Paul Weiss Turns to Kirkland Partner to Build New Houston Office

Paul Weiss said Tuesday it brought on Kirkland & Ellis’ Jennifer Gasser for its Houston office as an M&A partner, the firm’s first hire since it entered the Texas legal market last month.

Gasser will advise private equity sponsors and public companies in the energy and infrastructure industries on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. She will join former Kirkland partners Sean Wheeler and Debbie Yee in spearheading the new Texas post.

“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 A. Barshay said in a statement.

Wall Street’s Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison in early February launched its Houston office after a failed attempt to open a post there in 2024 when it approached partners from Kirkland, Latham & Watkins, Sidley Austin, and Baker Botts with guarantees of $10 million to $15 million for multiple years.

Paul Weiss entered Houston’s legal market amid a rush of Big Law firms moving into the state’s energy capital, which was already stacked with long-established firms including Baker Botts, Vinson & Elkins, Kirkland, Latham, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Sullivan & Cromwell, another New York powerhouse, launched its own Houston office with a junior partner hire from Kirkland last month.

Wheeler, who is Paul Weiss’ global co-chair of M&A and head of the Houston office, is now tasked with building a Texas team advising clients on “the full spectrum of public and private transactions, including mergers, private equity invstments, divestitures, joint ventures, and take private transactions,” according to the firm’s newly created webpage for the Houston office.

In Tuesday’s announcement, Wheeler said Gasser’s experience advising clients in energy and infrastructure “makes her an invaluable addition to our growing Houston team.” He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Gasser’s recent representations include advising EQT Corp. in multiple billion-dollar transactions, including the American natural gas producer’s midstream joint venture with Blackstone Credit & Insurance and its merger with Equitrans Midstream Corp., according to the firm’s statement. She has also advised clients on negotiations of partnership and LLC agreements, securities laws compliance, and corporate governance matters.