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Chris Rowley
![Chris Rowley](https://media.velaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/08111822/001646_Rowley_4x5_web-819x1024.jpg)
Trammell Crow Center
2001 Ross Avenue
Suite 3900
Dallas, Texas 75201
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Chris is a Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity-focused partner with more than 20 years of experience leading difficult, interdisciplinary corporate transactions. Chris frequently guides financial sponsors and operating companies through the enterprise life cycle – the initial formation, management team arrangements, bids and acquisitions; capital build-up through private equity and debt capital financings; development of pre-IPO governance structures; and private or public exit transactions. Chris works closely with V&E’s Capital Markets, Corporate Governance, Finance, Tax and other specialty teams. Chris has worked on transactions for more than a dozen leading private equity firms and family offices, involving more than 100 private equity-related transactional matters across many industry sectors.
Chris is a leader of Vinson & Elkins’ working groups focused on Electric Power for Power Transmission Transactions, and for Renewable Fuels, which are part of the Firm’s focus on Energy Transition.
Chris’s publicly-credited work includes his representation of Oncor Electric Delivery Co., a ring-fenced public utility owned by Sempra and TTI with an independent board of directors, in Oncor’s $2.2 billion acquisition of InfaREIT Inc. and assets of Sharyland Utilities in 2019. The high profile power transmission and distribution transaction involved four major counterparties, a public company acquisition with a go-shop process, a private debt exchange offer for approximately $500 million, a pre-closing private asset exchange, multiple post-closing commercial contracts, an IRS private letter ruling request, and four regulatory clearances or approvals, including the Public Utility Commission of Texas and CFIUS. Chris coordinated a team of V&E lawyers from across multiple practices who worked together to achieve a successful acquisition for Oncor.
Chris has a reputation for working to get deals done practically and efficiently. He has been continuously been selected as a Texas Super Lawyer since 2011.
Experience Highlights
Oncor Electric Delivery LLC
- Sale of Hidalgo County, Texas power distribution assets to AEP Texas
- Acquisition of InfraREIT Inc. (NYSE: HIFR) in a series of public and private transactions involving InfraREIT and subsidiaries of Hunt Consolidated Inc., including the acquisition of West Texas power transmission assets through exchange with Sharyland Utilities LLC, and related transactions approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, a CFIUS filing by Oncor’s private equity owners, and other regulatory clearances and approvals
- Exchange of $350 million of Sharyland Distribution and Transmission, L.L.C.’s outstanding privately placed notes for Oncor senior secured notes in connection with the acquisition of InfraREIT Inc.
- Exchange of approximately 258 miles of 345 kV CREZ power transmission lines with Sharyland Distribution & Transmission Services, L.L.C. and Sharyland Utilities, L.P. for Sharyland’s South and West Texas power distribution network and retail delivery customers, and related transactions approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas
Quintana Energy Services Inc. (NYSE: QES)
- Quintana Energy Services Inc. in its IPO and related pre-IPO restructuring transactions
- Quintana Energy Services LP (predecessor to QES) in first lien debt restructuring, controlling stakeholder second lien financing and related warrant issuances
- Quintana Energy Services LP in equity-for-equity combination of its pressure pumping, directional drilling and pressure control businesses with a subsidiary of Archer Ltd., contemporaneous second lien financing and establishment of multi-stakeholder board governance and related stakeholder rights
- Quintana Energy Services LP in its acquisition of Cimarron Acid and Frac, an oilfield services portfolio company of Annapurna Capital Management
- Quintana Energy Partners, L.P. in the combination of multiple portfolio companies to create Quintana Energy Services LP, a new oilfield services platform
- Quintana Energy Partners, L.P. in the buildup of multiple oilfield services companies and related incentive, employment and services relationships with management teams
MoneyGram International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGI)
- MoneyGram International in its first and second lien debt refinancing and related transactions and issuance of warrants to second lien lenders
- MoneyGram International, Inc. in its strategic agreement with Ripple providing for a $50 million investment in MoneyGram common stock and warrants through a standby equity purchase agreement
HollyFrontier Corporation (NYSE: HFC; formerly HOC)
- HollyFrontier Corporation in the $315 million drop down of its 75% interest in the owner of the UNEV refined products pipeline to Holly Energy Partners, L.P. for cash and common units, and related throughput arrangement
- HollyFrontier Corporation in the $340 million drop down of storage tanks, loading racks and related assets at its El Dorado and Cheyenne refineries to Holly Energy Partners, L.P. for promissory notes and common units, and related throughput arrangements
- Holly Corporation in the $7 billion merger with Frontier Oil Corporation, creating one of the largest independent refiners in the US.
- Holly Corporation in the drop down of petroleum storage tanks with approximately 2 million barrels of capacity and certain rail loading rack facilities at its Tulsa Refinery, and an asphalt truck loading rack at its Lovington, New Mexico facility, to Holly Energy Partners, L.P. for $93 million in cash, and related throughput arrangements
- Holly Corporation in the drop down of certain of its Tulsa Refinery truck and rail loading/unloading facilities to Holly Energy Partners, L.P., and related throughput arrangements
- Holly Corporation in its acquisition of Sinclair Oil’s 75,000 BPD Tulsa refinery and 2.3 million barrels of storage for $128.5 million
- Holly Corporation in its acquisition of Sunoco’s 85,000 BPD Tulsa refinery for $65 million
Private Equity Firms
- BP Energy Partners LLC on a range of private equity matters, including, including investments, management team arrangements and formation of portfolio companies, acquisitions, financings, exits, bids, governance and related matters
- Elliott Investment Management, L.P. on a range of energy, manufacturing and industrial private equity matters, including investments, management team arrangements and formation of portfolio companies, acquisitions, financings, exits, bids, governance and related matters
- Quintana Energy Partners, L.P. and Quintana Minerals Corp. in numerous private equity matters, including investments, management team arrangements and formation of portfolio companies, acquisitions, financings, exits, bids, governance, and in other private equity-related matters
- Trive Capital Partners LLC in its exit transaction for its Appalachia natural gas assets held by TCF II Core LLC in a transaction with Diversified Gas & Oil Plc (LON: DGOC) for cash and stock, and subsequent liquidation of acquired shares over the AIM sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, and in other private equity-related matters
- Discovery Americas LLC in its exit from its private equity investment in publicly-held ADSs in Volaris, the Mexican ultra low-cost airline, through secondary offerings and share distributions to limited partners, and in other private equity-related matters
- Management team of Next Wave Energy Partners in obtaining a $500 million equity commitment from Energy Capital Partners for the development, operation, acquisition, and expansion of midstream and downstream petrochemical and fuels assets
Treehouse Communities in its strategic joint venture with Vineyards Management Group to form Roots Management Group, the parent company of two leading brands for manufactured housing communities & RV parks
Credentials
- Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, J.D. cum laude, 1998 (Order of the Coif; The Barristers; SMU Law Review Association)
- Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1992
- The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Mergers and Acquisitions Law (Dallas), 2025
- Selected to the 500 Leading Energy Lawyers, Lawdragon, 2023 and 2024
- Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2011–2023
- Legal 500 U.S., Energy: Transactions–Conventional Power, 2019
- Dallas Regional Chamber, Leadership Dallas, Class of 2010–2011
- Member: Section of Business Law, American Bar Association; Dallas Bar Association
- Member: Museum Council, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, Texas, 2006–2016
- North Texas Council for the Arts, Leadership Arts, Class of 2004–2005
- Texas
- InsightJune 27, 2024
V&E ESG Update
- Deals & CasesMarch 29, 2024
- InsightMarch 12, 2024
V&E CTA Update
- Deals & CasesFebruary 28, 2024
- InsightJanuary 30, 2024
V&E CTA Update
- InsightJanuary 11, 2024
V&E CTA Update
- Deals & CasesOctober 2, 2023
- Rankings & AwardsSeptember 18, 2023
- Deals & CasesAugust 7, 2023
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 17, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 3, 2023
- Event RecapJune 21, 2022 - June 22, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 29, 2022
- Event RecapOctober 13, 2021
- InsightDecember 16, 2020
News & Insights
V&E ESG Update
V&E CTA Update