Andrews Kurth Kenyon Elects New Partners for 2018

(Houston, Texas)—Andrews Kurth Kenyon announced today the election of Brooks W. Antweil, Joseph W. Buoni, Philip Haines, Barbara Jane League, J.R. Morgan, Ashley B. Muehlberger, Kathleen T. Muñoz and Kelly A. Ultis to the partnership. They will assume their new positions on January 1, 2018.

“The addition of these new Partners will allow us to continue to develop the next generation of talent and enhance our ability to serve clients and ensure our continued success,” said Bob Jewell, Managing Partner.

Brooks W. Antweil | Houston

Brooks’s practice consists of a wide range of corporate and transactional matters, including registered securities offerings, private placements, periodic reporting and corporate governance issues. Brooks also advises companies regarding mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructurings. His experience includes advising corporate clients as well as alternative structures, such as publicly-traded partnerships and REITs. He has extensive experience advising companies in a broad range of industries, including all sectors of the hydrocarbon supply chain, oilfield services, retail electricity and natural gas, technology, hospitality and retail sales. He received his J.D., in 2009 from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.A. from The University of Texas in 2006.

Joseph W. Buoni | Houston

Joe’s practice blends a wide range of commercial litigation experience with experience in bankruptcy restructurings, contested matters and adversary proceedings. Joe’s practice focuses on representing energy companies, financial institutions and private equity firms in complex commercial disputes, and he regularly represents clients in matters pending in state court, federal court, and arbitration proceedings. Joe has significant experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving claims based on breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, violations of securities laws and construction defects. Joe also maintains a bankruptcy practice and frequently represents debtors and creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganizations and 363 sales. Finally, Joe is experienced in conducting internal investigations relating to employee wrongdoing and antitrust matters. Prior to entering private practice, Joe completed two federal clerkships over the course of three years. From 2011 to 2012, Joe was a law clerk to the Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Marvin Isgur of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas from 2009 to 2011. Joe earned his J.D., magna cum laude, in 2009 from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. In 2006, he received his B.A., cum laude, from Miami University.

Philip Haines | Houston

Phil has a corporate and securities practice with a focus on public and private offerings, acquisitions and divestitures. Phil has represented clients in connection with more than 80 public and private offerings of debt, equity and preferred securities with a combined transaction value in excess of $25 billion, and more than 20 acquisitions or divestitures to consummation with a combined deal value in excess of $10 billion. Phil also regularly advises companies in connection with corporate governance issues and periodic reporting obligations. Phil has broad experience in a range of industries, having worked with royalty trusts and downstream, midstream, upstream and services companies in the energy industry; movie producers, script writers and directors in the entertainment industry; closed-end funds; investment banks and other investment advisors in the financial services industry; durable medical equipment and nursing companies in the healthcare industry; and inventors, engineers and manufacturers in the firearms and defense industries. Phil recently represented the underwriters in connection with a $1.5 billion offering of preferred securities by an NYSE-listed midstream company, and also recently represented one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies in connection with its sale of certain interests in an operating subsidiary to a private equity buyer. He received his J.D. in 2009, cum laude, from Baylor Law School where he was valedictorian, and his B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University in 2006.

Barbara Jane League | Houston

Barbara provides tax advice in connection with tax-exempt financing transactions for cities, counties, states, school districts, charter schools, housing authorities, higher education authorities, state agencies and other tax-exempt organizations. She also has significant experience representing nonprofit organizations. Formerly an attorney with the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Barbara has represented clients before the IRS in a variety of matters involving tax-exempt bonds, including audits and private letter ruling requests. She has participated in all facets of the tax analysis associated with the issuance of governmental purpose bonds, certain tax credit bonds, qualified 501(c)(3) bonds, qualified residential rental bonds and qualified small issue bonds. She has served on the Steering Committee and chaired the Working Capital and Bank Direct Placements - Advance Tax Considerations panels for the National Association of Bond Lawyer’s Bond Attorneys’ Workshop, the oldest and largest annual gathering of bond lawyers. Barbara earned her LL.M in 1996 from University of Florida Levin College of Law and her J.D. in 1995 from Washington and Lee University School of Law. She received her B.A., cum laude, from Washington and Lee University in 1992.

J.R. Morgan | Austin and New York – Midtown

J.R. represents private fund sponsors in the creation of their management companies and in the formation of domestic and international funds, including private equity, venture capital, energy, real estate, private debt and hedge funds. He also works on related investment management matters such as manager “seeding” and the structuring of international affiliates, family offices, co-investment vehicles, special purpose vehicles, managed accounts and “funds of one.” J.R. has launched funds from $10 million to over $1.5 billion in assets under management. He earned his J.D. in 2009 from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, and received his B.A. in 2002 and his B.S. in 2001 from Evergreen State College.

Ashley B. Muehlberger | Houston

Ashley’s practice focuses on upstream and midstream oil and gas transactions and public and private mergers and acquisitions. She negotiates purchase and sale agreements, merger agreements, joint venture agreements, limited liability company agreements and partnership agreements for her clients. She assists both upstream and midstream clients with complex negotiations of midstream agreements, including gathering agreements, processing agreements and transportation agreements. Her recent experience includes her representation of a private oil and gas company in the financing and acquisition of Anadarko basin assets and the related joint development thereof, along with the ongoing representation of the client in connection with a series of subsequent joint acquisitions with its joint venture partner. She represented the same client in connection with a sale to a public company for $2.85 billion in cash and stock consideration. She received her J.D. in 2009, with honors, from The University of Texas School of Law and her B.S. in Finance in 2006, summa cum laude, from Louisiana State University.

Kathleen T. Muñoz | Dallas

Kathleen’s practice includes all facets of commercial real estate and general business transactions, including commercial lending and finance transactions, as well as the representation of private equity funds, investment limited partners, equity investors and developers. Kathleen regularly represents financial institutions, lenders and special servicers on matters involving origination, warehouse lending and securitization, as well as workouts, assumptions and the exercise of remedies. She has significant experience in the leasing, acquisition, development and financing of hotels, multifamily projects, office buildings and shopping centers. She routinely handles secondary market portfolio acquisition and sales, including diligence of the underlying loan products (including a $5 billion loan secured by 700 loans relating to industrial properties across the county) and negotiation of all related agreements. She has recently advised a client on the establishment of its new origination and table funding program in connection with subordinate and bridge debt for distressed assets, closing 30+ retail, hotel and multifamily loans ranging between $5 million and $30 million and handling all matters related to the subsequent ongoing line financing. Kathleen received her J.D. in 2009 from University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Southern Methodist University in 2006.

Kelly A. Ultis | Houston 

Kelly practices in the tax group with a concentration in the area of executive compensation and employee benefits. She has worked with both public and private companies on an array of employee benefit matters, focusing on qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans and executive compensation arrangements. Her experience includes helping clients navigate and comply with the complex and numerous legal requirements associated with the administration of equity compensation and employee benefit plans, and advising companies on fiduciary duties with respect to qualified retirement plans. She works with entities on all stages of benefit plan matters, including advising companies on the design and implementation of new plans, drafting plan documents, counseling companies on the maintenance and correction of plans and assisting in the merging or termination of plans. She has represented clients before the IRS, the Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Kelly recently assisted a client in the design, drafting and implementation of a complex cash balance plan and assisted in benefits matters with respect to a $200 million merger of two banking institutions. Kelly received her J.D. in 2005, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center and, her M.S. in 2001 from Texas Woman's University and her B.A. in 1998 from Southwestern University.

As released by the former Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP