Partner
Restructuring & Reorganization
An accomplished lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, Paul is a partner in the Restructuring and Reorganization practice group. During his career, Paul has handled a multitude of complex chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and out-of-court restructuring matters. He regularly represents public and private companies, and advises their respective board of directors and senior management on developing solutions for reorganizing capital structures and business operations. His clients include companies in a range of industries, including cryptocurrency, energy, distribution, manufacturing, renewable power, retail, and telecommunications.
Paul also devotes a significant portion of his practice to the representation of senior secured lenders (both individual lenders and ad hoc lender groups). In addition, he represents strategic and financial purchasers of assets from financially distressed companies. Paul has been recognized for his work by The Best Lawyers in America© and Chambers USA.
Axip Energy Services, LP, a provider of natural gas compression services to upstream and midstream customers, and certain of its affiliates in connection with their ongoing chapter 11 cases, including the negotiation and implementation of the sale of substantially all of the company’s assets
Strategic Materials, Inc., North America’s leading glass recycling company, and certain of its affiliates in their prepackaged chapter 11 cases that deleveraged the company’s capital structure by converting over 65% of the company’s approximately $430 million of prepetition secured funded debt into equity; the prepackaged chapter 11 plan was confirmed within only 37 days of commencing the chapter 11 cases in Houston
Riverstone Holdings LLC, its portfolio company, Talen Energy Corporation (TEC), and TEC’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cumulus Growth Holdings LLC in the chapter 11 cases of TEC’s wholly-owned subsidiary Talen Energy Supply, LLC, which involved key settlements that paved the way for a consensual reorganization of Talen’s legacy power generation business and the Cumulus data center and cryptomining growth initiatives and allowed Riverstone to retain material equity positions in both TEC and Cumulus Growth
Bonanza Creek Energy in a merger to acquire HighPoint Resources Corporation that was valued at approximately $376 million, and included a registered exchange offer, consent solicitation, and simultaneous registered solicitation of a prepackaged plan of reorganization under chapter 11, which was followed by two subsequent out-of-court mergers and acquisitions by the combined company, resulting in a company with total expected enterprise value of $4.5 billion
Freeport McMoRan Inc. and Cyprus Amax Minerals Company in the chapter 11 cases of Cyprus Mines Corporation and Imerys Talc America Inc., filed in Delaware and involving alleged mass tort claims arising from exposure to talc and talc containing products
Private upstream E&P company in the $215 million distressed sale of substantially all of their assets in Sublette County, Wyoming (Pinedale Field) to a strategic buyer with the consent of the company’s lenders, who cancelled all debt in excess of the purchase price in connection with the out-of-court transaction
Enviva Inc., the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets as a source of renewable energy, in connection with its comprehensive financial restructuring and chapter 11 bankruptcy cases; the company’s restructuring deleveraged its balance sheet by approximately $1.4 billion while raising approximately $1.3 billion in new-money commitments through a senior secured exit facility and an equity rights offering, and facilitated the renegotiation and preservation of key, long-term customer offtake contracts critical to its business operations
CARBO Ceramics Inc. and certain of its affiliates, who were engaged in the manufacturing of ceramic proppant and other industrial ceramic products, in their chapter 11 bankruptcy cases filed in Houston, Texas; pre-negotiated chapter 11 plan confirmed within 80 days of case filing
Cloud Peak Energy in the sale of substantially all their operating assets to an affiliate of the Navajo Nation as part of its chapter 11 cases involving approximately $350 million in funded debt and over $750 million in total liabilities
KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc., an onshore provider of oilfield services, in refinancing approximately $232 million in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes and entry into a new $125 million asset-based revolving credit facility
Unit Corporation, a diversified, publicly-traded energy company engaged in oil and natural gas exploration and production, contract drilling, and midstream services, and its affiliates in connection with its prearranged chapter 11 cases deleveraging the company by approximately $650 million in a debt-for-equity transaction with its subordinated noteholders
California Resources Corporation and certain of its affiliates, as company co-counsel, in their pre-negotiated chapter 11 cases filed in Houston, Texas
Natural Resource Partners, a master limited partnership principally engaged in owning and managing mineral reserve properties, in connection with its comprehensive out-of-court restructuring
Energy XXI, a publicly-traded offshore energy E&P company, in connection with its chapter 11 cases which reduced the company’s funded debt by approximately $3.0 billion
Energy Partners, Ltd., a public company engaged in oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, as debtor in its chapter 11 case filed in Houston, Texas; pre-negotiated a plan of reorganization based on an exchange of $475 million in debt for equity confirmed within 90 days of case filing
Sundevil Power Holdings LLC, a merchant power company, in connection with the sale of its power block assets in its chapter 11 case filed in Delaware
Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. in its pre-negotiated chapter 11 case based on a debt-for-equity exchange confirmed within 75 days of case filing
Taco Bueno Restaurants in a prepetition debt sale transaction followed by an in-court restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas that involved equitizing $140 million in senior secured debt, transitioning ownership to an affiliate of Sun Holdings, Inc., renegotiating a substantial portion of the company’s lease portfolio, and reaching a global settlement with unsecured creditors in fewer than 45 days
Daisytek, Incorporated, a public company that was among the world’s largest distributors of computer products, in its chapter 11 case filed in Dallas, Texas; successful in negotiating and closing multiple asset sales for their domestic entities and stock sales of their foreign entities located in Canada, Mexico, and Argentina
Lack’s Stores, Inc., one of the largest independently owned retail furniture chains in selling substantially all of its assets located throughout Texas in its chapter 11 case filed in Houston
National Energy Gas & Transmission, Inc. as special counsel to the debtor in the resolution of approximately $200 million in intercompany claims in a chapter 11 case filed in Maryland
Petsec Energy Inc., an offshore oil and gas exploration and production company based in Lafayette, Louisiana, as debtor in connection with the restructure of its public bond debt in a chapter 11 case
El Paso Electric Company, as Texas counsel to the debtor, who was only the second investor-owned public utility to file a chapter 11 case
Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB, as administrative and collateral agent to the second lien lenders, in the chapter 11 cases of Diamond Sports Group LLC, filed in Houston, Texas
An ad hoc group of first lien term lenders, as co-counsel, in the chapter 11 case of AmSurg LLC, filed in Houston, Texas
An ad hoc group first lien term lenders, as co-counsel, in the chapter 11 cases of Neiman Marcus Group LTD, LLC filed in Houston, Texas
JP Morgan Chase as Administrative Agent, DIP Agent, and Exit Facility Agent of a $615 million credit facility in Denbury Resources’ restructuring and prepackaged chapter 11 bankruptcy
An ad hoc group of lenders holding approximately $175 million in senior secured term debt in the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of Pioneer Energy Services Inc.
Clearlake Capital Partners IV Finance LP as the primary secured lender to Knight Energy Holdings LLC and certain of its affiliates in their chapter 11 cases filed in Lafayette, Louisiana; pre-negotiated plan of reorganization confirmed within 110 days of case filing
Bank of America, N.A. as agent to the senior secured lenders under a working capital facility in the chapter 11 case of Basic Energy Services Inc. filed in Delaware
Texas counsel to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as agent to the senior secured lenders in the chapter 11 case of Memorial Production Partners filed in Houston, Texas
Angelo, Gordon Energy Servicer LLC, as agent to the senior secured lenders in the chapter 11 cases of Rooster Energy Ltd. and it subsidiaries filed in Lafayette, Louisiana
White Oak Global Advisors LLC as agent on behalf of the secured lenders in the chapter 11 case on Bainbridge Unita LLC filed in Fort Worth, Texas
JPMorgan Chase Bank in the chapter 11 case of Chaparral Energy, an oil and natural gas exploration and production company, filed in Delaware
Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. as a senior secured lender to Trinity River Resources L.P. in its chapter 11 case filed in Austin, Texas
Agent to senior secured lenders in the chapter 11 case of Levelland/Hockley County Ethanol, LLC, an ethanol refiner filed in Lubbock, Texas
Texas counsel to ad hoc group of first lien lenders in the chapter 11 case of the Texas Rangers baseball club
Wayzata Investment Partners LLC, as the second lien lender in the chapter 11 case of Harvest Oil & Gas, LLC, an oil and gas company, filed in Lafayette, Louisiana
Collateral agent and senior secured lender in the chapter 11 case of Seven Seas Petroleum Inc., whose assets included oil and gas concessions located in Colombia, South America
A senior secured lender in a compulsory liquidation case filed in Grand Cayman and chapter 11 case filed in Miami, Florida, of Pan American Sports Network International/PSN USA, Inc., Latin American sports media companies
The primary secured lender in the chapter 11 case of Empire Funding Corporation, an entity that specialized in the acquisition, servicing, and securitization of over $3 billion in HLTV mortgage loans
Ad Hoc Committee of Secured Noteholders in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Tri-Union Development Corporation, an energy exploration and production company, filed in Houston, Texas
Trammell Crow International Partners: as counsel to the senior secured lender holding outstanding debt in excess of $100 million secured by sixteen commercial properties located throughout the United States; successful in obtaining confirmation of a chapter 11 creditors’ plan of reorganization
Official Committee of Equity Security Holders in the chapter 11 cases of Core Scientific, Inc. and certain affiliates, filed in Houston, Texas; Core Scientific is the largest minor of bitcoin in the United States
Preferred limited partner of ATP Infrastructure Partners LP, the owner of the ATP Innovator (a deep water floating production platform) in connection with the chapter 11 case of ATP Oil & Gas, Inc. filed in Houston, Texas
Equity sponsor of International Wire Group, Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of wire products, in IWG’s pre-negotiated chapter 11 case filed in the Southern District of New York; client obtained a distribution of new equity under the confirmed plan of reorganization
Centerbridge Partners LP as the DIP lender to and acquiror of SpeedCast International Limited in its chapter 11 case filed in Houston, Texas
TH Exploration III, LLC as the section 363 stalking horse bidder for the Appalachia Assets marketed for sale in the chapter 11 case of Stone Energy filed in Houston, Texas
Consortium of new money equity investors (referred to as the Hunt Investors) in connection with the reorganization transactions for Energy Future Holdings, Inc. and its ownership interest in Oncor Electric in the chapter 11 case of Energy Future Holdings filed in Delaware
Purchaser of a merchant power plant located in Dighton, Massachusetts, in the chapter 11 case of Calpine Corporation, and its related debtor entities, filed in the Southern District of New York
Purchaser of substantially all domestic assets and foreign subsidiaries of Maxide Music, Inc. (f/k/a DMX Music, Inc.) in its chapter 11 case in Delaware; Maxide was a leading global producer of music and entertainment subscription services to business locations, customer subscribers, and airlines
Purchaser of substantially all assets of VF Brands, Inc., the chapter 11 debtor, including its Vlasic Pickle business and Swanson frozen dinners business for a $370 million purchase price
Chapter 11 trustee of Innovative Communication Corporation, a holding company that owned non-debtor operating subsidiaries engaged in the telecommunications and media businesses in the United States Virgin Islands, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and other locations
Education
Admissions
Client Alerts
On June 27, 2024, the United States Supreme Court (the “Supreme Court” or “Court”) rendered a 5-4 opinion in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, L.P. that “the [B]ankruptcy [C]ode does not authorize a release and injunction that, as part of a plan of reorganization under Chapter 11, effectively seeks to discharge claims against a nondebtor without the consent of affected claimants.”
June 28, 2024 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
June 28, 2024 • 7-minute read
Client Alerts
On May 30, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the “Second Circuit” or the “Court”) rendered a much anticipated opinion (the “Opinion”),1 reversing the order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “District Court”) that the Bankruptcy Code does not permit non-consensual third-party releases of direct claims and affirming the order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”) confirming the chapter 11 plan (the “Purdue Plan”) of Purdue Pharma L.P. (“Purdue”), which approved non-consensual third-party releases of the owners of Purdue — members of the Sackler family.
June 6, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
June 6, 2023 • 7-minute read
Client Alerts
On March 28, 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “District Court”) rendered an opinion (the “Opinion”)1 affirming the confirmation order of Laurie S. Silverstein, of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “Bankruptcy Court”) that confirmed the chapter 11 plan (the “Plan”) of the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) (collectively, the “Confirmation Order”).2
May 2, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
May 2, 2023 • 8-minute read
Client Alerts
Silicon Valley Bank FDIC Takeover
Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”), a key lender serving customers and borrowers primarily in the technology industry, was taken over by U.S. regulators on Friday, March 10, 2023. Included herein are considerations that may be top of mind for persons with connections to SVB.
March 12, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
March 12, 2023 • 2-minute read
Client Alerts
In Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC v. Mallinckrodt PLC, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware ruled that a debtor that purchased intellectual property under a prepetition asset purchase agreement could continue to retain and use the property post-confirmation while discharging its obligations to pay any future royalties otherwise owed.
January 23, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
January 23, 2023 • 5-minute read
Awards & Rankings
The Legal 500 US 2026 recommended Vinson & Elkins as a leading law firm in 47 practice categories. In total, …
June 10, 2026
June 10, 2026 • 3-minute read
Awards & Rankings
Vinson & Elkins announced today that it achieved 20 Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA 2026: Nationwide: Energy Transition; Energy: …
June 4, 2026
June 4, 2026 • 3-minute read
Awards & Rankings
The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings, LLC) has named 125 Vinson & Elkins lawyers in its “Best Lawyers” category in the 2026 edition. Additionally, 76 Vinson & Elkins attorneys have been named in the “Ones to Watch” category, which recognizes lawyers with 5–10 years’ experience. Some individuals are listed in more than one practice area, giving the firm a total of 305 rankings.
August 21, 2025
August 21, 2025 • 3-minute read
Awards & Rankings
Lawdragon has named two Vinson & Elkins lawyers among the world’s top bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers.
July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025 • 1-minute read
Awards & Rankings
The Legal 500 US 2025 recommended Vinson & Elkins as a leading law firm in 43 practice categories. In total, 133 attorneys are recognized, many in more than one category. Vinson & Elkins attorneys earned multiple special designations, such as “Leading Trial Lawyer,’ “Hall of Fame,” “Leading Partner,” “Next Generation Partner,” and “Leading Associate.”
June 11, 2025
June 11, 2025 • 3-minute read
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