Paul Weiss has opened an office in Houston, led by two corporate partners from Kirkland & Ellis, with one joining as co-chair of global M&A.
Sean Wheeler, a Legal 500 leading partner for energy transactions: oil and gas, will serve as head of the new office as well as global M&A co-chair. He joins Paul Weiss after more than seven years at Kirkland.
Debbie Yee, also an energy-focused M&A partner at Kirkland, will also join the firm.
Prior to Kirkland, the pair spent time as partners at Latham & Watkins, where Wheeler was co-chair of the firm’s oil and gas industry team. Wheeler left for Kirkland in 2018, and Yee followed him a year later, in 2019.
The partners bring with them experience across energy and infrastructure deals, with notable recent work including advising Marathon Oil Corporation on its $22.5bn sale to ConocoPhillips in 2024.
Scott Barshay, chair of Paul Weiss’ corporate practice, said of Wheeler: ‘Sean is the country’s most talented and accomplished deal lawyer in the energy space.’
‘He is the ideal leader to spearhead our expansion into Houston,’ he added.
Paul Weiss joins several other firms that have expanded their footprint with a Houston base, as Sullivan & Cromwell opened its own office there at the start of the year with the hire of Patrick Lingwall, also from Kirkland.
The move comes amidst a spate of activity in Houston, in particular in the energy sector, with the recent $58bn merger of Devon Energy and Corterra Energy creating a new mega-shale operator headquartered in the city.
In a statement, Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp said: ‘Houston is a booming business epicenter that is home to many of our clients.’
He continued: ‘Houston’s dynamic business environment, world-class energy sector and rapidly diversifying economy make it an ideal market for the next step in our firm’s growth trajectory.’
For Paul Weiss, the move is another step in an ongoing wave of expansion that has seen the New York-headquartered firm make significant partner hires since the 2023 London push that has seen it become one of the fastest growing firms in the City.
The news comes as the firm has been embroiled in controversy this week, with newly released files showing communications between Karp and disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement from the firm, Karp expressed his regret for his relations with Epstein and denied any misconduct.
