Thomas M. Hillebrand
Counsel
Areas of Focus
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Investment Management
- Energy & Infrastructure
- Oil & Gas
- Upstream Oil & Gas
- Midstream Oil & Gas
- Liquefied Natural Gas
- Energy Transition
- Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage
- Bioenergy
- Hydrogen
- Refining, Petrochemicals & Processing
- Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
- Corporate & Finance
- Private Equity Transactions
- Projects & Energy Transition
- Project Development
- Private Equity
- Private Capital
- Advises energy companies and investors on strategic transactions, investments and projects.
- Experience covers the oil & gas industry and leading-edge energy transition matters.
Tom has a broad transactional practice serving strategics and investors across the energy landscape.
His experience encompasses the full oil & gas value chain, including the upstream, midstream, downstream, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oilfield services sectors.
Tom also represents investors, strategics and start-ups in cutting-edge energy transition projects, including carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS), hydrogen and other green technology fields.
He specifically advises on:
- Public and private mergers & acquisitions (M&A)
- Asset acquisitions and divestitures
- Strategic joint ventures
- Complex commercial agreements (including offtake and supply)
- Project development
- Private equity and venture capital investments
- Corporate governance and formation.
Energy Transition & LNG
- Represented a public industrial gas company in its $1 billion investment in connection with the engineering, design and construction of a renewable diesel plant.
- Advised various private entities in the acquisition of California Air Resources Board (CARB) registered entities in connection with ongoing carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
- Represented a private investor in the acquisition and conversion of a coal plant into a green hydrogen hub.
- Negotiated supply and offtake agreements for a multinational energy company in its California clean hydrogen production plant.
- Assisted Delfin Midstream in connection with the review of LNG offtake agreements and negotiation of asset purchase and option agreements for infrastructure assets for a multivessel floating LNG project.
- Represented multiple LNG stakeholders in the negotiation of offtake and relevant commercial contracts.
Midstream
- Counseled Equitrans Midstream in entering a 10-year mixed-use water services agreement with EQT Corporation covering operations in southwestern Pennsylvania with a yearly minimum revenue commitment of $35-$40 million.
- Represented Equitrans Midstream Corporation in transformative actions including its acquisition of EQM Midstream Partners, a share buyback from EQT, and entrance into a gas gathering and compression agreement with EQT (and various affiliates) providing EQM with a minimum volume commitment of three billion cubic feet of natural gas per day during the term.
- Represented Blackstone Energy Partners in its investment of up to $500 million in Waterfield Midstream (produced water gathering and disposal in the Permian Basin).
- Advised Enterprise Products in its $2.15 billion acquisition of EFS Midstream LLC, including negotiating and drafting an extensive suite of commercial midstream operations-level agreements.
- Represented the conflicts committee of Shell Midstream Partners in connection with its acquisition of Royal Dutch Shell plc’s interest in Mattox Pipeline Company and certain logistics assets at the Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex, totaling $4.4 billion.
- Represented Riverstone Holdings in its $2.685 billion acquisition of lnternational-Matex Terminals from Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation.
- Counseled a midstream company in connection with commercial agreements for the utilization of fiber optic communications infrastructure (including the fiber optic cables and associated equipment) for use in leak detection equipment associated with oil & gas pipelines.
Upstream
- Represented Diamondback Energy in its $745 million sale of Williston Basin assets to Oasis.
- Advised Veneer Energy in its acquisition of Hunt Oil Company’s Permian Basin oil & gas business.
- Represented Occidental in its $1.33 billion sale of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah land grant assets to Orion Mine Finance.
- Counseled Alta Mesa Resources in its sale of assets in connection with its chapter 11 restructuring.
- Represented Ascent Resources in its equity investment by Riverstone and the simultaneous acquisition of Utica Shale assets from Salt Fork Resources, a Riverstone-backed company.
- Advised LLOG Bluewater Holdings in its $1.4 billion sale of offshore Gulf of Mexico assets to Murphy Oil Corporation.
Refining, Petrochemicals & Processing
- Represented a public company in a cross-border transaction for the offtake and supply of more than 5,500 barrels per day (bpd) of recycled lubricating oils in partnership with a supermajor oil company.
- Represented Sasol in its $2 billion sale of a 50% stake in its Lake Charles Chemical Plant to form a joint venture with LyondellBasell.
List may include matters worked on prior to joining Akin.
EducationJ.D., University of Texas School of Law, with honors, 2014
Bachelor of Arts in Classics, University of Michigan, 2011
J.D., University of Texas School of Law, with honors, 2014
Bachelor of Arts in Classics, University of Michigan, 2011
Bar AdmissionsTexas
Texas