Paul Hastings Continues Energy M&A Build in Houston

HOUSTON – In a strategic move that further bolsters its growing energy transactional capabilities and Texas platform, Paul Hastings LLP announced today that Erin Hopkins has joined the firm as a partner in Houston.

“As we continue to strategically build our M&A and broader corporate platforms in Texas and globally, Houston remains a priority market for the firm, particularly in the energy sector,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “We are focused on building a premier, global energy platform and Houston is a center of gravity for that strategy. Erin’s deep experience and strong reputation in energy transactions will be valuable as we continue to build and gain market share.”

Hopkins guides clients through complex commercial matters in the energy industry, including acquisitions, divestitures and joint venture arrangements. His experience includes structuring and negotiating transactions and investments from foreign and domestic investors in the U.S. energy industry, including upstream and downstream markets. He joins from Baker Botts.

Chambers-ranked in Nationwide Energy: Oil & Gas – Transactional, Hopkins has a long history in the energy sector where he has advised clients such as BHP, Delek, EOG, Hunt Oil, MEGlobal, Murphy, Repsol, Sinochem and Woodside. This year to date, Hopkins has closed 10 deals with aggregate transaction values of over $4.1 billion. Highlighted matters include counseling BHP Billiton in its $10.5 billion sale of U.S. shale assets; guiding Murphy Exploration & Production Company – USA in its $1.6 billion acquisition of deepwater Gulf of Mexico assets; and advising on several confidential transactions with values over $1 billion.

Hopkins arrives on the heels of energy M&A partner Peter Hays. The firm has added more than 25 partners to its preeminent global M&A and private equity teams over the past three years, including top M&A talent such as Eric Schiele, Eduardo Gallardo and, most recently, Kristiina Leskinen and private equity lawyers Chris Zochowski and Bradley Noojin. These strategic additions have helped fuel the firm’s strong M&A and private equity trajectory, landing it among GlobalData’s Top 10 Global M&A Advisers for H1 2025 and securing the #2 spot in FactSet’s shareholder activism defense league tables for the same period.

Paul Hastings has also been the fastest growing law firm in Texas over the past year, according to data tracked by American Lawyer Media. The firm has experienced tremendous growth in the state, more than tripling its presence over the past 18 months from 30 to nearly 100 lawyers.

“Paul Hastings’ expanding M&A platform has been strategically cultivated to include top-tier talent across key practices and sectors, including energy, providing clients with access to skilled transactional counsel combined with specialized industry knowledge, as well as broader complementary corporate offerings,” said Hopkins.

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With widely recognized elite teams across 17 core practices, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm with a culture of excellence focused on providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations.