Distressed Oil & Gas: The Houston Perspective

Jonathan Ayre Partner

Houston

Jonathan Ayre represents clients across the energy spectrum including oil and gas, renewable power, and chemical industry companies and their investors in acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, project development, financing and restructuring transactions.

Jonathan's recent experience includes representing note purchasers in securitizations of operated and non-operated oil and gas wellbore working interests with an aggregate value exceeding $6 billion. In addition to representing the note purchasers on the initial securitization of non-operated working interests, he has closed the first transactions that included operated working interests, overriding royalty interests, portfolios of primarily BLM leases, portfolios including tribal lands, and midstream gathering systems, and the first joint 144A / 4(a)(2) offering. Jonathan also has significant experience representing companies driving the energy transition, including representing project developers in connection with engineering, procurement and construction agreements, solar module purchase agreements, transformer purchase agreements, and operation and maintenance agreements.

Chambers Global has reported, "He knows the industry very well and takes a commercial approach to help resolve differences with the counterparty. He has a good bedside manner and cooperates well with others,” and ”He's very resourceful and he approaches the oil and gas and corporate sector with a true business sense." Jonathan also was recognized in 2020 by Law 360 as an Energy Rising Star.

Jonathan is an active supporter of the Houston Symphony, serving as Chairman of the Houston Symphony's Finance Committee, as a Governing Director on the Houston Symphony Society's Board of Trustees, and as chair of the 2021 Houston Symphony's Wine Dinner and Collector's Auction. He serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Houston Men of Distinction Annual Awards Luncheon, an organization that recognizes Houston men who have distinguished themselves through excellence in community achievement, thereby providing support in superior biomedical research, education, and patient care in the Texas Medical Center.

Joe Roger Partner

Houston

Joe Roger focuses his practice on energy and infrastructure transactions, advising a broad range of clients on mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital investments, and project development. He has significant experience across the energy sector, including oil and gas, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, renewable energy, and energy infrastructure. He regularly represents multinational energy companies, private equity funds, project developers, and services companies, among others.

As global demand for energy continues to rise and governments, investors and consumers continue to support the decarbonization of the energy industry, Joe has developed a particular focus on advising large multinational energy companies on energy transition issues, including in connection with investment in hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and renewable energy projects and innovations in conventional energy. Joe is a key member of Orrick’s energy transition practice, which was recognized as Band 1 in Energy Transition by Chambers USA (2023).

Joe is recognized by Chambers Global (2023), Chambers USA (2021-2023), The Legal 500 (2018-2021) and Super Lawyers - Rising Stars (2014-2021) for his work on energy transactions. Clients describe him in Chambers as “very responsive, knowledgeable, easy to work with and business-minded” and a “capable and thoughtful transaction leader with a commercial mindset.”

Laura Metzger Partner

New York Office

Laura Metzger is a partner in the Restructuring Group and a member of Orrick's Board of Directors. Laura served as Orrick’s New York Office Leader from 2015 to 2022.

She regularly represents financial institutions, direct lenders, funds, and investors involved in bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings, foreclosures, distressed sales and acquisitions, loan and claims trading, bankruptcy litigation and refinancing involving syndicated loan facilities, debtor-in-possession financing and exit financing. She also represents start-up and later stage venture companies (with a focus on technology, blockchain and crypto) and venture capital investors in connection with liquidity crunches, rescue financing, wind-downs and negotiated resolutions with key stakeholders and investments or claims against insolvent counterparties.

Recognized as “outstanding” by The Legal 500 US, Laura was also named a Recognized Practitioner by Chambers USA, which praised her “very commercial and solution oriented” approach. She is “a very capable lawyer who gives great advice,” according to clients. Her clients include Royal Bank of Canada, UBS O’Connor, Red Rock Biofuels, Jade Mountain Partners, ECN Capital Corporation, Equinor, Portigon AG, Macquarie, PwC,Transurban, the Bank of Nova Scotia, and Erste Abwicklungsanstalt among others.

Laura has been involved in many prominent bankruptcy and out-of-court restructuring cases, including FTX, Talen Energy, Celsius Networks, Three Arrows Capital, restructurings related to the collapse of Tera and Luna, Mt. Gox, Legacy Reserves, White Eagle, Cobalt, Chesapeake Energy, Shopko, The Weinstein Company, Lily Robotics, Seadrill, Chaparral, CHC Helicopters, Erickson, GT Advanced Technologies, Hostess, Pocahontas Parkway, Indiana Toll Road, Eagle Bulk, Fresh & Easy, American Airlines, Chemtura Corporation, Lazare Kaplan, Hawker Beechcraft, Metro Fuel, Claim Jumper Restaurants, Abitibibowater, Nortel, Fabrikant, Scotia Pacific, VICORP, Sea Containers, Lyondell, Foxwoods, Delta, US Air, Northwest, Star Diamond, and Ritchie Risk-Linked Strategies Trading (Ireland) Limited. She handles cross-border restructuring matters in major international jurisdictions such as Canada, Europe, Cayman Islands and B.V.I.

Laura also has expertise in the esoteric asset class, life settlements. She represents clients in the life settlement and premium finance markets, acting for buyers, sellers and owners of life settlements and premium finance loans, and has extensive experience with the various legal issues impacting such assets.