Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:CHK) and Vine Energy Inc. (NYSE:VEI) have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Chesapeake will acquire Vine, an energy company focused on the development of natural gas properties in the over-pressured stacked Haynesville and Mid-Bossier shale plays in Northwest Louisiana. Latham & Watkins LLP represents Chesapeake Energy in the transaction with a Houston-based team led by partners Bill Finnegan and Kevin Richardson, with associates Thomas Verity, Bryan Ryan, Jordan Mack, Ben Marek, and Austin Johnson. Advice was provided on energy and infrastructure matters by Houston partner Michael King; on tax matters by Houston partners Tim Fenn and Jim Cole, with associate Christine Mainguy; on benefits and compensation matters by Washington, D.C. partner Adam Kestenbaum, with associate Courtney Thomson; on environmental matters by Houston partner Joel Mack and Los Angeles/Washington, D.C. counsel Joshua Marnitz; on finance matters by Houston partner Craig Kornreich and counsel Natalie McFarland, with associate Whitley Johnson; on antitrust matters by Washington, D.C. partner Jason Cruise, with associate Doug Tifft. Chesapeake Energy’s legal team was led by Ben Russ.~~