Eric L. Muñoz
Partner
Areas of Focus
- Corporate & Finance
- Capital Markets
- Pro Bono
- Energy & Infrastructure
- Oil & Gas
- Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
- Midstream Oil & Gas
- Upstream Oil & Gas
- Private Credit
- Leveraged Finance
- Energy & Infrastructure Private Equity
- Private Capital
- Represents borrowers and issuers in corporate financing matters, including syndicated loan transactions, high-yield debt offerings, acquisition financings, asset-backed loan transactions, project financing and private lending transactions.
- Represents direct lenders, private capital providers and institutional investors on complex transactions.
- Advises on a broad range of corporate financing transactions during the entire life cycle of a business.
- Brings a deep business background and a keen understanding of real-world demands faced by clients.
Eric routinely works with clients regarding debt issuance, maintenance and repayment and transaction structuring. He also aids clients on recapitalizations to reduce debt and extend debt maturities, on structuring and issuing secured and unsecured debt and on acquisition financing.
Eric advises a wide range of clients, including borrowers, issuers, developers and institutional investors, in debt financing and lending transactions spanning sectors, including oil & gas, renewable energy and technology. He offers full support to clients, including negotiating syndicated, bank and private credit lending facilities and advising on project financing, private debt capital investments and other financing transactions.
In addition, Eric assists clients on various derivative transactions, including commodity and interest rate swaps and other derivative products.
Eric’s clients include:
- Upstream oil & gas companies
- Midstream energy companies
- Oilfield services companies
- Renewable energy providers
- Institutional investors
- Direct lenders
- Private capital providers.
Prior to his legal career, Eric held management positions in the health care and technology sectors.
- Represented Genesis Energy L.P., a diversified midstream master limited partnership, in the refinancing of its existing revolving credit facility with $950 million in new commitments from existing lenders, including a new $650 million revolving credit facility and a $300 million Term Loan A.
- Advised Vital Energy, an independent energy company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties, in an amendment to its senior secured credit facility and in the $405 million sale of its operated proved developed producing reserves in its legacy leasehold in Reagan and Glasscock counties, Texas to an affiliate of Sixth Street Partners, LLC, both to finance its acquisition of Sabalo Energy, LLC, a portfolio company of EnCap Investments L.P.
- Represented a private equity-backed processor of organic and conventional fruits in its new revolving credit facility, amendment to a term loan facility and intercreditor agreement.
- Assisted Sanchez Energy in restructuring its secured indebtedness to minimize uncertainty with respect to liquidity. Negotiated the finance and security documents to allow the client to achieve its goal of obtaining immediate liquidity. The matter was complicated by the company’s hedging program, which required an additional layer of security considerations and negotiation that had to be coordinated with another outside counsel.
- Advised Birch Petroleum on a secured term loan transaction and secured hedging facility to fund capital expenditures and ensure cash flow following the company’s acquisition of oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin.
EducationJ.D., University of Houston Law Center, magna cum laude, 2006
B.A., Stanford University, 1997
J.D., University of Houston Law Center, magna cum laude, 2006
B.A., Stanford University, 1997
ClerkshipsU.S.D.C., Southern District of Texas
U.S.D.C., Southern District of Texas
Bar AdmissionsNew York
Texas
New York
Texas
- Houston Bar Association, HBA Diversity Awards – Individual Winner, 2023.
- Houston Business Journal, Outstanding Diversity Champion, 2022.
- Latino Leaders, Top Latino Lawyers, 2021.
- Texas Lawyer, Diversity & Inclusion Champion, 2020.
- Hispanic Bar Association of Houston, Board of Directors
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Chair, Houston Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Section
- Chair, Inclusion Committee, Akin Houston office
- Member, Pro Bono Committee, Akin Houston office