500 Leading Energy Lawyers, Lawdragon, 2023 and 2024
  • Texas
  • “Energy IPOs Market Update and Readiness Considerations,” 2017 Oil & Gas Institute presented by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, July 17, 2017 (speaker)
  • “Preparing for an IPO: Market Update, Process and Timeline,” V&E’s Houston Office, November 9, 2016 (speaker)
  • “Thoughts for Officers and Directors of E&P Companies and MLPs in 2016,” V&E website, January 19, 2016 (co-author)