DALLAS - April 30, 2021 – Baker Botts partners Preston Bernhisel, Christa Brown-Sanford, Samantha Hale Crispin, Grant Everett, Steve Marcus, Geoffrey Newton and Luke Weedon were among the lawyers featured in D Magazine’s “2021 Best Lawyers” list. The annual list recognizes members of the Dallas legal community on a peer-nominated basis.

Preston Bernhisel, the Deputy Chair of the Dallas Corporate Department, has been named to the list for the first time. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, capital markets transactions, securities laws and other corporate matters, particularly in the oil & gas, power and renewable energy industries.

It is the sixth time Christa Brown-Sanford has been named to the list. She is the Deputy Chair of the Intellectual Property Department, co-chair of the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and serves on the firm's Executive Committee. She has a full-time patent practice, with the ability to advise on a number of different issues – working together with her clients to be a true counselor.

It is also Samantha Hale Crispin’s sixth time to be named to the list. She is a seasoned M&A lawyer with over 20 years of experience helping publicly traded and privately held corporate clients and private equity funds in complex M&A, capital markets and strategic business transactions. Crispin leads the firm's global Corporate TMT pillar, is Chair of the Dallas Corporate group and serves on the firm's Executive Committee.

Grant Everett, who represents public and private companies in a variety of corporate matters, was named to the list for the first time. Everett focuses principally on mergers and acquisitions, including negotiated acquisitions and divestitures as well as equity and debt securities offerings. His practice also focuses on structuring and forming joint ventures and other investment vehicles as well as a variety of cross-border transactions. He also advises clients regarding Exchange Act reporting, stock exchange compliance and corporate governance.

It is Steve Marcus’s seventh year on the list. He is the head of the Dallas Tax Department at Baker Botts, and for over 30 years, he has had the privilege of advising a wide variety of clients on federal tax planning and structuring matters. He has substantial experience in the real estate sector and the energy sector, and is a member of the Baker Botts Oil and Gas M&A team.

It is Geoff Newton’s first year on the list. As part of his wide-ranging practice, Newton represents purchasers and sellers in connection with mergers and acquisitions involving public and private companies. He also advises fund sponsors in the formation of private equity funds and similar vehicles and assists private equity funds in their investment activities. Newton’s private equity fund experience includes work for funds focusing on the energy (including midstream and upstream oil and gas) and real estate industries.

Luke Weedon landed a spot on the list for the ninth year. He devotes a significant part of his practice to secured and unsecured syndicated bank financings, including the representation of agent lenders and borrowers in connection with working capital facilities, acquisition financings, bridge loans, asset-based loans, first lien/second lien financings, letter of credit facilities and project financings.

Each year, the attorneys on D Magazine’s Best Lawyers list are peer-nominated on the basis that they offer unparalleled counsel in one of 40 categories.

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Baker Botts is an international law firm whose lawyers practice throughout a network of offices around the globe. Based on our experience and knowledge of our clients' industries, we are recognized as a leading firm in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors. Since 1840, we have provided creative and effective legal solutions for our clients while demonstrating an unrelenting commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit bakerbotts.com.