DALLAS, May 4, 2022 – Baker Botts partners Jeff Becker, Preston Bernhisel, Christa Brown-Sanford, Samantha Hale Crispin, Larry Hall, Jason Loden, Steve Mann, Geoff Newton, Jim Prince, Shad Sumrow and Luke Weedon are among the lawyers featured in D Magazine’s “2022 Best Lawyers” list. The annual list recognizes members of the Dallas legal community on a peer-nominated basis.

Jeff Becker is a patent attorney with a background in computer engineering. His practice focuses on intellectual property matters, including complex patent litigation, patent prosecution, and patent portfolio development. His practice has involved a diverse range of technologies, including telecommunications, cellular, semiconductors, electronics, software and robotics.

Preston Bernhisel, the Chair of the Dallas Corporate Department, has been named to the list for the second 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 seventh time Christa Brown-Sanford has been named to the list. She is the Deputy Chair of the Intellectual Property Department, and serves on the firm's Executive Committee and Diversity & Inclusion 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 Samantha Hale Crispin’s eighth time being named to the list. She is Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department and a member of the Executive Committee. 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.

Larry Hall is a member of the Baker Botts Oil and Gas M&A Team. His practice centers around the representation of private-equity-backed and publicly traded oil and gas companies in their upstream transactions, as well as the representation of management teams and private equity providers in connection with private equity funding arrangements.

Jason Loden, who has made the list for the second time, focuses on employee benefits, executive compensation, and taxation. He advises clients regarding the implementation and administration of employee benefit plans, including qualified retirement plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, equity incentive plans, and welfare benefit programs.

Steve Mann’s practice focuses on the representation of both public and private companies in complex commercial and cross-border matters, with a particular focus on those relating to information technology; outsourcing; data commercialization and analytics; emerging technology; data privacy and security; complex manufacturing; and corporate transactions. This is the second time he has made the list.

It is Geoff Newton’s third year on the list. He 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. His private equity fund experience includes work for funds and family offices focusing on a variety of industries, including energy, real estate and consumer products.

Jim Prince, Baker Botts’ Restructuring Section Chair, has made the list for the third time. His practice centers on restructuring distressed businesses, both inside and outside of state and federal insolvency proceedings. His emphasis is on maximizing asset values and enhancing creditor and stakeholder recoveries, primarily through consensual workouts and debt restructuring, reorganizations, distressed capital market transactions and offensive and defensive litigation involving lending transactions.

Shad Sumrow, who has made the list for the fifth time, represents clients in lending and structured finance transactions, with an emphasis on oil and gas and asset-based transactions. He also represents clients in volumetric production payment and derivative transactions. He regularly counsels clients in connection with workouts, restructurings, bankruptcy, and creditors' rights.

Luke Weedon, Partner-in-Charge of Baker Botts’ Dallas office and firmwide Finance Section Chair, has landed a spot on the list for the tenth 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.

ABOUT BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.
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.