David C. D’Alessandro

Partner

Executive Compensation & Benefits

“I enjoy coming to work each day and practicing as an executive compensation attorney. I feel that is reflected in the work that I produce, the relationships I have with my clients, and my interactions with the team I work with at Vinson & Elkins.”

David C. D'Alessandro

Overview

David D’Alessandro is head of the Executive Compensation and Benefits practice, where he advises companies on the implementation of executive contracts with a particular focus on the tax and securities issues arising from executive compensation arrangements.

David’s clients include both private and publicly traded companies in a wide range of industries, from energy to financial services. His practice entails both mergers and acquisitions work and day-to-day counseling. He regularly advises clients on matters involving stock options, restricted stock, profits interests, performance-based compensation arrangements, golden parachutes, 409A issues and Securities Act and Exchange Act compliance as well as the structuring of employment, change in control and severance agreements.

Read More

Experience

  • Brigham Minerals, Inc. in its $261 million initial public offering of Class A common stock utilizing an Up-C structure

  • Energy Transfer Partners in the $60 billion merger with Energy Transfer Equity in a unit-for-unit exchange 

  • Devon Energy Corp. in the $3.125 billion sale of ownership interests in EnLink Midstream Partners and EnLink Midstream to Global Infrastructure Partners

  • RSP Permian in its $9.5 billion sale to Concho Resources, creating the largest unconventional shale producer in the Permian Basin

  • Oasis Midstream Partners LP in its $147 million initial public offering of common units

  • Oncor Electric Delivery Company in its approximately $400 million asset swap with Sharyland Utilities and Sharyland Distribution & Transmission Services

  • Focus Financial Partners in an investment by Stone Point Capital and KKR that values Focus at approximately $2 billion

  • Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. in its $728 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Centennial Resource Production in the approximately $1.39 billion sale of the company, a Natural Gas Partners portfolio company, to Silver Run Acquisition Corporation

  • Nexeo Solutions, a chemicals and plastics distributor and TPG Capital portfolio company, in its $1.575 billion merger with WL Ross Holdings Corp.

  • Eagle Rock Energy Partners in its $614 million merger with Vanguard Natural Resources 

  • Western Refining in the $2.4 billion take private of Northern Tier Energy, an independent downstream energy company with refining, retail and logistics operations

Expand All

Credentials

Education

  • University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1994
  • Boston College, B.A., Economics summa cum laude, 1991

Admissions

  • Texas

Expand All

Recognitions

  • Chambers USA, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Dallas, Ft. Worth), 2019–2024; Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Houston), 2025 and 2026
  • Legal 500 U.S., Labor & Employment: Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation & Retirement Plans: Transactional, 2011−2026
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Lawyer of the Year,” Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (Dallas), 2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (Dallas), 2005−2027
  • Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2012−2025
  • Selected to the 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers list, Lawdragon, 2021, 2022, 2025, and 2026
  • MergerLinks, Top Employment Lawyers (North America), 2022
Insights

Client Alerts

Time for Spring Cleaning: The SEC Proposes Amendments to Declutter Public Company Filer Categories

With summer just around the corner, the SEC made one final attempt at spring cleaning by proposing sweeping reforms to …

May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026 • 7-minute read

sec, securities and exchange commission

Client Alerts

Executive Compensation Under the New Administration

In this update, Vinson & Elkins attorneys highlight three key issues: Proxy Advisor Regulations SEC Chair and NLRB General Counsel Appointments Trump-era Changes to Executive Compensation Regulations and Taxation

January 8, 2025 • Published by Corporate Compliance Insights, January 17, 2025

January 8, 2025 • 6-minute read

Is Everyone Who Had COVID-19 Now Disabled Under the ADA? Background Decorative Image

Event Recaps

Third Annual Navigating the Annual Meeting and Reporting Season Program

In this program, we focused on SEC developments affecting, and practical aspects of preparing for, public companies’ annual meetings and annual reports.

November 16, 2023

November 16, 2023 • 1-minute read

Navigating Series Background Decorative Image
News & Achievements