About me

Address: Houston: 1111 Louisiana Street, 44th Floor, Houston, TX 77002-5200

Areas of Focus: Capital Markets; Corporate; Mergers & Acquisitions; Climate Change; Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances; Projects & Energy Transition; Public Company Advisory

Biography:
John helps clients navigate strategic transactions, primarily in the energy business. He advises public and private companies and private equity funds in initial public offerings (IPOs) and other public and private equity and debt offerings, as well as complex joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, John counsels public companies, their boards of directors and board committees in strategic and governance matters, including mergers, sales of control and conflict situations, as well as Securities and Exchange Commission compliance. John was the partner in charge of the Houston office and the co-head of Akin’s global corporate practice until 2022.

Representative Work:
- Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its agreement to acquire Encino Acquisition Partners for $5.6 billion.
- Represented Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its agreement to sell Environmental Disposal Systems, LLC to Deep Blue Midland Basin LLC.
- Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its public offering of $3.5 billion in senior notes.
- Represented Viper Energy, Inc. in its public offering of $1.3 billion in common stock.
- Represented Talos Energy Inc. in its $1.29 billion agreement to acquire QuarterNorth Energy.
- Represented Viper Energy, Inc. in its acquisition of subsidiaries of Tumbleweed Royalty IV and related entities for $1.1 billion.
- Represented EOG Resources, Inc. in its public offering of $1 billion in senior notes.

Credentials:
Education: J.D., University of Houston Law Center, 1997 (cum laude); B.S., University of Florida, 1993
Bar Admissions: Texas, 1997

Recognitions:
- Chambers Global, Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States, 2020, 2022-2026, and Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional): Central United States, 2024-2026.
- Chambers USA , Capital Markets: Debt and Equity, 2013-202 6; Capital Markets: Debt and Equity, Central United States, 2019 and 2021-2026; Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional), 2019 and 2021-202 6.
- The Legal 500 US , Energy: Transactions: Oil and Gas, 2019-2026; Capital Markets: Debt Offerings: Advice to Issuers, 2019-2023; Corporate Governance, 2019-2021; Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power, 2021; M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+), 2022.
- University of Houston Law Center, Private Practice Award, 2022.
- The Legal 500 Latin America , Projects and Energy, 2022.
- IFLR1000, Notable Practitioners, 2020.
- IFLR1000 United States , Notable Practitioner in Capital Markets: Debt and Capital Markets: Equity, 2019.
- Acritas , Acritas Star, 2019.
- Law360, Energy MVP, 2013 and 2018.

Affiliations:
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Insights:
- SEC Proposes Regulation Crypto Assets: A Tailored Offering Framework for Crypto Investment Contracts (August 19, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-proposes-regulation-crypto-assets-a-tailored-offering-framework-for-crypto-investment-contracts
- DExit: The Reincorporation Decision — A Guide for Investors (July 29, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/dexit-the-reincorporation-decision-a-guide-for-investors
- Is It Time to DExit?  A Guide for Boards (July 22, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/is-it-time-to-dexit-a-guide-for-boards
- SEC Proposes Regulation E-Delivery: Electronic Delivery Would Become the Default (July 17, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-proposes-regulation-e-delivery-electronic-delivery-would-become-the-default
- SEC Expands Availability of Five Business Day Tender and Exchange Offers (July 6, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-expands-availability-of-five-business-day-tender-and-exchange-offers
- Akin Secures Top Rankings in The Legal 500 US 2026  (June 10, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/akin-secures-top-rankings-in-the-legal-500-us-2026
- Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices  (June 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- SEC Proposes Reforms to Registered Offerings and Public Company Reporting (May 21, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-proposes-reforms-to-registered-offerings-and-public-company-reporting
- SEC Proposes Optional Semiannual Reporting for Public Companies: What You Need to Know (May 6, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-proposes-optional-semiannual-reporting-for-public-companies-what-you-need-to-know
- SEC Grants Relief Permitting Shortened Tender Offer Periods for Equity Securities (April 20, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-grants-relief-permitting-shortened-tender-offer-periods-for-equity-securities
- SEC Adopts Final Rules Requiring Section 16(a) Reporting for Directors and Officers of FPIs, and Provides Exemptive Relief for FPI Directors and Officers in Qualifying Jurisdictions (March 12, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-adopts-final-rules-requiring-section-16a-reporting-for-directors-and-officers-of-foreign-private-issuers-fpis-and-provides-exemptive-relief-for-fpi-directors-and-officers
- Key Trends and Developments from the Bond Markets During 2025: What Directors Need to Know (March 11, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/key-trends-and-developments-from-the-bond-markets-during-2025-what-directors-need-to-know