Distressed Oil & Gas: The Houston Perspective

Jonathan Ayre Partner Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy

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 $2 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 serves as Orrick's Recruiting Liaison to The University of Texas School of Law and in that role leads Orrick's Energy and Infrastructure Law 1L Fellowship Program. He is actively involved as an Advisory Board member of the Institute for Energy Law, co-chairing the Transactional Module of the 2021 Institute for Energy Law's 72nd Annual Oil and Gas Law Conference and the 2019 and 2020 Institute for Energy Law Young Energy Professional's Conferences. He also is an officer on the organization's Membership Committee.

Jonathan is an active supporter of the Houston Symphony, serving as Vice Chair of the Houston Symphony's Finance Committee, 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 Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy

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, 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 renewable energy projects and innovations in conventional energy.

Joe is recognized by Chambers Global (2022), Chambers USA (2021-2022), 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 Restructuring

New York

Laura Metzger is a partner in the Restructuring Group, Office Leader of Orrick’s New York office and a member of Orrick's Management Committee.

She regularly represents financial institutions, 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. 

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.

She serves as counsel to lenders, creditors, investors, purchasers and sponsors. Her clients include Royal Bank of Canada, Citigroup Financial Products Inc., ECN Capital Corporation, Equinor, Portigon AG, Macquarie, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Transurban, the Bank of Nova Scotia, Commerzbank, Hackman Capital, Erste Abwicklungsanstalt, and KBC Bank, among others.

Laura has been involved in many prominent bankruptcy and out-of-court restructuring cases, including Legacy Reserves, White Eagle, Cobalt, Chesapeake Energy, Shopko, The Weinstein Company, Stearns Lending, 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, and Hong Kong.