Charlie Ofner

Partner, Houston

Biography

Overview

Charlie's practice encompasses a broad range of energy and infrastructure transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, project development and corporate finance matters. He has extensive experience in the negotiation and administration of asset and equity purchase and sale agreements, joint venture and related corporate agreements, joint development agreements, marketing agreements, oil and gas gathering agreements, farmout agreements, joint operating agreements and other energy-related agreements.

Charlie regularly advises companies across the energy sector (including majors, independents and private equity-backed portfolio companies in the upstream, midstream, downstream, infrastructure and power sectors) in acquisitions and divestitures of assets and equity interests, strategic joint ventures and investments, energy trading transactions, negotiation and implementation of commercial contracts, and corporate governance.

Prior to joining the firm, Charlie was a partner at a Houston-based law firm, and also previously served as senior counsel at Oasis Petroleum Inc., a publicly-traded E&P company, where he was integral in the legal functions of multiple company divisions, including operations, land, midstream, marketing, finance and accounting. Prior to his role as senior counsel at Oasis, Charlie was an associate in the Houston office of a leading energy law firm.

Bars and Courts
Texas State Bar
Education
Juris Doctor
University of Texas
Bachelor of Arts
Vanderbilt University
Languages
English
Spanish

Experience

Energy Transition & Infrastructure

  • Representation of TotalEnergies on its agreement to acquire 100 percent of Talos Low Carbon Solutions, an American company focused on carbon capture and storage.
  • Representation of Ara Partners Group, LLC, a leading private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments, on its majority interest investment of Lincoln Terminal Holdings, LP, a leading renewable fuel logistics and infrastructure provider in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
  • Representation of Origin International Inc., an international hydrocarbon oil recycling company engaged in collection, storage, processing and sale of used motor oil and used motor oil filters, in the sale of substantially all the assets of Origin Baltimore Recycling and Origin Texas Recycling (its operating entities for used oil recycling in Maryland and Texas) to Universal Environmental Services, a leading used oil collector and processing company.
  • Ongoing representation in a range of legal functions for a California-based company that develops technologies and commercial projects for the production of green (drop-in) biofuel and biochar from lignocellulosic biomass such as agricultural biomass waste and forest residue and the unrecyclable fraction of MSW consisting of soiled paper and film plastics.
  • Representation of a private company in the equity financing and formation of two joint venture entities with a private developer of open access fiber optic networks and related infrastructure. Each joint venture entity will construct a city-wide fiber optic network to be utilized by both businesses and residents in the continental United States.
  • Representation of Last Mile Energy Solutions, LLC, a developer of LNG production and distribution assets with headquarters in Houston, Texas, in its acquisition of CenterPoint Energy Mobile Energy Solutions, Inc. from CenterPoint. Renamed Mobile Energy Solutions (MES), MES is a company that provides portable LNG and compressed natural gas to utilities, municipalities, pipeline operators, commercial and industrial companies.
  • Representation of Triten Energy Partners LLC, a company specializing in downstream infrastructure through acquisitions and development projects in the renewable fuels, refined projects and petrochemical industries, in securing a US$150 million equity commitment from Tailwater Capital LLC, an energy-focused private equity firm based in Dallas.
  • Representation of Junction Energy Capital in its $125 million investment a Pennsylvania-based company that produces sustainable base oils from its facilities in the United States and Germany.

Upstream

  • Representation of Continental Resources, Inc. in its:
    • US$3.25 billion acquisition of certain assets in the Permian Basin from affiliates of Pioneer Natural Resources Company.
    • acquisition of certain oil and gas in North Dakota and Montana from White Rock Oil & Gas, a Quantum-backed portfolio company.
  • Representation of Kimbell Royalty Partners in its acquisition of mineral and royalty interests from Hatch Royalty LLC.
  • Representation of Silver Creek Oil & Gas, LLC, a portfolio company of Old Ironsides Energy, in its acquisition of upstream oil and gas assets in Oklahoma from Titan Energy Holdings, L.P., a portfolio company of KKR & Co. Inc.
  • Representation of each of OIE La Salle, a portfolio company of Old Ironsides Energy, and a fund of Grey Rock Investment Partners in its sale of oil and gas assets in the Eagle Ford Shale to Silver Hill Energy Partners.
  • Representation of Pillar Oil & Gas, a portfolio of Old Ironsides Energy, in its acquisition of oil and gas assets in the Eagle Ford Shale from EOG.
  • Representation of JPMorgan in the Chapter 11 reorganization of its US$500 million reserve-based lending facility with Rosehill Resources.
  • Representation of Delek Group in its acquisition of a 22.45% working interest in the Caesar Tonga field in the Gulf of Mexico from Shell for US$965 million, and a long-term purchase agreement with Shell Trading (US) Company for the produced oil.
  • Representation of Wayfinder Resources in multiple purchases of operated and non-operated working interests, as well as the entry into gathering agreements and various other commercial contracts. Wayfinder Resources is a portfolio company of Lime Rock Partners focused on the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties in the Merge / SCOOP / STACK trend of the Eastern Anadarko Basin.
  • Representation of a private oil and gas company in the acquisition of Anadarko Basin oil and gas properties from major public oil and gas company for $385 million.
  • Representation of Torrent Oil in its acquisition of upstream Gulf Coast oil and gas assets from Linc Energy. The assets were acquired in a 363 transaction arising out of Linc Energy's Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
  • Representation of multiple oil and gas companies (including majors, independents and private equity-backed portfolio companies) in connection with the negotiation and drafting of various commercial contracts related to the upstream and midstream sector.
  • Representation of Oasis Petroleum in its acquisition of Bakken shale oil and gas assets from private sellers for $1.45 billion.
  • Representation of Oasis Petroleum in its sale of Bakken shale oil and gas assets to Lime Rock Resources for $333 million.
  • Representation of Reliance Industries in its acquisition of Marcellus shale oil and gas assets in a $1.7 billion joint venture transaction.
  • Representation of Korea National Oil in its acquisition of Eagle Ford shale oil and gas assets in a $1.55 billion joint venture transaction.

Midstream

  • Representation of Infraestructura Marina del Golfo (IMG), a joint venture between TC Energy and Sempra, in its $1.56 billion unsecured refinancing for its natural gas pipeline Sur de Texas-Tuxpan, Mexico's first undersea pipeline connecting the country with the US.
  • Representation of TC Energía Mexicana, S. de R.L. de C.V. (TCEM), a wholly owned subsidiary of TC Energy Corporation, in its $2.3 billion financing from a group of international banks. The credit facility refinances existing intercompany indebtedness through which TC Energy and CFE, Mexico's state-owned electric utility and largest power generator, will develop and construct the TGNH Southeast Gateway Pipeline, a US$4.5 billion offshore natural gas pipeline project that supports the Mexican government's priorities to supply vital natural gas to the central and southeast regions of Mexico.
  • Representation of Kinder Morgan the Chapter 11 restructuring of Ruby Pipeline L.P., a joint venture between Kinder Morgan and Pembina Pipeline Corp.
  • Representation of an ad hoc group of lenders in connection with the comprehensive out-of-court restructuring of Salt Creek Midstream, LLC, a full service natural gas gatherer and processor.
  • Representation of Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, in its US$550 million minority investment in Oryx Midstream Services, the largest privately held crude operator in the Permian Basin, from an affiliate of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners.
  • Representation of Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. in the provision of US$425 million senior secured facilities to Paradigm Midstream, LLC. Paradigm gathers and transports crude oil, natural gas and gas liquids in the Bakken and Eagle Ford shale plays.
  • Representation of Deutsche Bank in connection with $650 million term loan to Salt Creek Midstream for development and expansion in the Delaware Basin.
  • Representation of Deutsche Bank as sole arranger and underwriter of a US$350 million credit facility of the joint venture of Salt Creek Midstream, LLC.
  • Representation of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in its affiliate's $189 million acquisition of the midstream business and assets of Azure Midstream Partners, L.P. and its operating subsidiaries in East Texas and North Louisiana from Azure's bankruptcy proceedings in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
  • Representation of Hilcorp in its purchase of crude oil pipelines in South Louisiana from Plains Pipeline for $169 million.
  • Representation of TPG-backed oil & gas company with respect to its midstream and joint venture arrangements in North Dakota.
  • Representation of Oasis Well Services in connection with the negotiation and implementation of various services and other commercial contracts related to numerous unconventional well completions.

Commodities & Trading

  • Representation of Tokyo Gas America Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., on its acquisition of a minority equity interest in a newly-formed entity, ARM Energy Trading, LLC, which is comprised of ARM Energy Services and ARM Energy Mexico, one of the largest private North American physical natural gas marketers.
  • Representation of Vitol, Inc. in its acquisition of Noble Americas Corp. from Noble Group Limited for approximately $1.4 billion.
  • Representation of a financial institution in the sale of its natural gas trading business to a leading investment bank.