Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
March 4, 2026
Paul Weiss Picks Up Third Kirkland M&A Partner for New Houston Office


2 min
AI-made summary
- • Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has hired Kirkland & Ellis M&A partner Jennifer Gasser for its new Houston office. • Gasser joins the M&A group, focusing on transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors. • She is the third Kirkland M&A partner to join Paul Weiss in Houston, following Sean Wheeler and Debbie Yee. • Gasser has recently represented clients such as EQT Corp., Sandbrook Capital, Cloverleaf Infrastructure, Celanese, and ONEOK, Inc
- in various transactions. • Kirkland & Ellis wished Gasser well in her new role at Paul Weiss.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has added a third Kirkland & Ellis M&A partner to its new office in Houston, a market experiencing heavy interest and hiring from Big Law firms this year. Kirkland partner Jennifer Gasser joined Paul Weiss on Tuesday as a partner in the M&A group within the corporate department. Her practice focuses on M&A, divestitures and joint ventures in the energy and infrastructure sectors. In early February, Paul Weiss announced its move into Houston and the hiring of Kirkland M&A partner Sean Wheeler, who will serve as co-chair of global M&A and head of the Houston office, and Wheeler's longtime colleague, Kirkland M&A partner Debbie Yee. “Jennifer’s arrival marks another key step in the continued buildout of our Houston team, and we are excited to welcome her to the firm,” Paul Weiss chairman Scott Barshay wrote in a press release. Wheeler wrote that Gasser's "proven track record" advising clients in energy and infrastructure on important transactions makes her an "invaluable addition" to the team in Houston. “Jennifer is a highly skilled M&A lawyer," he wrote. Gasser could not immediately be reached for a comment on her move. In a press release, she wrote that she has been impressed for a long time by the caliber of work her new firm handles. “I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and expanding the firm’s leading capabilities within Houston, a hotbed of activity for energy and infrastructure,” she wrote. According to Paul Weiss, Gasser has recently represented EQT Corp. in multiple transactions, including a midstream joint venture with Blackstone Credit & Insurance and a merger with Equitrans Midstream Corp.; Sandbrook Capital in its acquisition of Bernhard Capital Partners’ equity interests in United Utility Services and Electro Rent Corp.’s equity interests in Intellirent; Cloverleaf Infrastructure in its sale of powered land to Vantage Data Centers for development of a data center campus; Celanese in the divestment of its Micromax portfolio of products to Element Solutions,; and ONEOK, Inc. in its acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners’ equity interests in Medallion Midstream. A spokesperson for Kirkland provided this comment on Gasser's departure: “We wish Jennifer well in her new role.”
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Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
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