Emery J. Choi

Partner, Houston

Biography

“He is an excellent lawyer. He is practical and commercial, quick to respond and able to handle and solve complex matters.”

“He gets into the details of the deal.”

“Emery is a knowledgeable and skilled attorney, with strong awareness of legal issues.”

“He is very commercial and always gives phenomenal work product.”
Chambers USA 2022, 2023

Overview

Emery J. Choi is a partner in White & Case's Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice.

Emery's practice focuses on strategic transactions involving energy and infrastructure businesses. He represents clients in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures, and a variety of energy matters.

Bars and Courts
Texas State Bar
Education
JD
The University of Texas
BA
Yale University
Languages
English
Korean

Experience

Select illustrative representative matters include:

  • Representation of Occidental Petroleum, NET Power LLC's largest shareholder, on Net Power's US$1.459 billion business combination with Rice Acquisition Corp. II.
  • Representation of AMCI Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ: AMCI), a SPAC, in its US$2.2 billion business combination with LanzaTech NZ, Inc., a leading carbon capture and transformation company combining synthetic biology and engineering to transform carbon waste into materials and high-value products.
  • Representation of Priority Power Management, LLC, an independent energy management services and consulting firm, in its acquisition of Satori Enterprises LLC (d/b/a Satori Energy), a leading energy consulting firm based out of Chicago, Illinois serving more than 55,000 industrial, municipal and residential clients in 25 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico.
  • Representation of Marathon Oil Corporation in its US$3 billion acquisition of the Eagle Ford assets of Ensign Natural Resources.
  • Representation of Pipeline Technique, a portfolio company of Bluewater Private Equity, on its acquisition of the Stanley Oil and Gas business from Stanley Black & Decker, a Fortune 500, NYSE listed international pipeline services and equipment company.
  • Representation of Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR), a top 10 independent oil producer in the United States, in its US$3.25 billion acquisition of certain entities and assets in the Permian Basin from affiliates of Pioneer Natural Resources Company (NYSE: PXD), one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the United States.
  • Representation of Sixth Street Partners, LLC, a global investment firm, in its US$405 million acquisition of PDP assets from Laredo Petroleum, Inc., a company focused on exploration in the Permian basin.
  • Representation of Occidental Petroleum Corp. on its US$825 million sale of onshore oil and gas assets in Colombia to The Carlyle Group, a private equity management firm.
  • Representation of an affiliate of Sixth Street Partners in a US$402 million overriding royalty interest acquisition and joint venture with Antero Resources Corporation. 
  • Representation of the Carlyle Group in the US$400 million definitive drilling agreement to fund the development of EOG's oil and gas assets in Ellis County, Oklahoma.*
  • Representation of Castleton Commodities International LLC in its acquisition of the Carthage upstream and midstream assets in East Texas from subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation for over US$1 billion.*
  • Representation of Devon Energy in the US$2 billion sale of certain non-core upstream assets to multiple buyers in east Texas, the Anadarko Basin, the northern and central Midland Basin, and northern Oklahoma.*
  • Representation of a consortium of investors in the US$1 billion purchase from Hilcorp Energy of a 75 percent interest in the 540-mile Arrowhead Pipeline, transporting crude oil from the Eagle Ford shale to two refineries and an intrastate marine terminal.*
  • Representation of Samsung Heavy Industries and Samsung Engineering in the creation of a joint venture entity with AMEC to carry out the design engineering for fixed and floating offshore platforms, FPSOs, and subsea pipelines.*
  • Representation of Devon Energy in its US$2.5 billion joint venture with Sinopec for five shale plays (Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Niobrara, Mississippian, Ohio Utica Shale, and Michigan Basin).*
  • Representation of KNOC in its US$1.55 billion joint venture to buy a stake in the liquids-rich Eagle Ford shale in Texas from Anadarko Petroleum, including the subsequent sale of minority interest by KNOC to VOGO.*
  • Representation of Devon Energy Corp. in its approximate US$273 million sale of certain non-core upstream assets in the Delaware Basin to multiple buyers.*
  • Representation of TPG Sixth Street Partners in its US$500 million equity commitment to Eagle Land JV, a partnership with Glendale Energy Ventures.*
  • Representation of Devon Energy in the US$553 million sale of the southern portion of its Barnett Shale position.*
  • Representation of Clayton Williams in the US$400 million sale of substantially all of the company's assets in the Giddings Area in East Central Texas.*
  • Representation of Enerplus Resources (USA) in the US$292.3 million sale of certain non-operated North Dakota assets to Bruin E&P Non-Op Holdings.*
  • Representation of HRT O&G Exploração e Produção de Petróleo in a sale and purchase agreement to acquire a 40% interest in the Polvo Field offshore Brazil from Maersk Energia Ltda. in exchange for cash consideration and the assumption of certain decommissioning obligations.*
  • Representation of Apollo Global Management and Riverstone Holdings in the US$7.15 billion acquisition, among a consortium of investors, of El Paso Corp.'s upstream assets.*
  • Representation of Gastar Exploration in the US$187.5 million acquisition of 24,000 acres of the West Edmond Hunton Lime Unit located in Oklahoma from Lime Rock Resources.*
  • Representation of California Resources Corporation in its joint venture with Benefit Street Partners Debt Fund IV LP to form California Resources Development JV, LLC.*
  • Representation of the Carlyle Group in the definitive drilling agreement to fund the development of Diamondback Energy's oil and gas assets in Pecos County, Texas.*
  • Representation of a private company in the joint participation in the funding, exploration, development and operation of certain well assets in Borden and Howard Counties, Texas.*
  • Representation of SandRidge Energy in a DrillCo joint venture with a private equity backed investor to fund up to US$200 million for the development of oil and gas properties in Oklahoma.*
  • Representation of Gastar Exploration in its agreement with a large private global investment fund to jointly develop up to 60 wells in the STACK play in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma.*
  • Representation of TPG Special Situations Partners (TSSP) in its agreement between the operating subsidiary of Legacy Reserves LP and funds managed by TSSP to jointly fund horizontal development of certain of Legacy's Spraberry, Wolfcamp and Bone Spring rights in the Permian Basin.*
  • Representation of EP Energy Corporation in its drilling joint venture with Wolfcamp Drillco Operating to fund future oil and natural gas development in its Wolfcamp program.*
  • Atinum Partners in an acquisition and joint venture with Smith Production in South Texas.*

*Matter completed prior to joining White & Case.

Awards and Recognition

Ranked in Chambers Global 2023 – Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)

Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2017−2019