People

Clinton Culpepper Baker Botts Austin
Clint Culpepper
Partner | Department Chair - Corporate (Austin)

Overview

Clint Culpepper is the firmwide Co-Head of Private Credit and Chair of the Corporate Department in Austin. Recognized repeatedly for his practice by The Best Lawyers in America as "One to Watch" for Banking and Finance Law (2021-2025), and by Chambers and Partners as "Up and Coming: Bank Finance-Texas," (2024). Clint's practice focuses on all types of debt transactions, where he represents borrowers, issuers, agents, lenders and investors. His practice particularly focuses on representing private equity firms, private credit, direct lenders and companies in transactions in the technology and energy spaces.

His recent transactions include representing Par Pacific in over $1 billion in term loan and revolver facilities, representing the agent bank in a senior secured term loan to Eos Energy Enterprises, a publicly traded clean energy battery storage company, and representing the borrower in a venture debt financing to a privately held clinical-stage biotech company.

Clint guest lectures at Michigan State University College of Law and is a frequent presenter on debt-related legal topics. He sits on the board of directors of the National Association of Corporate Director's Texas Tricities chapter, and is a member of the American College of Investment Counsel, the Opportunity Austin initiative for the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Global Investment and Innovation Council for Austin and the Advisory Board of the Center of Investment Management for the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.

He is a Certified Public Accountant. Prior to law school, Clint was an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a member of (i) the firm's private equity group, (ii) the Austin office's employment committee and (iii) the Austin office's client development committee. He has been at Baker Botts his entire legal career.

Admission & Affiliations

  • State Bar of Texas
  • Austin Bar Association
  • Austin Association of Young Lawyers
  • Certified Public Accountant, Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • American College of Investment Counsel
  • National Association of Corporate Directors (Texas Tri Cities Chapter) - Board Member
  • J.D., The University of Texas School of Law 2012
    with honors
  • M.S., Finance, Texas A&M University 2008
  • B.B.A., Accounting, Texas A&M University 2008
    summa cum laude

Experience

Credit Facilities

  • Sponsor backed digital infrastructure company – $300 million acquisition financing senior secured credit facility
  • Private Credit Lender and Administrative Agent – $48.5 million senior secured credit facility to a designer and manufacturer of broadband delivery satellites
  • Lead arranger and administrative agent – $500 million first lien revolving credit facility and $750 million senior secured term loan to offshore drilling company
  • Telecommunications corporation – $550 million senior secured revolving credit facility; $400 million senior secured term loan B; and $600 million senior notes
  • Sponsor backed data center and digital infrastructure company – $147 million acquisition financing senior secured credit facility
  • BP PLC – Up to $2.1 billion senior secured seller financing in connection with BP PLC's sale of its upstream Alaska business to Hilcorp Energy
  • Private Credit Lender and Administrative Agent – $65 million senior secured credit facility to a fitness technology company
  • Sponsor backed digital infrastructure company – $147 million acquisition financing senior secured credit facility
  • Public refinery company – Over $1.0 billion in asset based revolving credit facility; $550 million term loan facility
  • Lead arranger and administrative agent – $1.0 billion revolving credit facility and $2.0 billion 364-day revolving credit facility for a midstream energy company
  • Sponsor backed energy midstream company – $1.43 billion term loan credit facility and $50.0 million super senior revolving credit facility
  • Public utility company – $1.6 billion revolving credit facility; $600 million revolving credit facility; and $300 million revolving credit facility
  • Offshore drilling company – $1.0 billion senior secured revolving credit facility
  • Public utility company – $475 million revolving credit facility
  • Supplier of nuclear components and fuel – $900 million senior secured credit facility
  • International engineering and construction company – $2.15 billion senior secured term loan facility; $1.0 billion senior secured revolving credit facility; and $1.3 billion senior secured letter of credit facility
  • U.S. Department of Transportation – $2.45 billion loan to Amtrak under the RRIF program to finance purchase of new high speed trainsets for the Northeast Corridor
  • Lead arranger and administrative agent – $424 million revolving credit facility for the general partner of a midstream MLP
  • Lead arranger and administrative agent – $3.5 billion revolving credit facility for a midstream energy company

Debt Offerings

  • Privately owned grocery company – $1.2 billion of senior notes issued to institutional investors
  • Public upstream oil & gas company – acquisition financing of $650 million senior secured notes issued to institutional investors
  • Public REIT – $160 million of senior notes issued to institutional investors
  • Underwriter – $575 million offering of 8.625% senior second lien secured notes by a public midstream company
  • Underwriter – $750 million offering of 5.375% senior secured notes by an offshore drilling company
  • Institutional investors – purchase of $500 million of senior secured notes issued by a privately owned company operating in the offshore services industry
  • Institutional investors – purchase of $250 million of guaranteed secured senior notes issued by a privately owned company operating in the bulk-liquid transportation, storage and distribution services industry
  • Offshore drilling company – aggregate of approximately $3.0 billion in multiple private placements of senior secured notes
  • Institutional investors – purchase of $800 million of senior notes issued by a pipeline company
  • Institutional investors – purchase of Cdn. $100 million of senior secured notes and private shelf facility of $173.5 million of senior notes issued by a pipeline company
  • Institutional investors – purchase of $20 million of senior secured notes and private shelf facility of $55 million of senior secured notes issued by a food ingredients company
  • International engineering and construction company – $1.3 billion senior notes
  • Underwriter – $700 million offering of 10% senior secured notes by E&P company
  • Placement Agent – $80 million private placement of senior secured second lien notes for Shelf Drilling Holdings, Ltd.


Awards and Community

Recognized as "Up and Coming: Bank Finance-Texas" by Chambers USA, 2024

Recognized as "One to Watch" for Banking and Finance Law by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward White, Inc.), 2021-2025