Mingda Zhao

Partner, Houston

Biography

Overview

Mingda Zhao is a partner in White & Case's Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice.

Mingda's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures, energy transactions, cross-border transactions (including CFIUS and national security issues), structured and alternative investments, and general corporate representation. He represents both domestic and international companies, as well as private equity funds and their portfolio companies. Mingda also advises his clients on operational arrangements, such as joint operating agreements and similar arrangements, and marketing arrangements.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mingda was a partner at another Houston-based law firm and has been recognized by Chambers USA 2020 as 'Up and Coming' in the USA for Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional).

Bars and Courts
Texas State Bar
Education
JD
Georgetown University Law Center
BA
Hampshire College
Languages
English
Mandarin

Experience

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 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 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 a private equity sponsor in the sale of certain Permian leasehold interests to an independent E&P company.

Representation of a private equity sponsor in the acreage exchange and joint venture arrangement with an independent E&P company.

Representation of Talos Energy, Inc. in its purchase of a package of Gulf of Mexico assets from Riverstone Energy Limited and Castex.

Representation of Devon Energy in its midstream joint venture with QL Capital Partners, LP in the "Cotton Draw" development area.

Representation of Devon Energy in its agreement with Dow to jointly develop a portion of Devon Energy’s STACK assets in Oklahoma.

Representation of an independent E&P company in its non-operated assets joint venture with a private equity fund.

Representation of a private equity fund in the sale of a Gulf of Mexico company to Talos Energy, Inc.

Representation of Devon Energy in its agreement with Dow to jointly develop a portion of Devon Energy’s Barnett Shale locations in north Texas.

Representation of W&T Offshore, Inc. in its drilling joint venture in the Gulf of Mexico.

Representation of a private equity based company in the drilling joint venture of certain wellbore assets in Borden and Howard Counties, Texas.

Representation of a private equity backed company in the drilling joint venture with a private equity fund in the Permian Basin.

Representation of The Carlyle Group in its definitive drilling agreement to fund the development of Diamondback's oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin.

Representation of private investor in the funding of drilling joint venture by a private equity backed company in the Permian Basin.

Representation of an EP Energy in its drilling joint venture with a private equity fund advised by Apollo.

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 SandRidge Energy in a drilling 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 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 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 Devon Energy in its 2016 and 2019 non-core divestiture programs.

Representation of a private equity backed company is the sale of various mineral assets.

Representation of a private equity sponsor in various acquisition and joint venture transactions in the Permian Basin.

Representation of Pioneer Natural Resources in its US$1.7 billion joint venture with Sinochem to develop 207,000 acres in the Permian Basin.

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 Gastar Exploration in its US$80 million sale to an affiliate of Tug Hill Inc. of its Marcellus Shale and Utica/Point Pleasant properties.

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 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 Devon Energy in the US$2.3 billion sale of U.S. oil and gas properties in 10 states to Linn Energy Holdings.

Representation of Riverstone Holdings in the US$3.75 billion acquisition by its portfolio company, Fieldwood Energy LLC, of Apache Corp.'s assets in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico.

Representation of CNOOC International in the US$2.2 billion acquisition of a third of Chesapeake Energy's oil and gas assets in the Eagle Ford Shale

Representation of SandRidge Energy in its US$1 billion sale and development joint venture with Repsol in the Mississippian Lime.

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 HRT O&G Exploração e Produção de Petróleo in a sale and purchase agreement to acquire a 40 percent 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 Devon Energy in the sale of a 30 percent stake in 650,000 shale acres in the Permian Basin (Cline Shale and Midland-Wolfcamp Shale) to Japan's Sumitomo for US$1.45 billion

Representation of TPG Capital in its US$1.8 billion acquisition of natural gas properties in Wyoming's Jonah field from Encana Corporation

Representation of Pioneer Natural Resources in its US$1.3 billion joint venture with Reliance Industries for the development of acreage in the Eagle Ford Shale

Representation of Goldman Sachs Group in connection with the acquisition of a volumetric production payment (VPP) from Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C in properties in the Anadarko and Arkoma Basins.

Representation of Sinopec International in the US$7.1 billion acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Repsol Brasil, S.A., a subsidiary of Repsol YPF, S.A. which holds all of Repsol's upstream assets in Brazil.

Representation of Equinor (formerly Statoil) in its US$3.3 billion acquisition/joint venture with Chesapeake Energy Corporation to develop Marcellus Shale gas assets.

Representation of Penn Virginia Corporation in the US$400 million acquisition and related financing of producing properties and undeveloped leasehold interests in the Eagle Ford Shale play from Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation.

Awards and Recognition

Who's Who Legal (Law Business Research Ltd.), Energy, 2016 -2019

Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2014–2017