Paul Hastings Further Bolsters Premier M&A Platform and Texas Presence With Houston Energy Partner

HOUSTON – Paul Hastings LLP today announced the continued expansion of its market-leading global M&A and private equity platform and Texas footprint with the addition of energy lawyer Peter Hays as a partner in Houston.

“A core strategic priority for our global Corporate and M&A platform is to continue to build in energy M&A, and Houston is vital to that strategy,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “Pete has very strong experience in energy M&A and is an instrumental addition, but we will continue to build in Houston in energy M&A with both strategic and asset manager clients.”

Joining from King & Spalding, Hays has had a career-long focus on onshore and offshore energy and a practice spanning both domestic and international markets. He advises public and private companies, equity and debt investors, developers and entrepreneurs on transactions in the energy sector, including upstream and midstream deals and new projects in the energy transition space. He counsels clients on acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, project development and complex commercial contracts. Hays is board-certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has been consistently recognized by Chambers and Partners, IFLR and Legal 500.

Hays’ clients have included Carnelian Energy, Chevron, Crest Investments, EnLink/ONEOK, Mitsui, Providence Energy, Trace Capital and Williams. His recent matters include advising Mitsui & Co. in the acquisition of its interest in Terreva Renewables and negotiation of equity joint ventures, and Capital One, as agent for secured lenders in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring of Castex Energy.

“It is an exciting time to join Paul Hastings, particularly as it continues to strategically expand its surging M&A practice, as well as its focus on the energy sector and the Texas market. I’m looking forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and leveraging the momentum across these key platforms for my clients,” said Hays.

Paul Hastings has added 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 and Eduardo Gallardo, and, most recently, Kristiina Leskinen. These strategic additions have helped fuel the firm’s strong M&A 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 more than tripled its team in Texas over the past 18 months, from 30 to nearly 100 lawyers. Recent additions in Houston include Energy and Infrastructure partner Chris Richardson, who previously served as the head of the Energy & Infrastructure Project Development and Finance section for the Americas at White & Case, and Litigation partner and first-chair trial attorney Craig Stanfield from King & Spalding.

Others joining in Houston include a Chambers-ranked three-partner, seven-lawyer corporate team from Akin, a Chambers Band 1-ranked eight-partner, 25-lawyer finance team from Vinson & Elkins (also in Dallas), Chambers-ranked complex commercial litigator Paul Genender, who joined in Houston and Dallas from Weil, and Chambers-ranked environmental litigator Stephen Fitzgerald, also in Houston and Dallas.

About Paul Hastings
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. For more information, visit www.paulhastings.com.