Bracewell Earns High Marks in Legal 500 United States 2024

HOUSTON – Bracewell’s ongoing leadership on high-profile finance, transactional, regulatory and litigation matters across various sectors, including energy, finance, infrastructure and technology sectors, earned the firm high marks in Legal 500 United States 2024.

For the eighth year in a row, Bracewell earned a Tier 1 ranking for Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas.

The firm received 30 practice rankings in total, including recommendations in appellate litigation, capital markets, commercial lending, commercial litigation, environmental litigation, environmental regulatory, environmental transactions, financial restructuring, government relations, labor and employment, M&A, oil and gas litigation, oil and gas transactions, outsourcing, power litigation, power regulatory, power transactions, project finance, renewable energy, real estate, securities litigation, tax and white-collar criminal defense.

In addition, more than 100 Bracewell lawyers received recommendations in their respective practices, 15 of whom were named Leading Lawyers or Hall of Fame members:

• Stephen Braga – Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense
• Michael Brooks – Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas
• Stephen Crain – Energy Litigation: Oil and Gas
• Suzanne Day – Insurance: Advice to Policyholders
• Eugene Elrod – Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas
• Jeff Holmstead – Environment: Regulatory
• Jason Hutt – Environment: Transactional
• Mark Lewis – Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas
• Cathy McCarthy – Energy Regulation: Electric Power
• Elizabeth McGinley – US Taxes: Non-Contentious
• Kirk Morgan – Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas
• Alan Rafte – Energy Transaction: Oil and Gas
• Danielle Varnell – Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power (New); and Industry Focus: Energy Transactions: Electric Power
• Richard Whiteley – Construction (Including Construction Litigation)
• Timothy Wilkins – Environment: Transactional (New); and Environment: Regulatory

In addition, three Bracewell lawyers were singled out as Next Generation Partners:

• Molly Butkus – Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas
• Tyler S. Johnson – Energy Litigation: Electric Power; and Energy Regulation: Electric Power
• Parker Lee – Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas

Now in its 35th year, The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in more than 150 jurisdictions based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions received from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers.

2024 Rankings

Appellate

• Warren W. Harris
• Jeff Oldham
• Walter A. Simons

Capital Markets: Debt

• Will Anderson
• Troy L. Harder
• Catherine Hood
• Charles H. Still Jr.

Capital Markets: Equity

• Will Anderson
• Troy L. Harder
• Catherine Hood
• Charles H. Still Jr.

Commercial Lending

• Heather L. Brown
• Jeris Diana Brunette
• Kenni E. Callahan
• William H. Ebert
• Dewey J. Gonsoulin Jr.
• Leslie M. Hansen
• Rebecca Keep
• Robin J. Miles
• G. Alan Rafte

Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense

• Stephen L. Braga – Leading Lawyer
• Kevin D. Collins
• Seth D. DuCharme
• Barbara S. Jones
• Roslynn Mauskopf
• Matthew G. Nielsen
• Britt Cass Steckman
• Jeffery B. Vaden

Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans: Transactional

• Matthew B. Grunert
• Amy Karff Halevy
• Scott C. Sanders

Energy Litigation: Electric Power

• Bradley J. Benoit
• Michael W. Brooks
• Stephen B. Crain
• Tyler S. Johnson – Next Generation Partner
• Deanna E. King
• Catherine P. McCarthy

Energy Litigation: Oil and Gas

• Stephen B. Crain – Leading Lawyer
• William A. Moss
• Drew Taggart

Energy Regulation: Electric Power

• Michael W. Brooks
• Theodore F. Duver
• Tyler S. Johnson – Next Generation Partner
• Deanna E. King
• Catherine P. McCarthy – Hall of Fame
• Charles R. Mills

Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas

• Michael W. Brooks – Leading Lawyer
• Annie Cook
• Eugene Elrod – Hall of Fame
• George Fatula
• Mark K. Lewis – Leading Lawyer
• Catherine D. Little
• Kirk Morgan – Leading Lawyer
• Mandi Moroz
• Kathryn Penry

Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power

• Kevin A. Ewing
• Ryan S. Holcomb
• Francisco Rodriguez Marin
• Kathryn Penry
• G. Alan Rafte
• Joshua Robichaud
• Nicolai J. Sarad
• Laura D. Sheldon
• Danielle M. Varnell – Leading Lawyer

Energy Transactions: Electric Power

• Shannon Baldwin – Rising Star
• Todd Eckland
• Ryan S. Holcomb
• Catherine Hood
• Stephen McNamara
• Laura D. Sheldon
• J. Anthony Terell
• Danielle M. Varnell – Leading Lawyer

Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas

• Molly E. Butkus – Next Generation Partner
• Jason M. Jean
• Austin T. Lee
• Parker Lee – Next Generation Partner
• James “JJ” McAnelly III
• G. Alan Rafte – Hall of Fame

Environment: Litigation

• Kevin D. Collins
• Kevin A. Ewing
• Jeffrey R. Holmstead
• Jason B. Hutt
• Ann Navaro
• Brittany M. Pemberton
• David A. Super

Environment: Regulatory

• Sara M. Burgin
• Kevin D. Collins
• Kevin A. Ewing
• Jeffrey R. Holmstead – Leading Lawyer
• Jason B. Hutt
• Ann Navaro
• Matt Paulson
• Brittany M. Pemberton
• Whit Swift
• Timothy A. Wilkins – Leading Lawyer

Environment: Transactional

• Kevin A. Ewing
• Jason B. Hutt – Leading Lawyer
• Matt Paulson
• Timothy A. Wilkins – Leading Lawyer

General Commercial Disputes

• Bradley J. Benoit
• Daniel S. Connolly
• Stephen B. Crain
• Rachel Goldman
• David Shargel
• Drew Taggart 

Government Relations

• E. Dee Martin
• Joseph Brazauskas
• Scott H. Segal
• Andrew Shaw
• Joshua C. Zive

Insurance: Advice to Policyholders

• Suzanne F. Day – Leading Lawyer
• Vincent Morgan

Labor and Employment: Workplace and Employment Counseling

• Amy Karff Halevy

M&A: Large Deals ($1 Billion+)    

• Will Anderson
• Lytch T. Gutmann
• Troy Harder
• Jason M. Jean
• Benjamin J. Martin
• Charles H. Still Jr.

Outsourcing  

• Jeffrey B. Andrews
• Jonathon K. Hance
• Lucy Porter

Project Finance

• Jeris Diana Brunette
• Francisco Rodriguez Marin
• G. Alan Rafte
• Nicolai J. Sarad
• Thomas M. Tomlinson

Real Estate: Construction

• Aaron Roffwarg
• Phillip L. Sampson Jr.
• Richard F. Whiteley – Leading Lawyer

Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Corporate

• Jason G. Cohen
• Mark E. Dendinger
• William A. (Trey) Wood III

Securities Litigation: Defense

• W. Stephen Benesh
• Bradley J. Benoit
• Bryan S. Dumesnil
• Tony L. Visage

US Taxes: Non-Contentious

• Gregory M. Bopp
• Bucky Brannen
• R. Todd Greenwalt
• Elizabeth L. McGinley – Leading Lawyer
• Victoria N. Ozimek
• Jennifer Speck
• Brian P. Teaff