Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP has expanded its M&A and Private Equity Practice with partner David Thompson in Houston. He joins from another Am Law 100 firm, where he was promoted to partner in 2019.

"We continue to grow our core strengths nationally with quality lawyers especially dedicated to serve the needs of middle market clients across various strategic sectors," said Corporate Practice Group Co-Chair David Birke, who works in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale offices. "David is a consummate corporate lawyer with a strong background in M&A and private equity transactions in the energy industry and beyond. We are confident David's business skills and professional capabilities will strengthen our already formidable team across the U.S."

Thompson is a corporate lawyer who guides private equity sponsors and public and private company clients in complex business transactions in an array of sectors. He focuses his practice on mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, private equity investments, joint ventures, restructurings, carve outs, and general corporate counseling. 

A significant portion of Thompson's practice focuses on the energy and infrastructure sector, including renewables and energy transition, power generation, oil and gas exploration, and production, midstream, and industrials.

His significant work includes:

• Representing multiple private equity clients on the acquisitions and convertible equity financings of portfolios of utility-scale wind and solar generation projects.
• Representing a private equity client in its preferred and common equity investment in a solar generation company as part of an $850 million recapitalization.
• Representing multiple clients in de-SPAC transactions across multiple sectors, including solar power generation, clean energy storage, and agricultural technology.
• Representing a private equity client in its $210 million minority investment in a software company.
• Representing a client in connection with its $400 million controlling preferred equity and debt investment in an E&P (energy exploration, development, and production) company.
• Representing a publicly traded E&P company in the formation of a $500 million joint venture for the development of oil and gas midstream assets and infrastructure.

Thompson joins the Corporate Practice Group during a time of significant growth. In 2022, the team also welcomed partners Cristina Gonzalez and Bryan Reese in New York, Jonathan Beckham in Atlanta, Will Walker and Michael Fulks in Winston-Salem, Peter Hurm in Los Angeles, partner Marc Adesso, and of counsel Phillip Slinkard in Austin, as well as 15 associates across the United States. 

About Akerman

Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry by Financial Times. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth.

The Akerman Corporate Practice Group advises public and private companies, including private equity funds, in M&A, capital markets transactions, financings, and other transactional matters, with a strong focus on the middle market. Akerman is top-ranked nationally for mergers, acquisitions, and buyouts: middle market by The Legal 500, and is recognized as a leading U.S. law firm by U.S. News - Best Lawyers for corporate, M&A, private equity, securities/capital markets, securities regulation and banking and finance law.