![Steven E. Bartz](/-/media/images/team/b/bartz_stephen/bartz_stephen_large.png?rev=27f0f54e1acb4baeaf8fd95d09ba0262&sc_lang=en-gb)
Profile
Steve Bartz focuses his practice on sophisticated private equity transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures (“M&A”), joint ventures and strategic alliances (“JVs”), fund formation, and private placements. He routinely advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and strategic buyers and sellers in matters crucial to the execution of their most important strategic initiatives. Steve has been recognized by numerous publications as a leader in his field, including The Legal 500, Texas Rising Stars®, and D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas.” He is a candidate for the degree of Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Air and Space Law at the University Mississippi School of Law.
Private Equity Firms and Portcos. Steve’s private equity experience spans across a variety of industries and strategies, such as financial services, air & space, satellite, manufacturing, health care, sport and entertainment, real estate, hospitality, and energy, including the upstream, midstream, oilfield services, and renewable segments. He has counseled and represented sponsors and their portfolio companies in connection with:
- raising capital through fund formation transactions and private placements;
- deploying capital through buyouts, control-acquisitions, non-control investments, and JVs;
- monetizing investments through negotiated divestitures, auction sales, and recapitalization transactions; and
- providing organizational, governance, and regulatory advice to enable owners to operate and utilize their capital more efficiently, avoid regulatory pitfalls, and reduce and compartmentalize liability and legal risk.
Founders and Owners. Steve frequently advises private businesses in ongoing operations, growth initiatives, and liquidity events. Leveraging his deep and multifaceted private equity experience and business-minded approach, Steve is adept at crafting customized legal strategies for owners and management teams to aid them in their pursuit of accelerated growth trajectories and maximized exit valuations.
Strategic Buyers. Strategic buyers frequently leverage Steve’s M&A, control- and non-control investment, and JV experience to implement complex inorganic growth strategies, including market penetration, market development, product/offering development, and diversification strategies.
Concentrations
- Private Equity
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures
- Leveraged Buyouts / Recapitalizations / Management Buyouts / Seller Rollover Arrangements
- Controlling-Interest Acquisitions (Typically Majority Ownership)
- Non-controlling Interest Acquisitions (Typically Minority Ownership)
- Restructurings / Reorganizations
- Alternative Entities
- Corporate, Limited Liability Company, and Partnership Governance
- Joint Ventures / Strategic Alliances
- Equity Incentive Plans and Awards
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented Vizient, the nation’s largest provider-driven healthcare performance improvement company, in the exercise of its option to acquire the remaining interest in Kaufman Hall, a strategic advisor to the healthcare industry, from Chicago-based private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. Vizient acquired a minority stake in Kaufman Hall in 2021 and began a joint commercial relationship that built on the strengths of both companies.
- Represented Embark, a nationwide business advisory firm, in the sale of a minority equity interest to CoVenture, an alternative asset manager that provides solutions across the capital stack of technology-enabled companies. In connection with the transaction, Greenberg Traurig guided Embark through the restructuring of its board and capital stack to reinforce its commitment and enhance its ability to deliver value and experience across the organization.
- Represented Vizient, the nation’s largest provider-driven healthcare performance improvement company, in its strategic minority investment in Kaufman, Hall & Associates, LLC, an advisor for healthcare systems and providers backed by Chicago-based private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners.
- Represented affiliates of Natural Gas Partners in connection with Memorial Production Partners LP’s acquisition of certain oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin, East Texas, and the Rockies from Memorial Resource Development LLC and those affiliates of Natural Gas Partners for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $606 million.°
- Represented HM Capital Partners LLC in its $603 million sale to GE Energy Financial Services of equity interests in the general partner of Regency Energy Partners LP, a master limited partnership that owned natural gas gathering and processing systems in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas, as well as an intrastate pipeline in Louisiana.°
- Represented Roark Capital Group in its approximately $430 million stock acquisition of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. from Wendy’s/Arby’s Group.°
- Represented NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C. in connection with The Carlyle Group LP’s $424 million acquisition of a substantial revenue interest in NGP Management Company, L.L.C. from ECM Capital, L.P. and minority owner Barclays Natural Resource Investments, a unit of Barclays PLC.°
- Represented Iron Data Solutions, LLC, a provider of Intelligent Process Management solutions to government clients and transportation/logistics private sector customers, in its recapitalization with Arlington Capital Partners, a Washington, DC-based private equity fund.°
- Advised LexisNexis Risk Solutions Inc. in connection with the sale of its Insurance Software Solutions business to GI Acquisition Corp., a subsidiary of Genstar Capital, LLC.°
- Advised BP Energy Partners, LLC (“BPEP”) and Pinnacle Midstream, LLC (“Pinnacle”) a portfolio company of BPEP, in connection with the sale of Pinnacle to I Squared Capital through its ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund II.°
- Represented Greyline Partners, LLC, an industry-leading U.S. provider of governance and regulatory compliance solutions for private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, and investors, in its sale agreement to IQ-EQ, an Astorg portfolio company.
- Represented Arcapita Bank B.S.C.(c) in its sale of Cypress Communications, Inc., a hosted communications provider, to Broadvox, Inc., a provider of integrated managed Voice-Over-Internet Protocol services to small to mid-sized business, enterprise, and carrier customers.°
- Represented Arcapita Bank B.S.C.(c) in its sale of Cirrus Industries, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of single-engine, piston-powered general aviation aircraft for the two- and four-seat airplane categories at the time, to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd. Asian-MENA Counsel named this transaction the 2011 “Deal of the Year.”°
- Represented GE Capital Equity Investments, Inc. in the sale of its equity interest in Implus Footcare LLC to Trilantic Capital Partners LP.°
- Represented SoftBank-backed Oravel Stays Singapore Pte. Ltd. a/k/a OYO in its (1) formation of a joint venture with Highgate, an industry-leading investor and manager of hospitality assets, and (2) subsequent acquisition of the Hooters Casino Hotel Las Vegas through that same joint venture vehicle.°
- Represented Equistone Partners Europe-backed Fircroft Group in its merger with NES Global Talent, creating a global human capital services organization for engineering and technical talent called NES Fircroft. At the closing of the merger, NES Fircroft had operations in 45 countries and was the largest engineering staffing firm in the world based on the combined revenue of Fircroft Group and NES Global Talent.°
- Represented New Jersey Urology, the leading urology service provider in New Jersey (“NJU”), in its formation of Urology Management Associates (“UMA”) with J.W. Childs Associates, a leading middle-market private equity firm. UMA was created to provide administrative services to NJU and to enable NJU to focus on providing world-class urology services while remaining a physician-led organization.°
- Represented Houston-based auto lender First Investors Financial Services Group Inc. in its $100 million sale by merger to an affiliate of Aquiline Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm.°
- Represented Tenfold Holdings LLC, a microbial products manufacturing and distribution holding company, in the sale of a majority equity interest in its operating company, Agricen, and a minority equity interest in its applied sciences research company, Agricen Sciences, in exchange for aggregate consideration of approximately $72 million.°
- Represented an NGP private equity fund in its $63 million sale of net profits overriding royalty interests to a private, independent energy company focused on oil and gas exploration and production in Texas and Louisiana.°
- Represented a PE-backed oilfield services company focused on providing wastewater and environmental solutions to the oil & gas industry across the continental United States in its $50 million sale of certain assets to a diversified, vertically integrated midstream master limited partnership.°
- Represented Sawafi Al-Jazeera Oilfield Products and Services Co. Ltd., a leading provider of upstream oil and gas services to the Saudi Arabian energy industry and a wholly owned subsidiary of Khalid Ali Alturki & Sons Holding Company, in its simultaneous acquisitions of Newsco International Energy Services USA Inc., Telemetrix USA Inc., and related intellectual property and directional-drilling assets from their affiliates.°
- Represented Tricity Pain Associates and Interventional Pain Management—both leading providers of integrated pain management care, ambulatory surgery centers, and ancillary patient treatment across Texas—in their recapitalization transaction and growth capital partnership with Spindletop Capital Management, a healthcare growth equity and growth buyout firm.°
- Represented Golub Capital in its capacity as Creditors’ Representative on behalf of the first-lien lenders to American Community Newspapers in connection with the sale of its operations in:
- Ohio (d/b/a Columbus Media Enterprises) to an affiliate of the Dispatch Printing Company;°
- Minnesota (d/b/a the Sun Newspaper Group) to a subsidiary of ECM Publishers Inc.;°
- Texas (d/b/a Star Community Newspapers) to an affiliate of 1013 Communications;° and
- Northern Virginia to HPR Hemlock LLC.°
- Represented an NGP affiliate in its $28 million sale of certain overriding royalty interest, royalty interests, non-working or carried interests, operating rights, and mineral rights together with the related oil, gas, and other mineral leases and pooling orders.°
- Represented a subsidiary of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the negotiation and acquisition of a $25 million direct, minority equity investment in the portfolio company (a terminal operator and marine service provider) of a private equity fund in connection with the Foundation’s investment in a new fund owned by the same private equity firm.°
- Represented a London-based private equity fund in the restructuring of its ownership of an energy-focused portfolio company, including the formation of new intermediary entities, a parent-subsidiary merger and the infusion of additional capital into the survivor of the merger.°
- Represented BioMatrix Specialty Pharmacy, LLC, a specialty pharmacy owned by ACON Investments and Triton Pacific Capital Partners and focused on infused and oral specialty drugs, in its acquisition of Cardinal Health Specialty Pharmacy, LLC from Cardinal Health, Inc.°
- Represented a private equity firm in the acquisition of all the stock of a company that provided outsourced revenue-cycle-management services to hospitals and health care providers as a part of that firm’s nationwide consolidation of such service providers.°
- Represented a private investment fund in its contemporaneous (1) buyout of a management team’s equity stake in multiple companies related to a restaurant franchise featuring fast-casual Indian cuisine, (2) roll-up of independently owned companies related to that restaurant franchise, and (3) issuance of profits interests to key service providers by certain entities within the newly reorganized ownership structure.°
- Represented the portfolio company of a London-based private equity fund in a freeze-out merger.°
- Represented Collaboration Holdings LLC a/k/a Collaboration Capital, a Houston-based investment platform focused on ESG/impact-oriented portfolio investments, in its sale to The Next Seed Inc. a/k/a NextSeed, a Houston-based crowd-funding platform.°
- Represented Eutelsat Group, a global leader in satellite communications delivering connectivity and broadcast services worldwide, in the unwinding of its 50/50 joint venture company, known as Airbus OneWeb Satellites (“AOS”), with Airbus, a global leader in aerospace; that representation included the sale of OneWeb’s 50% interest in AOS to Airbus.
- Represented an American utility and power generation company in its acquisition, from an American photovoltaic (PV) developer of utility-scale PV power plants and energy storage, of multiple subsidiaries with a total of one-gigawatt of solar and up to one-gigawatt of energy storage across two phases, which, at closing, was the largest permitted solar project with integrated storage in the United States of America.
- Represented Trick or Treat Studios, a California-based developer and manufacturer of masks, costumes, props, and collectibles, in its acquisition of certain intellectual property assets from Gemmy Industries (HK) Limited, a BVI corporation and affiliate of Texas-based Gemmy Industries, including legacy intellectual property of The Paper Magic Group, Don Post Studios, Illusive Concepts, Topstone, and the Great American Coverup.
- Represented Rock-Tenn Co. in its $3.5 billion acquisition of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. pursuant to a forward triangular merger.°
- Represented members of Inhibitex Inc.’s management in connection with its $2.5 billion acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.°
- Represented Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. in connection with its $560 million sale by merger to Bi Lo, LLC.°
- Advised an affiliate of HD Supply, Inc. on its sale of the SESCO/QUESCO Division of HD Supply Canada Inc. to Sonepar Canada Inc. Sesco provides electrical products to commercial, industrial, and residential markets. Sonepar is a distributor of electrical materials and technical solutions and services.
- Represented Hungry Machine, Inc. (a/k/a LivingSocial) in its stock acquisition of GoNabit in order to facilitate LivingSocial’s expansion into the Middle East, including markets in Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.°
- Represented an affiliate of Cooper Industries PLC in the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of stock of Azonix Corporation from an affiliate of Crane Co. Azonix Corporation is a leader in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sale of human/machine interface devices for application in hazardous environments in the oil and gas, defense, and industrial automation industries.°
- Represented The Michaels Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:MIK) in its $150 million acquisition of Lamrite West, Inc., an international wholesale and retail supplier of arts and crafts products, and certain of its affiliates and subsidiaries.°
- Represented Massive Interactive, Inc. (OTCBB:HUGE), the award-winning OTT software company, in its acquisition by Deltatre, the international leader in sports media technology services, for a maximum aggregate purchase price, including earnout, of $127 million pursuant to a merger and the purchase of additional outstanding equity interests of one of Massive’s subsidiaries.°
- Represented an investor syndicate in its $100 million leveraged acquisition of a portfolio of approximately 80 retail fuel stations from a joint venture owned by two multinational energy-exploration and production firms.°
- Represented an Iowa-based life insurance company in its capacity as lead purchaser in the acquisition of approximately $90 million of promissory notes from a Texas-based residential real estate development group secured by the equity of various limited liability companies.°
- Represented Mayflower Communities, Inc. d/b/a Barrington of Carmel in the sale of substantially all of its assets to Prairie Landing Community, Inc. pursuant to Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.°
- Represented XactiMed, Inc., a software company and leading provider of web-based revenue cycle technologies and services, in its acquisition by MedAssets Net Revenue Systems pursuant to a forward triangular merger.°
- Represented a CO2 pipeline company in the completion of a multiple-survivor merger that seamlessly reallocated certain assets and liabilities between two affiliated companies; the subsequent sale of one of such companies; and the contemporaneous sale of a third affiliated company’s assets to the same buyer for a total purchase price of $32 million.°
- Represented Coastal Field Services, a manufacturing, construction, and integrity-support services provider to the oil and gas industry, in the sale of substantially all of its assets to Primoris Services Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select:PRIM) for total consideration of approximately $27.5 million.°
- Represented MapFrame, a utilities-services software company, in its strategic acquisition by an affiliate of General Electric Co.°
- Represented an affiliate of Metrod (Malaysia) Sdn Berhad, a Malaysia-based copper manufacturer that is publicly traded on the Bursa Malaysia, in its sale of its U.S.-based copper manufacturing operations to an affiliate of Sam Dong Co. Ltd., a South Korea-based magnet-wire manufacturer.°
- Represented R. Stephens Financial, a long-established benefits consultant and insurance brokerage firm, in its sale of substantially all of its assets to Choice Financial Group, a large financial services organization.
- Represented the equity owners of a petroleum-lubricants-distribution business in a sell-side auction process and subsequent $32 million leveraged-buyout transaction.°
- Represented a publicly traded, multinational agribusiness in its contemporaneous acquisitions of all of the equity interests, for a combined $20 million, of two related seed-genetics research, development, and production firms.°
- Represented EnCap Flatrock Midstream in connection with forming and investing in:
- Evolution Midstream LLC, a Denver, Colorado-based oil and gas midstream company with $300 million in initial capital commitments that offers integrated midstream services to oil and gas producers operating across North America with a focus on greenfield and strategic acquisition opportunities in the Rockies, Bakken Shale, Permian Basin, Mid-Continent and Appalachia.°
- Lucid Energy Group II, LLC, a full service midstream provider with $250 million in initial capital commitments focused on development in the Delaware Basin.°
- Moda Midstream LLC, a liquids terminaling and logistics company with $750 million in initial capital commitments that provides independent terminal, storage, and distribution solutions to refiners, petrochemical manufacturers, marketers, and producers of crude oil, condensate, NGLs, refined products, and other bulk liquids.°
- Nuevo Midstream Dos LLC, a full service midstream provider with $400 million in initial capital commitments that designs, builds and operates midstream systems and services oil and gas producers across North America.°
- Stakeholder Midstream, LLC, a joint venture with $250 million in initial capital commitments that was formed to provide oil and gas producers in North American unconventional shale plays with in-field natural gas gathering, compression, treating and processing services; natural gas liquids solutions; and crude oil gathering, transportation and storage services.°
- Tall Oak Midstream II, LLC, an Oklahoma City-based joint venture with $300 million in initial capital commitments focused on expanding the owners’ midstream assets in the Midcontinent, bringing the management team’s total capital commitments to $850 million.°
- Represented EnCap Investments LP in connection with forming and investing in:
- American Resource Development LLC (a/k/a Ameredev), an Austin-based exploration and production company with $250 million in initial capital commitments focused on the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin.°
- Council Oak Resources LLC, a Tulsa-based oil and gas company with $250 million in initial capital commitments focused on building a portfolio of resource play assets through an early-stage and/or extensional lease-and-drill strategy throughout the Anadarko Basin.°
- PetroLegacy Energy, an Austin-based company with $150 million in initial capital commitments that focused on leasing and drilling oil and natural gas properties located in the Gulf Coast and Permian regions of Texas.°
- Scala Energy, LLC, a Houston-based oil and gas company with $500 million in initial capital commitments that employs an acquire-and-exploit strategy.°
- Staghorn Petroleum, a Tulsa-based company formed to focus on the pursuit of sizeable, high-growth and/or emerging plays through a combination of producing and non-producing property acquisitions, grassroots leasing and farm-ins or joint ventures.°
- Represented a leading health care performance company in its strategic minority investment in a PE-backed LLC that develops and manages technology-enabled healthcare environments that enhance patient experience and empower physicians to deliver care more efficiently.
- Represented Double Eagle Energy Permian LLC (a/k/a Double Eagle II) in securing initial equity commitments from Apollo Global Management LLC to develop oil and gas properties in the Permian’s Midland sub-basin.°
- Represented Double Eagle in securing an equity commitment from Apollo Global Management LLC to pursue the acquisition of non-operating oil and gas working interests in the State of Oklahoma.°
- Represented Meritage Midstream Services III, LP in securing $300 million in initial equity commitments from funds managed by energy private equity firm Riverstone Holdings LLC to pursue midstream opportunities in Western Canada's emerging resource play.°
- Represented Atlantic Resources Company in securing initial equity commitments from funds managed by energy private equity firm Denham Capital to pursue the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin with a specific focus on upstream unconventional assets.°
- Represented Natural Gas Partners in connection with the formation of Springbok Energy Partners, LLC, a Dallas-based partnership focused on making investments in oil and gas mineral and royalty assets.°
- Represented Tailwater Capital in connection with its entrance into two parallel joint ventures with Petro Waste Environmental, an owner and operator of saltwater disposal facilities, for the purpose of (i) expanding its presence in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale regions of Texas and New Mexico and (ii) expanding the breadth of services available at those facilities by providing onsite solid waste removal and disposal capabilities.°
- Represented Rosewood Private Investments in connection with its joint venture with Tailwind Advisors through Novaria Group, which serves as their aerospace investment platform.°
- Represented a Dallas-based private equity fund in connection with causing its joint venture with another Dallas-based private equity fund to grant profits interests to certain key service providers.°
- Represented a private investment company in the negotiation and drafting of an automobile-receivables master purchase agreement and a related servicing agreement with an automobile dealership.°
- Represented an Austin-based PE firm in the design, formation, and implementation of its equity incentive plan and related equity-participation vehicles for its key service providers.°
- Represented an investment platform of a London-based PE firm in the design, formation, and implementation of its equity incentive plan and related equity-participation vehicles for its key service providers.°
- Represented Eutelsat Group, a global leader in satellite communications delivering connectivity and broadcast services worldwide, in the unwinding of its 50/50 joint venture company with Airbus, a global leader in aerospace. The matter included the sale of OneWeb’s 50% interest in the joint venture to Airbus. Airbus and OneWeb formed the complex, strategic joint venture known as Airbus OneWeb Satellites in 2016 to design and manufacture low-cost, ultra-high performing satellites at high volumes for OneWeb’s first generation constellation.
- Represented Savoir-Faire Consulting, LLC (a/k/a Savvy Oil & Gas Consulting), a severance tax and royalty compliance consulting firm, in its entrance into a strategic alliance with Enertia Software, an industry leader in upstream oil and gas software solutions. The strategic alliance is designed to provide operators with an integrated offering of cutting-edge upstream oil & gas compliance solutions with efficient, effective, and compliant reporting to state, tribal, and federal agencies.
- Represented Savoir-Faire Consulting, LLC (a/k/a Savvy Oil & Gas Consulting), a highly specialized team of savvy oil and gas accounting consultants with extensive industry experience, in its entrance into a strategic alliance with Advantous Consulting, a leading multistate tax consulting firm that delivers customizable, end-to-end state and local tax solutions ranging from turnkey compliance services to high-level planning and advisory. The strategic alliance is designed to facilitate the provision by Savvy and Advantous of a broader range of expert tax services to the energy industry.
- Represented a leading health care performance company in its strategic minority investment in an LLC that advises health care systems and providers.
- Advised GP Properties in its formation of a joint venture created to acquire a mixed-use real estate asset located in Midtown Manhattan, New York.
- Advised Huntington Ingalls Industries, a leading designer and builder of nuclear and non-nuclear ships for, and after-market services provider to, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, in its entrance, through its AMSEC subsidiary, into a Master Cooperation Agreement with a subsidiary of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corporation, a South Korean-based corporation that is primarily engaged in shipbuilding, construction, and industrial power plant technologies, to work together in providing maintenance, repair, and logistics services to the U.S. Navy and other customers in the western Pacific region.°
- Advised an affiliate of Lauren Engineers & Constructors, Inc., a leading engineering, procurement, and construction services company with more than 30 years of experience in the power generation and oil and gas sectors in North America, on the formation of a 50/50 joint venture (“Lauren India”) with India-based Jyoti Structures Ltd. Lauren India was formed for the purpose of entering into an approximately $111 million contract to build a 50 megawatt solar-thermal power plant for M/s. Godawari Green Energy Limited in the Rajasthan district in India.°
- Represented a Fortune 500 client in connection with its European joint venture with an Israeli company, which in turn signed agreements to become the franchise holder for a Fortune 100 sports brand in more than a dozen European countries.°
- Represented Martifer, a Portugal-based multinational group and market leader in metallic construction, energy systems, and electricity generation, in connection with a joint venture with India-based Inspira Energy Ltd.°
- Represented Lauren Engineers & Constructors, Inc. in connection with a joint venture with India-based CCL Optoelectronics Private Limited.°
- Represented a foreign railway operator in the formation of its first U.S.-based subsidiary in connection with the development of a high-speed rail project.°
- Represented a professional boxer in the evaluation of offers of equity grants pursuant to various contemplated promotional arrangements in connection with his fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a $900 million fund focused on making direct and indirect investments in midstream properties in the United States.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a $750 million fund focused on making direct equity investments in food, feed, and industrial product companies within the agribusiness supply chain.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a $500 million fund focused on making equity-like investments primarily in North American oil and gas related assets, including oil and gas reserves, leasehold interests, working interests, net profits interests (“NPI”), mineral interests, royalty interests, tertiary recovery reserves, gas processing plants, and pipelines.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a $500 million fund focused on the lower end of the middle market in the energy sector.°
- Represented a sponsor that specializes in acquiring and managing mid-sized upstream conventional oil and gas properties for institutional investors in connection with forming and closing on its third funds, structured as parallel resource funds (working interest / NPI funds), with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $400 million.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a $350 million exploration and production (“E&P”) fund.°
- Represented a sponsor that specializes in acquiring and managing mid-sized upstream conventional oil and gas properties for institutional investors in connection with forming and closing on its third funds, structured as parallel resource funds (working interest / NPI funds), with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $350 million.°
- Represented a sponsor that specializes in acquiring and managing mid-sized upstream conventional oil and gas properties for institutional investors in connection with forming and closing on its second funds, structured as parallel resource funds (working interest / NPI funds), with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $300 million.°
- Represented a sponsor in connection with the sale of $300 million in limited partnership interests in two new funds, structured as parallel resource funds (working interest / NPI funds), formed for the primary purpose of acquiring interests in onshore producing oil and gas properties in the continental U.S. and engaging in the development and further exploration of, production and sale of oil and gas from, and disposition of those properties.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a private equity fund and related alternate investment vehicle, together having approximately $300 million in aggregate committed capital, focused on direct and indirect investments in the U.S. domestic oil and gas industry, including interests in companies or assets used in the exploration, production and/or development of natural gas, crude oil, refined products and unconventional energy resources and the transporting, processing, gathering, treating, storing, distributing and marketing thereof.°
- Represented a sponsor that specializes in upstream oil and gas investments in connection with forming and closing on its second funds, structured as parallel resource funds (working interest / NPI funds), with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $275 million.°
- Represented an Austin-based independent, private wealth management firm in the formation of a new $150 million (target) private equity fund focused on identifying, analyzing, investing in, managing and otherwise dealing with investments in privately held revenue-producing companies and businesses.°
- Represented a sponsor that specializes in upstream oil and gas investments in connection with forming and closing on its third funds, structured as parallel resource funds (working interest / NPI funds), with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $130 million.°
- Represented a sponsor in the assessment of whether its fund documents’ commercial and legal terms were generally consistent with those used by similarly sized private equity funds in the upstream oil and gas market.°
- Represented a privately held oil and gas company in the formation of a new investment fund, structured as a limited liability company approximately $75 million in committed capital, for the purpose of owning and developing non-operating interests in the drilling, development, and production of oil and gas in the Williston Basin.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of an approximately $30 million private equity real estate fund focused on urban infill, multi-family developments in Dallas, Texas.°
- Represented an Austin-based independent, private wealth management firm in the formation of a new $25 million pooled-investment vehicle for purposes of investing in a $300 million (target) private equity fund focused on the acquisition of mid-life aviation assets with the potential for maintenance optimization and/or multiple exit strategies.°
- Represented an Austin-based venture capital sponsor in the formation of a new venture capital fund focused on early-stage investments in companies focused on transforming the educational system.
- Represented an investment manager in the formation of a search fund.°
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a $10 million mezzanine real estate fund that provides custom-tailored financial solutions to other sponsors seeking acquisition and refinance proceeds for commercial real estate transactions through mezzanine and preferred equity financing.°
- Represented a sponsor dedicated to global impact investing in connection with the creation of a fund for investments into India.°
- Represented a large energy-based private equity fund in connection with securing $330 million in equity financing for an oil & gas portfolio company.°
- Represented a large U.S. bank in its $245 million equity commitment to a developer of solar electricity generation projects to finance the construction of a 500-MW solar project in California with an anticipated total value of $737 million upon substantial completion.
- Represented a large U.S. bank in its $159 million equity commitment to a developer of solar electricity generation projects to finance the construction of a 360-MW solar project in Texas with an anticipated total value of $522 million upon substantial completion.
- Counseled Rice Drilling B LLC on governance and securities law issues related to the establishment of new first-lien and second-lien credit facilities and the exercise of certain rights by the holders of Senior Subordinated Convertible Debentures.°
- Represented two affiliated, privately held oil and gas companies in their entrance into two separate $100 million credit facilities.°
- Represented a large energy-based private equity fund in making a $50 million investment in an oil & gas company focused on upstream/midstream activities in the North Park Basin.°
- Represented an Austin, Texas-based oil-and-gas company in connection with its bond-for-equity exchange offer, pursuant to which the company would exchange its outstanding bonds with an aggregate principal balance of approximately $33 million for equity interests in the company.°
- Represented an affiliate of Highland Capital Management in the exercise of $3 million of warrants and acquisition of another $10 million in additional warrants in an oil and gas company.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Bartz prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, D Magazine, Best Lawyers in Dallas, 2022-2024
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States, 2017-2019
- M&A/Corporate and Commercial: M&A – Middle-Market ($500M-$999M), 2019
- M&A/Corporate and Commercial: M&A – Middle-Market (Sub-$500M), 2017-2018
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Texas Super Lawyers, "Rising Stars," 2014-2020
- “Up-and-Coming 100,” 2019-2020
- Member, American Bar Association, 2021-2024
- Member, Business Law Section, 2021-2024
- Member, LLCs, Partnerships and Unincorporated Entities Committee, 2021-2024
- Member, Business Law Section, 2021-2024
Credentials
- J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School
- A.B., Duke University
- Texas
- Georgia