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John E. Lynch
John E. Lynch
Partner — Tax
E: jlynch@velaw.com T: +1.713.758.1050
VCard BIO PDF
Partner — Tax

John E. Lynch

John E. Lynch
Houston
T: +1.713.758.1050
F: +1.713.615.5774

Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002

E: jlynch@velaw.com
VCard BIO PDF
start quote symbolWhen I work on large, multifaceted transactions, my goal is to find practical solutions to complex tax issues that fit within my client’s commercial framework. I enjoy the challenge of balancing all of the competing interests and concerns.end quote symbol
John E. Lynch

John Lynch focuses on federal income tax aspects of domestic and international transactions, primarily those involving energy and infrastructure.

For more than three decades, John has advised clients on company formations, complex mergers and acquisitions, capital investments, restructurings, spin-offs and asset and stock sales. His clients include private equity funds, publicly traded companies and large privately held companies. Though his work is highly technical, John prides himself on making complex material understandable for his clients.

John has earned recognition by multiple publications, including Chambers USA, where one reviewer said, “He is one of the rare tax lawyers who can simplify and break down complex tax issues in a way that is understandable for clients” (2022).

Experience Highlights

  • EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners, in a joint venture with Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, to construct and own the approximately $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline Project

  • International Paper Co. in the transfer of its $1.8 billion North American consumer packaging business to a joint venture with Graphic Packaging Corp. 

  • Plains GP Holdings, L.P. in its $2.9 billion initial public offering of common units; transaction was the first use of an Up-C structure in the MLP space

  • Antero Midstream Partners LP in its $1.15 billion initial public offering of common units

  • Frank’s International N.V. in its $759 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Parsley Energy, Inc. in its $750 million IPO utilizing an UP-C structure in the E&P space

  • A large international energy company in the spin-off of its California oil and gas business into an independent and separately traded company

  • Ranger Energy Services, Inc. in its $85 million initial public offering of common stock 

  • Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc. in its $121 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Select Energy Services, Inc. in its $122 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Jagged Peak Energy Inc. in its $474 million initial public offering of common stock

  • Venator Materials PLC in its $522 million initial public offering of ordinary shares by a selling shareholder and separation from Huntsman Corporation

  • RSP Permian, Inc. in its $448 million initial public offering of common stock

  • WildHorse Resource Development in its $625 million acquisition of 111,000 net acres and associated production from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and affiliates of KKR and the $435 million private purchase of Series A perpetual convertible preferred stock by The Carlyle Group 

  • Blackstone in its $1.57 billion acquisition of an interest in the Rover pipeline project from a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners

  • Rice Energy in its $6.7 billion merger with EQT Corporation, creating the largest independent producer of natural gas in the United States

  • Blackstone in the $2 billion acquisition of Eagle Claw Midstream Ventures from EnCap Flatrock Midstream

  • Inergy, L.P. and Inergy Midstream, L.P. in an $8 billion multistep combination transaction with Crestwood Midstream Partners LP and Crestwood Holdings LLC

  • Permian Mud Service in the $2.3 billion sale of Champion Technologies, a global energy specialty products and services company, to Ecolab

Credentials

  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1986 (Order of the Coif)
  • Baylor University, B.B.A., Accounting with honors, 1983
  • Chambers USA, Tax (Texas), 2011–2014 and 2016–2022
  • Legal 500 U.S., Domestic Tax: Central, 2012–2017; Tax: International Tax, 2018–2022; Tax: US Taxes – Non-Contentious, 2018 and 2020–2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Tax Law (Houston), 2003, 2006−2023
  • International Tax Review: World Tax Review, Leading Lawyer list, 2021 and 2022
  • Member: Tax Section and Committee on Partnership Taxation, American Bar Association; Tax Section, Houston Bar Association
  • Texas
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. District Courts
  • “Implications of the Tax Reform Bill for Private Equity,” Tax Reform Webcast & Teleconference, November 6, 2017 (speaker)
  • “Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Hurricane Harvey,” V&E Tax Update E-communication, August 31, 2017 (co-author)
  • “M&A Transactions with Publicly Traded Partnerships, C Corp IPOs, and Up-C Transactions, ” 33rd Annual Texas Federal Tax Institute, June 15, 2017 (speaker)
  • “M&A Transaction Structures: Corporate, Reporting, and Tax Considerations,” V&E Houston Office, June 14, 2017 (speaker)
  • “Preparing for an IPO: Market Update, Process and Timeline,” V&E’s Houston Office, November 9, 2016 (speaker)
  • “New Disguised Sale Guidance Presents Major Change for Partnership Transactions,” V&E Tax Update E-communication, October 4, 2016 (co-author)
  • “LinnCo and LINN to Permit Partners to Exchange Into Corporate Blocker,” V&E Capital Markets and Tax Update E-Communication, March 24, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Taxation of Upstream and Downstream Partnerships,” Tax Executives Institute – Houston Chapter, Houston, Texas, February 17, 2016
  • “Thoughts for Officers and Directors of E&P Companies and MLPs in 2016,” V&E website, January 19, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Dramatic Changes to Partnership Audit Rules and Their Implications for Existing Partnerships,” V&E Tax Update E-communication, November 5, 2015 (co-author)
  • “Retail Preferred Offerings Expand Outside of the Traditional E&P MLP Space,” V&E MLP Update E-communication, October 12, 2015 (co-author)
  • “Trends in Energy Transactions,” V&E Client Presentation, Houston, Texas, November 7, 2013
  • “Pros and Cons of Using ‘Management Fee Waivers’ in NY,” Law360, New York, November 2, 2012 (co-author)
  • Federal income tax topics, including recent presentations to the Tax Executives Institute, American Bar Association, State Bar Advanced Tax School, Houston Bar Association, and Dallas Bar Association

News & Insights

Rankings & Awards
Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes Vinson & Elkins’ Corporate and Tax Departments in 35 Practice Categories, 91* Individual Lawyer Rankings
June 1, 2023
Deals & Cases
Swordfish Energy Closes Private Equity Commitment With Pearl Energy Investments
May 3, 2023
Deals & Cases
Ovintiv to Acquire Core Midland Basin Assets
April 3, 2023
Deals & Cases
Permian Resources Corporation Announces Secondary Public Offering of Class A Common Stock
March 10, 2023