Significant experience leading complex transactions across the oil and gas industry.
Advises on oil-related water transactions including water transportation, disposal and recycling.
Represents a variety of public and private companies, as well as private equity funds and other private capital providers.

Cole leads transactions in the oil and gas industry with an emphasis on acquisitions and dispositions of exploration and production (E&P) and midstream assets and companies. He has extensive experience in connection with hydrocarbon marketing and transportation agreements, farmouts and farmins, participation and joint development agreements, and water disposal and transportation agreements.

Representative Work

Assisted Tug Hill Inc. and its affiliates in connection with the sale of upstream and midstream assets from Tug Hill and XcL Midstream to EQT Corporation for $5.2 billion.
Represented FireBird Energy LLC, a private Midland Basin operator, in connection with its sale of assets to certain affiliates of Diamondback Energy, Inc. for $1.6 billion.
Advised Tug Hill, Inc., a privately held, independent oil and gas exploration company, and its affiliates in connection with Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s $2 billion acquisition of a natural gas pipeline company and associated non-operated interests held by affiliates of Tug Hill.
Represented HighPeak Energy Assets, LLC and HighPeak Energy, Inc. in its acquisition of certain oil and gas assets in Howard County for $340 million split 75% cash/25% stock.
Counseled Tapstone Energy in the sale of certain Anadarko Basin assets including upstream assets, field infrastructure, equipment and facilities to Diversified Energy Company.

Represented Dorchester Minerals, L.P. in connection with its acquisition of mineral and royalty interests of approximately 3,600 net royalty acres in exchange for common units of Dorchester.
Advised San Isidro Energy Company II, LLC, a privately held independent oil and gas company, in its $24 million sale of working interest in 12 wells and additional Eagle Ford La Mesa assets and acreage in Webb County to SilverBow Resources.
Represented Pine Wave Energy Partners, LLC in its sale of Haynesville upstream oil and gas assets in Texas and Louisiana to Silver Hill Energy Partners III, LP.
Represented a private equity backed company in connection with multiple acquisitions of upstream assets in the Permian Basin.
Represented Silver Hill Energy Partners in its sale of certain Delaware Basin upstream subsidiaries to RSP Permian for $2.4 billion.
Represented EnerVest Ltd. in its $1.95 billion acquisition of upstream assets in the Granite Wash and Cleveland fields from Linn Energy LLC.

List may include matters worked on prior to joining Akin.

Education
J.D., Southern Methodist University School of Law, cum laude, 2008
B.B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 2005

Bar Admissions
Texas

Recognitions

The Legal 500 US, M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+), 2023; Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024.
Fort Worth Magazine, Greater Fort Worth, Top Attorneys, Oil & Gas, 2015-2019 and 2021-2022.
Woodward/White Inc., The Best Lawyers in America, Oil and Gas Law, 2019-2021.