Alison Chen

Alison L. Chen advises clients on the federal income tax aspects of business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other partnership arrangements; recapitalizations; restructuring (in- and-out of court); and other financing transactions, with a focus primarily in the energy sector.

She also frequently serves as tax counsel in capital markets transactions, advising public companies (including MLPs) and underwriters in connection with initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on equity and debt offerings, public mergers and spin-offs.

Experience:

• Significant experience representing clients in the energy industry, including master limited partnerships (MLP).
• Represents public and private companies with regard to the U.S. federal income tax aspects of domestic and international transactions.
• Serves as the hiring partner for the Houston office.

Representative Work:

• Guided Genesis Energy, L.P. through tax issues related to its
  $1.3 billion acquisition of Tronox Ltd.’s alkali business, the world’s largest producer of natural soda ash.
• Served as tax counsel to GSO Capital Partners in the formation of, and in its role as a member of, GEP Hayneville LLC, the consortium of GSO and GeoSouthern Haynesville LLC, in the $850 million acquisition of its Haynesville Shale assets from indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Encana Corporation.
• Provided tax and structuring advice to an ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders of EV Energy Partners, L.P., an independent oil and gas MLP, in its successful financial restructuring and emergence from Chapter 11 as a new corporation under the name Harvest Oil & Gas Corp.
• Counseled Cimarex Energy Co. on the tax aspects of its $1.6 billion cash and stock acquisition of Resolute Energy Corp.
• Served as tax counsel to Stone Energy Corporation in its all-stock merger with Talos Energy LLC, a transaction that created Talos Energy, Inc.
• Provided tax advice to the conflicts committee of Archrock Partners LP, a natural gas compression services company, in a definitive merger agreement with its parent corporation, Archrock.
• Represented 7-Eleven, Inc., the largest chain in the convenience retailing industry, with regard to the tax aspects of its acquisition of more than 100 gasoline and convenience store locations.
• Served as tax counsel for EOG Resources, Inc. in its $2.5 billion merger with Yates Petroleum.
• Advised Gulfport Energy Corporation on tax issues related to its $1.85 billion acquisition of oil and natural gas assets from Vitruvian II Woodford, LLC.
• Provided tax advice to Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its $2.55 billion acquisition of oil and natural gas assets in the Permian Basin from Brigham Resources LLC and in its $560 million acquisition of oil and gas assets in the Southern Delaware Basin.
• Advised an MLP client on the tax ramifications of a $142 million public offering of 4.6 million common units representing limited partner interests.
• Counseled an MLP in its contribution of a certain terminal pipeline and storage assets for a total consideration of $2 billion.
• Represented a downstream oil and gas MLP on the tax aspects of its $1.5 billion merger with an affiliated public corporation.
• Guided an upstream oil and gas MLP in its $915 million merger with an affiliated public corporation.
• Assisted an international oil and gas trading and marketing company in connection with the sale of its West Texas assets totaling more than $750 million.

Speeches:

• “MLP Matters: New IRS Guidance,” Akin Gump Mid-Year Energy Briefing, Houston, 2015.
• “The New Energy Paradigm: Investing and Operating in the Current Market,” Houston 2016.
• “Impact of Tax Reform on the Energy Sector: A Lively Discussion of Major Changes Affecting Energy Companies and Power Projects,” Akin Gump Energy Briefing, Houston, 2018.

Affiliations:

• Member, Texas Bar Association Tax Section.
• Board of Directors, Asian American Bar Association of Houston.
• Member, Houston Bar Association Tax Section.
• Member, State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section.

Recognition:

• Recognized as a “40 Under 40” award winner by the Houston Business Journal, 2016.
• Awarded “Best Lawyer Under 40” by the State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section.
• Named one of the “Most Powerful and Influential Women” and the 2016 Texas Diversity & Leadership Conference.
• Named a “Lawyer on the Rise” as part of Texas Lawyer’s 2017 Professional Excellence Awards .
• Named in Turnarounds & Workouts’ 2017 Top Bankruptcy Tax Specialists list.
• Ranked in Chambers USA in the area of tax, 2017 – 2018.

Languages:

• Mandarin
• Taiwanese

Education:

• LL.M., New York University School of Law, 2004
• J.D., University of Houston Law Center,cum laude, 2003
• B.A., University of Texas at Austin, with honors, 2000

Bar Admissions:

• Texas