Overview

Chris Bennett is a partner in in the firm’s Corporate practice group and is based in Houston. Chris advises public and private companies, private equity sponsors and other investors on a wide array of corporate transactions across the energy and infrastructure industries, with a focus on upstream and midstream oil and gas sectors. He also advises on infrastructure projects and M&A adjacent to the energy industry. He counsels clients on high-profile mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and other strategic combinations relating to energy assets and businesses, and the development and negotiation of related partnership, operating, processing, and other services and commercial agreements, in addition to advising on broader corporate governance issues.

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Experience

  • Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE: AR) and Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM) in the $3.9 billion acquisition of all of HG Energy II, LLC’s upstream and midstream assets.

  • Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE: AR) and Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM) in the combined $1.2 billion sale of Antero Resources’ Ohio Utica Shale upstream assets and Antero Midstream’s Ohio Utica Shale gathering, compression and water assets

  • Antero Midstream LLC in its $70 million acquisition of certain gas gathering, compression, dehydration, measurement and appurtenant facilities in Doddridge and Harrison County, WV, from Mountaineer Midstream Company, LLC (a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Summit Midstream Partners, LP)

  • IMTT Holdings LLC (a portfolio company of Riverstone Holdings LLC) in its sale of five bulk liquids storage terminals located in Alamogordo, NM, Bremen, GA, Macon, GA, Montgomery, AL and Moundville, AL to JET Infrastructure Holding IA LLC (a portfolio company of Instar Asset Management); and in the sale of its bulk liquids storage terminal located in Gretna, Louisiana, to BWC Terminals

  • Bighorn (f/k/a Sable Permian Resources) in its announced sale of all of its assets to Earthstone Energy for $860 million in cash and stock consideration

  • Angelo Gordon in out-of-court comprehensive restructuring of Abraxas Petroleum, which also included the sale of assets to Lime Rock Resources

  • EQT Corporation in its acquisition of the upstream and midstream subsidiaries of Alta Resources Development, LLC for approximately $2.93 billion in cash and stock

  • ArcLight Capital Partners in its acquisition from Murphy Oil Corporation and joint venture with Ridgewood Energy Corporation to co-own the King’s Quay floating production system in the Gulf of Mexico

  • Solaris Water Midstream in connection with its acquisition of water gathering, disposal and recycling assets in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico from ConocoPhillips (as successor to Concho Resources) and simultaneous joint venture with ConocoPhillips focused on optimizing water logistics in the Northern Delaware basin

  • EPIC Midstream in various corporate transactions and debt and equity financings in connection with its development of crude oil and NGL pipelines from the Delaware basin to Corpus Christi, Texas

  • The subsidiary of a multinational integrated oil and gas company in its $545 million acquisition of deepwater Gulf of Mexico assets from Cobalt International Energy pursuant to bankruptcy court 363 proceedings

  • Southwestern Energy in connection with its $1.86 billion sale of its Fayetteville Shale exploration and production and gathering businesses to Flywheel Energy

  • Multiple private equity portfolio companies and private equity sponsors in connection with many upstream asset acquisitions and divestitures

Credentials

Education

  • Tulane University Law School, J.D. magna cum laude, 2010
  • Louisiana State University, B.A. cum laude, 2007

Admissions

  • Texas

Recognitions

  • Chambers USA, Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional), 2022–2026
  • Chambers Global, Energy & Oil (Transactional) (USA), 2026; “Up and Coming,” Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional), 2023–2025
  • Legal 500 U.S., Energy Transactions: Oil & Gas, 2025
  • Selected to the 500 Leading Energy Lawyers, Lawdragon, 2025 and 2026
  • Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2016–2024
News & Achievements

Deals & Cases

Vinson & Elkins Advises WaterBridge Infrastructure on Acquisition of Northern Delaware Basin Landfill

Vinson & Elkins advised affiliates of WaterBridge Infrastructure LLC in connection with its entry into a definitive agreement to purchase …

August 6, 2026

August 6, 2026 • 1-minute read

Deals & Cases

Vinson & Elkins Advises Funds Managed by Affiliates of Apollo Global Management in Acquisition of Maverick Water Group

Vinson & Elkins advised funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. in the acquisition of Maverick Water Group, …

August 3, 2026

August 3, 2026 • 1-minute read

Awards & Rankings

Chambers Global 2026 Recognizes Vinson & Elkins in 27 Practice Categories; 57 Individual Lawyer Rankings

Chambers Global, announced today, recognizes Vinson & Elkins in 27 practice categories, including new rankings for Construction in the UAE, …

February 12, 2026

February 12, 2026 • 2-minute read

Deals & Cases

Vinson & Elkins Advises Antero Resources and Antero Midstream in $3.9 Billion Acquisition of HG Energy II Upstream and Midstream Assets

Vinson & Elkins also advised Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE: AR) (“Antero Resources”) and Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM) (“Antero Midstream”) in connection with the entry into a definitive agreement to acquire all of HG Energy II, LLC’s upstream and midstream assets, respectively, for a combined $3.9 billion in cash (subject to customary closing conditions and adjustments).

December 8, 2025

December 8, 2025 • 1-minute read

Deals & Cases

Vinson & Elkins Advises Antero Resources Corporation and Antero Midstream Corporation in Strategic Upstream and Midstream Transactions

Vinson & Elkins advised Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE: AR) (“Antero Resources”) and Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM) (“Antero Midstream”) in connection with the entry into definitive agreements to sell Antero Resources’ Ohio Utica Shale upstream assets and Antero Midstream’s Ohio Utica Shale gathering, compression and water assets for a combined $1.2 billion in cash (subject to customary closing conditions and adjustments).

December 8, 2025

December 8, 2025 • 1-minute read