S. Kris Agarwal

New York, NY, July 8, 2022 --- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that debt finance lawyer Andrew Thomison and energy M&A lawyer Brad Honeycutt have joined the Firm as partners in the Corporate & Financial Services Department. Both are based in Houston. Their arrivals follow that of private equity partner Kris Agarwal, who joined Willkie’s Houston office in May. Willkie Chairman Thomas Cerabino commented: “Houston remains an important growth area for the Firm, as we continue to strategically build out our private equity and energy businesses. Andrew and Brad are important components in further strengthening our presence in this market, and their broad range of experience and relationships across the corporate, M&A and private equity landscapes make them a great fit for our platform.” Archie Fallon, a Managing Partner of the Houston office, commented: “Andrew and Brad are immersed in the finance and energy sectors, having acted for a range of lenders, investors and sponsors, as well as energy companies financing growth transactions. We are thrilled to welcome them to our team.” Andrew represents borrowers, financial institutions, capital companies, agent banks, private equity funds and other institutional investors in connection with acquisition financings, senior and subordinated debt, working capital credit facilities, bridge loans, asset-based financings, secured and unsecured term lending, high-yield debt offerings, private placements of securities, reserve-based lending and other forms of debt financing. Brad advises energy companies, private equity investors and other public and private companies in connection with corporate and transactional matters, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private financing transactions, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations and general corporate matters. Earlier in his career, he served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of a large oil and gas private equity portfolio company, where he was a founding member of the management team and responsible for sourcing, structuring and executing strategic transactions in addition to serving as the lead in-house legal counsel. Both Andrew and Brad join from Baker Botts, where they were partners. Andrew commented: “I’ve worked across from Willkie over the years and have long admired the Firm for its exceptional reputation as having a premier, global corporate platform. Brad and I are excited to work with the team to further expand Willkie’s Houston office.” Brad added: “Willkie’s Houston team is consistently involved in high caliber private equity and energy investment transactions across the energy value chain, including oil and gas, renewables and energy transition. I look forward to working alongside Andrew and my new colleagues at Willkie to expand the Houston office’s private equity and energy sector client base.” Opened in 2014, Willkie’s Houston office extends the Firm’s prominent private equity, M&A and restructuring practices to sponsors in the region that focus on investments in the energy, industrial, manufacturing and financial services sectors. Lawyers in the Houston office leverage the integrated capabilities of the Firm to provide representation across a broad range of sophisticated matters. Willkie also supports a range of charitable organizations and pro bono efforts and is committed to the Houston community. ***************************************************** Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is an international law firm of approximately 1,000 attorneys with offices in Brussels, Chicago, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Rome, San Francisco and Washington. The Firm is headquartered in New York City at 787 Seventh Avenue.

Jul 8

2 min

New York, NY, May 9, 2022 --- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that leading private equity lawyer Kris Agarwal has joined the Firm as a partner. Based in the Houston office, he brings immense industry knowledge and client experience and bolsters Willkie’s significant private equity capabilities in the Texas market and beyond. Kris is the fifth private equity partner to join Willkie this year, with others joining in Los Angeles and San Francisco. “Kris has been a fixture in the private equity market and the Houston business community for decades. His arrival is the latest demonstration of the attractiveness of our platform to talented practitioners across the U.S. and in Europe,” said Willkie Chairman Thomas Cerabino. “His time serving as general counsel at two major private equity firms gives him a unique perspective on client needs and legal services that we think will be of great value to our clients.” He continued: “In Houston, Kris will be a key component of building out our private equity and energy business. We have a number of other discussions underway to supplement our Houston-based private equity and energy practices.” Archie Fallon, a Managing Partner of the Houston office, commented: “Kris is well known to Willkie’s corporate and funds practice, having worked with a number of our partners across offices. He has an innovative perspective on advising sponsors and their companies, leveraging deep relationships in Texas, New York and California. We view him as a proven leader and a catalyst for expansion of our Houston office.” Kris has more than two decades of experience across the full spectrum of private equity advisory work, including in private practice and at top global private equity firms. He served as Principal and General Counsel of Platinum Equity Advisors, where he advised senior management on the overall strategy of the organization, and oversaw corporate governance matters, material litigation and regulatory matters for more than 35 portfolio companies. Prior to this, he was Managing Director and General Counsel of private equity firm Lime Rock Management for 10 years, where he built out the legal and compliance department, and oversaw the execution of the firm’s investments and portfolio company management. He has significant experience advising on venture capital and growth/buyout fundraising initiatives, deal structuring, deal execution, and portfolio company oversight related to investments in a variety of sectors, including energy, media, technology, cybersecurity and cryptocurrency. Earlier in his career, he spent time in private practice. Kris commented: “Willkie is well known in the Houston market as having the premier global private equity platform with deep transactional, fund formation and regulatory experience. I’m thrilled to be joining the Firm and look forward to working closely with my talented colleagues in Houston and around the world.” Willkie has developed a 360° platform to provide comprehensive advice to private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, advising on everything from fund formations, platform acquisitions, tuck-in acquisitions and joint ventures, to bank credit and other debt financings, IPOs, follow-on offerings, SPACs, PIPEs and ultimate exits. Because of this approach, clients regularly grow with Willkie over time. Our Private Equity Practice Group handles transactions and cross-border matters worldwide, with attorneys practicing in 13 key market centers across the United States and Europe. Opened in 2014, Willkie’s Houston office extends the Firm’s prominent private equity, M&A and restructuring practices to sponsors in the region that focus on investments in the energy, industrial, manufacturing and financial services sectors. Lawyers in the Houston office leverage the integrated capabilities of the Firm to provide representation across a broad range of sophisticated matters. Willkie also supports a range of charitable organizations and pro bono efforts and is committed to the Houston community. ***************************************************** Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is an international law firm of approximately 1,000 attorneys with offices in Brussels, Chicago, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Rome, San Francisco and Washington. The Firm is headquartered in New York City at 787 Seventh Avenue.

May 9

3 min

Willkie advised Mercury as lead investor in a $3 million Series Seed financing round for Volt, a leading Messaging Operations infrastructure platform. On May 22, Volt announced the closing of its $3 million seed funding round led by Mercury, with participation from other investors. Volt is a leading Messaging Operations infrastructure platform that enables software companies to integrate with multiple SMS providers and streamline number registration compliance and delivery reporting. Mercury is an early-stage venture capital firm partnering with entrepreneurs to drive innovation across Middle America. The Willkie team was led by partner S. Kris Agarwal and counsel Emerson W. Girardeau III.

May 22

1 min

Willkie represented OpenGate Capital in the sale of a controlling interest in Mersive Technologies, a leading provider of wireless collaboration, meeting room, and AV distribution solutions, in a management-led acquisition. The management team of Mersive Technologies recently announced an investment resulting in management owning the controlling interest in the company, which had been majority owned by OpenGate Capital since 2017. Under OpenGate's ownership, Mersive expanded its global footprint, strengthened its channel relationships, and advanced its position as a category leader in enterprise collaboration technology. OpenGate Capital is a global private equity firm headquartered in New York and Paris. The firm has executed more than 40 platform acquisitions across North America and Europe. The Willkie team was led by partner Kris Agarwal and included partner Christian Truman.

Jan 6

1 min

Willkie recently represented energy storage business Caliche Development Partners in its acquisition by Sixth Street, a leading global investment firm, announced on August 20. Caliche is a Houston-based energy company focused on the underground storage of natural gas, industrial gases like hydrogen and helium, and carbon sequestration. Sixth Street's investment includes the company's Golden Triangle Storage (GTS) facilities and carbon sequestration development project in Beaumont, TX, and its Central Valley Gas Storage facilities in Princeton, CA. The investment provides Caliche with additional resources to pursue new opportunities and to expand the GTS complex. Following the close of the transaction, Caliche's leadership will continue to oversee day-to-day operations and will remain investors in the company. Sixth Street's investment is subject to certain regulatory approvals. The Willkie deal team was led by partner Archie Fallon and included partners Kris Agarwal, Ryan Giggs, counsel Emerson Girardeau, and associate Zoe Sellman.

Aug 21

1 min