
Benjamin Barron

Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002

Benji focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions and private equity. He advises private equity firms and public and private companies in connection with strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. Most recently, Benji worked as an Associate General Counsel for one of the largest independent midstream infrastructure companies in North America. Benji also serves as a Talent/Diversity lead for the Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets group in Houston.
Experience Highlights
Targa Resources Corp. in connection with its entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Lucid Energy, a company that natural gas gathering, treating and processing services in the Delaware Basin, from Riverstone Holdings and Goldman Sachs Asset Management for $3.55 billion
Stonepeak Partners in connection with its investment in Maas Energy Works, a leading renewable natural gas developer in the United States
Long Ridge Energy Terminal, a portfolio company of Fortress Investment Group, in the execution of a definitive agreement for the investment in and development of a low carbon, biodegradable plastics production facility in Hannibal, Ohio with Newlight Technologies
Oasis Petroleum Inc. in a $6 billion merger of equals with Whiting Petroleum Corporation creating Chord Energy
A portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners in the $500 million cash commitment from I Squared Capital in connection with the contribution of its Permian midstream portfolio company
Desert Peak Minerals in an agreement to combine with Falcon Minerals Corporation in a $1.9 billion transaction
Targa Resources in the $857 million sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary that holds a 25% equity interest in the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline
NorthStar Realty Finance in its approximately $16 billion combination with NorthStar Asset Management Group and Colony Capital in an all-stock merger of equals
AltaGas in the $6.4 billion acquisition of WGL Holdings, owner of a regulated natural gas utility, a midstream franchise and non-regulated contracted power and energy marketing businesses
Targa Resources Corp. in the $1.1 billion development joint venture with Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners for ownership of a 25% interest in the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline, a 20% interest in the Grand Prix Pipeline, and a 100% interest in Targa’s next fractionation train
Targa Resources Partners and Targa Resources Corp. in the $7.7 billion acquisition of Atlas Pipeline Partners and Atlas Energy
Targa Resources Corp. in its $6.7 billion acquisition of Targa Resources Partners in an all stock-for-unit transaction
Memorial Resource Development in its $4.4 billion merger with Range Resources
TPG in its $2.66 billion acquisition of assets from EnerVest in a SPAC business combination
Select Energy Services, an affiliate of Crestview Partners, in its $1.3 billion merger with Rockwater Energy Solutions
The Conflicts Committee of the Board of Directors of El Paso Pipeline Partners in the $76 billion acquisition by Kinder Morgan Inc. of El Paso Pipeline Partners, Kinder Morgan Pipeline Partners and Kinder Morgan Management
Oil States International in the $2.6 billion spin-off of its accommodations business, Civeo Corporation, into an independent, publicly traded company
Natural Resource Partners in its $205 million acquisition of VantaCore, a private limited partnership specializing in the construction materials industry, from Trilantic, Kayne Anderson, and other minority owners
Venator Materials PLC in its separation from Huntsman Corporation
Goodrich Petroleum Corporation in its $480 million sale to Paloma Partners, an EnCap affiliate, in an all cash tender offer
Oasis Petroleum and its affiliate companies in the $1.8 billion merger of Oasis Midstream Partners LP with Crestwood Equity Partners LP
Targa Resources in its $1.6 billion sale of a minority interest in Targa Badlands to GSO Capital Partners and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities
ARM Energy Holdings, a premier infrastructure and energy marketing services firm, in its acquisition of Monument Pipeline from NextEra Energy Partners
Deep Gulf Energy Companies, a deepwater oil and gas exploration and development business operating in the Gulf of Mexico and a portfolio company of First Reserve, in its $1.225 billion sale to Kosmos Energy
EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners, in a joint venture with Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline, to construct and own the approximately $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline Project
U.S. Oil & Refining Co.’s private equity sponsor in its $358 million divestiture of U.S. Oil & Refining Co. and certain affiliated entities, including a refinery, marine terminal, a rail loading terminal and refined product and crude oil storage, to Par Pacific Holdings
Talara Capital Management in its $50 million line of equity commitment to Viola Oil & Gas, an exploration and production company
Pine Brook Road Partners in its equity commitment to Stonegate Production Company II, an oil and gas exploration and production company focused on oil and gas projects in the United States
Century Payments in the sale of the company, an electronic payment processing company, to a wholly owned subsidiary of WorldPay US
Credentials
- Columbia Law School, J.D., 2012 (James Kent Scholar; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar)
- Georgetown University, A.B., History (Honors) and Classics magna cum laude, 2009
- Legal 500 U.S., M&A/Corporate & Commercial: Private Equity Buyouts, 2022; M&A/Corporate & Commercial: M&A – Large Deals ($1 Billion-Plus), 2023
- Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2019, 2022, and 2023
- Texas
- Deals & CasesNovember 29, 2023
- Deals & CasesNovember 8, 2023
- Rankings & AwardsJune 12, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 4, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 3, 2023
- Deals & CasesJune 27, 2022
- Deals & CasesJune 17, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 16, 2022
- Deals & CasesMay 20, 2022
- Deals & CasesApril 4, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMarch 29, 2022
- Deals & CasesMarch 7, 2022
- Deals & CasesJanuary 12, 2022
- Deals & CasesDecember 20, 2021
- Deals & CasesNovember 22, 2021
- Deals & CasesOctober 26, 2021
- Deals & CasesOctober 12, 2021
- Press ReleaseJuly 19, 2021