Branden T. Lankford
Counsel
Austin Office
Branden is a corporate and transactional attorney specializing in mergers & acquisitions. His practice focuses on representing private equity sponsors, their portfolio companies and other public and private companies in complex transactions, including A&D, joint ventures, and private equity and other capital investments. His practice also focuses on assisting fund managers with fund formations, joint venture structuring, and securities compliance related to private equity investment.
Full Biography
Branden is a corporate and transactional attorney specializing in mergers & acquisitions. His practice focuses on representing private equity sponsors, their portfolio companies and other public and private companies in complex transactions, including A&D, joint ventures, and private equity and other capital investments. His practice also focuses on assisting fund managers with fund formations, joint venture structuring, and securities compliance related to private equity investment.
Branden also advises clients in connection with the negotiation of commercial contracts and corporate governance. He has advised clients across a broad range of industries, including energy, infrastructure, technology, real estate, food & beverage and financial services.
Prior to joining DGC, Branden gained valuable experience at Baker Botts and Kirkland & Ellis.
Education
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The University of Texas School of Law
Juris Doctor 2018
- TEXAS LAW REVIEW, Associate Editor
- TEXAS JOURNAL OF OIL, GAS & ENERGY LAW, Associate Editor
- Dean’s Achievement Award – Outstanding Student in Legal Research & Writing
- Dean’s Achievement Award – Outstanding Student in Criminal Law
- Outstanding Legal Memorandum Award
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The University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Arts in Government 2014
- Minor in Spanish; Red McCombs School of Business – Business Foundations Certificate
Bar Admissions
- Admitted in Texas
Representative Transactional Experience
- North Hudson Resources Partners and its affiliated funds in the $402 million purchase of LOGOS Resources II LLC, an operator of oil and gas assets in the San Juan Basin, from affiliates of ArcLight Capital Partners
- Diversified Energy Company plc in its $240 million acquisition of certain upstream oil and gas assets and related facilities in Oklahoma and Texas from ConocoPhillips Company
- Delek US Holdings, Inc. in a $40 million equity sale of its affiliate that owned a refinery in Bakersfield, California
- Jones Energy in its $201.5 merger with and into Revolution Resources
- BP in its $5.6 billion divestiture of BP’s Alaska operations and interests to Hilcorp Alaska.
- BP in the sale of its 50% Stake in Canada’s Sunrise Oil Sands Project
- Conflicts Committee of Noble Midstream Partners LP in its $1.6 billion simplification and dropdown of midstream assets
- IFM Investors in its $10.3 billion acquisition of Buckeye Partners
- Chesapeake Energy Corporation in its $4 billion acquisition of WildHorse Resource Development Corporation
- Delek US Holdings, Inc. in its acquisition of a 33% interest in Red River Pipeline Co. LLC from Plains All American Pipeline LP for $128 million
- Private oil and gas company in its negotiation of agreements for the construction of a gas gathering system.
- Numerous energy companies in bids to acquire oil and gas assets.
- Richards Distributing, Inc. in the sale of all of its lines of business (Renewable Energy Systems, Arctic Home Living, and Alaska EcoWater Systems) to The Aleut Corporation
- Electric power generation and distribution company in the sale of one of its subsidiaries.
- Centaurus Renewable Energy in its acquisitions, tax equity, and divestitures of solar power plants
- Sempra LNG in respect of the ECA LNG Liquefaction project.
- Private chemical company in its negotiation of polymer offtake agreements in China and the U.S.
- Energy company in its development of crude refinery and carbon capture facility.
- Secondment to Fortune 500 chemical company.
- Fortune 500 energy company on replacement and negotiation of credit support arrangements under energy trading agreements (including ISDAs) in connection with its acquisition
- Numerous energy companies in their potential joint ventures with other energy companies
- Optum, the health services division of UnitedHealth Group, in numerous (10+) acquisitions of physician practices across multiple states.
- Northleaf Capital Partners on its $500 million strategic partnership with Tillman FiberCo, LLC, a leading developer and owner of symmetrical gigabit broadband
- ECP-backed CIG Logistics in the $31 million sale of its sand hauling, wellsite storage and logistics business to NexTier Oilfield Solutions
- Integrity Marketing Group, LLC, a portfolio company of HGGC, in its acquisition of Ritter Insurance Marketing
- Private equity company in its debt and equity co-investment in an audio equipment manufacturer.
- Ritchie Bros. in its acquisition of an auction business
- SiO2 Medical Products, Inc. and certain of its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases
- Independent distributor of life and health insurance products in its acquisition of a health insurance company
- Public and private companies, private equity sponsors, and their portfolio companies on a wide range of corporate governance matters and reorganizations
- Private equity sponsor in the acquisition of a controlling 70% interest in a Texas water/wastewater infrastructure contractor
- Private equity sponsor in the sale of a portfolio company’s mutli-brand consumer products e-commerce business
- Owners of a Texas-based insurance agency in the sale of substantially all business assets to a national insurance brokerage
- Minority stockholder in the sale of his interest in a private company.
- Led preparation of complete private offering packages for 15+ private fund and real estate syndication offerings.
