Capital Markets Partner Joanna Enns Joins Hunton Andrews Kurth in Dallas

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is pleased to announce that prominent minerals and mining capital markets attorney Joanna D. Enns has joined the firm as a partner in Dallas. 

Enns joins Hunton Andrews Kurth from Vinson & Elkins LLP, where she built a reputation as a well-respected corporate securities and mergers and acquisitions practitioner. She has significant experience leading capital markets, M&A, and liability management transactions.

Enns represents issuers and investment banks in a broad range of public and private securities transactions, including IPOs and other equity offerings, high yield and investment grade debt offerings, tender offers, restructurings, and securitizations, among other liability management transactions. She also has extensive experience with cross-border and foreign private issuer transactions, including representing domestic and foreign issuers, investors and investment banks on initial U.S. listings, debt and equity offerings and M&A transactions.

“Joanna is an outstanding lawyer, whose addition underscores our commitment to providing market-leading client service and maintaining the firm’s position as a preeminent capital markets and corporate transactions advisor across all sectors of the energy market,” said Michael O’Leary, co-head of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s corporate team and a partner in the firm’s Houston office. “Her extensive experience representing mining companies is unique in the Texas market and is highly valued by both our mineral extraction and energy transition clients. We are extremely excited to welcome her to the firm.”

In addition to being a “go-to” deal lawyer for companies in the mining and natural resources sectors, Enns regularly advises domestic and foreign public companies and boards of directors across the energy, mining, manufacturing and financial services sectors on a broad range of general corporate matters, both day-to-day and in connection with strategic transactions, including exchange listing requirements, SEC reporting, corporate governance and ESG matters.

“We are thrilled to welcome Joanna to the firm, and her timing could not be better. Investment opportunities created by both the transition to a clean energy economy and the ongoing need for traditional energy infrastructure continue to drive capital markets and M&A activity across all sectors of the energy market,” added Courtney Cochran Butler, co-head of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s capital markets practice group and a partner in the firm’s Houston office. “Joanna’s wealth of experience representing domestic and international mining companies aligns perfectly with the firm’s continued focus on the mineral extraction sector, making her an ideal addition to our team. There are significant opportunities on the horizon, and we are excited to see what we can build together.”

Enns is the latest addition to Hunton Andrews Kurth’s cross-disciplinary minerals and mining practice. Notably, she joins Martin Stratte, a land use and environmental permitting attorney with significant experience advising companies in the mining and natural resources sectors, who joined the firm’s San Francisco office in April. Stratte, who recently testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials in a hearing titled, “Securing America’s Critical Materials Supply Chains and Economic Leadership,” assists mining industry clients throughout the U.S. with the exploration and development of minerals and related transactions.

A Canadian native, Enns earned her undergraduate degree from York University in Toronto, where she graduated summa cum laude and received the Arthur Haberman Award in History & the Humanities. She was the bronze medalist in her graduating class from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. Enns began her career at Shearman & Sterling LLP (now A&O Shearman) in Toronto, before relocating with her family to Dallas, Texas.

A selection of her notable representations prior to joining Hunton Andrews Kurth includes:

• Representing a major Australian energy company on U.S. securities matters in its merger with a subsidiary of a multinational mining and metal company with an approximately $43 billion merged entity value and concurrent listing of American Depositary Shares on the New York Stock Exchange

• Representing a publicly-traded Canadian mining exploration and development company in connection with its NYSE listing and advised on U.S. reporting and governance matters

• Representing a Texas oil producer in liability management transactions in connection with its $6.4 billion acquisition of Permian-based energy company, including the redemption of $650 million principal amount of high yield senior notes with the proceeds of a $750 million public investment grade offering of senior notes

• Representing an Idaho-based development-stage mining company on multiple capital raising transactions to fund permitting and pre-production costs, including equity offerings, royalties and government awards

• Representing the initial purchasers on a Canadian diamond mining company’s $330 million inaugural 144A/Reg S offering of senior secured second lien notes

• Advising a leading international bank on over $15 billion in U.S. registered debt offerings, including its inaugural green bond and inaugural Additional Tier 1 (AT1) and NVCC subordinated notes offerings

• Advising a Canadian energy company in its $2.5 billion acquisition of a Virginia-based independent oil and gas corporation and $800 million offering of senior notes

Hunton Andrews Kurth has a long history of representing issuers, investors and underwriters in a wide range of public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, with a particular focus on the consumer products, energy (including oil and gas and midstream, power, renewables, utilities, and minerals and mining), financial services and real estate industries. Over the last five years, the firm has handled more than 1,177 equity and debt capital markets transactions aggregating over $645 billion. Our clients include publicly-traded entities, including publicly-traded partnerships (MLPs) and real estate investment trusts (REITS), middle-market companies, as well as large public corporations.