Overview

Walker Brierre is a business attorney in Holland & Knight's Houston office, where he focuses on private equity and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Mr. Brierre represents financial sponsors, their portfolio companies and other privately and publicly held companies in connection with a wide array of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. He also has extensive experience in venture and growth capital financings, control and non-control investments, including "GP stakes" transactions, joint ventures and other investment partnerships, restructurings and recapitalizations, cross-border transactions, distressed acquisitions, carve-out acquisitions, private securities offerings and related corporate governance matters.

Mr. Brierre also counsels investment advisers in all aspects of fund formation and capital raising, including the structuring and administration of private funds, management companies and co-investment vehicles, the negotiation of side letters, placement agreements and founders’ agreements, succession planning and the incentivization of employees. He frequently represents fund managers specializing in oil and gas and commercial real estate investments, with an emphasis on early-stage or first-time fund managers.

Mr. Brierre's primary industry experience includes upstream and midstream oil and gas, energy, commercial real estate, investment management and private investment funds.

Representative Experience

  • Represented financial buyer in acquisition of a minority stake in investment management business
  • Represented privately held liquified natural gas (LNG) solutions company in connection with strategic acquisition of a public company
  • Represented privately held company in connection with "double dummy" merger transaction with a public company to consolidate existing upstream joint venture interests
  • Represented sponsor in sale of minority stake in investment management business to a financial buyer
  • Represented privately held exploration and production (E&P) company in connection with formation of joint venture to develop acreage in the South Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP), Sooner Trend, Anadarko, and Canadian and Kingfisher counties (STACK) and Merge resource plays in Oklahoma
  • Represented privately held midstream energy company in proposed acquisition of gathering system and saltwater disposal assets from a publicly held E&P company
  • Represented target company, a developer and operator of a logistic-centric industrial park, in connection with the sale of a majority stake to a sponsor-backed midstream energy company
  • Represented solar energy company in connection with sale of solar asset portfolio to a strategic buyer
  • Represented registered investment adviser in connection with a strategic merger with a wealth management services firm
  • Represented solar energy company in connection with sale of loan origination software to a strategic buyer
  • Represented owners of heavy industrial services business in connection with sale to a strategic buyer
  • Represented Korean heavy industrial company in connection with strategic acquisition of a United States turbine service and repair business
  • Represented management team, as purchasers, in management buyout of a LNG solutions business
  • Represented paper packaging distributor with operations in the U.S. and Mexico in its sale to producer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products
  • Represented health technology company in connection with strategic acquisition of developer of wearable fitness devices and related software
  • Represented publicly held oilfield services company in connection with divestiture of Mexican subsidiary and related assets to a strategic buyer
  • Represented sponsor in divestiture of an oil and gas E&P company with core assets in the Mediterranean Sea to a strategic buyer
  • Represented Canadian oilfield services company in acquisition of a U.S. distributor of downhole tools
  • Represented oilfield equipment manufacturer in bid to acquire substantially all of the assets of a storage tank manufacturer out of bankruptcy
  • Represented sponsor in concurrent leveraged buyouts of a home healthcare company and a billing administration company
  • Represented sponsor in "carve-out" acquisition of the system engineering and consulting unit of a global security and aerospace company
  • Represented sponsor, in its capacity as minority lender, in "credit bid" acquisition of substantially all of the assets of a radio broadcast business
  • Represented sponsor in the divestiture of substantially all of the assets of a television broadcast company to a strategic buyer
  • Represented sponsor in "carve-out" acquisition of sensor manufacturing unit of a multinational technology company
  • Represented management team in connection with formation and operation of midstream joint venture in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico
  • Represented global investment bank in extension of capital commitment to existing commercial finance joint venture

  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its third commercial real estate fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its fifth mineral interest fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its second commercial real estate fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of fourth mineral interest fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of ninth commercial real estate fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its third mineral interest fund, including a parallel fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its first commercial real estate fund, including a parallel fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with capitalization of developer of manufactured housing assets, including the formation of a related "sidecar" co-investment vehicle
  • Represented developer of reciprocating gas compressor valves in connection with "Series C" financing round by a venture capital fund and a global strategic investor
  • Represented sponsor in connection with capitalization of developer of self-storage real estate assets
  • Represented developer of reciprocating gas compressor valves in connection with "Series B" financing round by a venture capital fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with capitalization of developer of student housing real estate assets
  • Represented U.K. sponsor in connection with capitalization of developer of solar power assets in the U.S.
  • Represented developer of reciprocating gas compressor valves in connection with "Series A" financing round by a venture capital fund
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its first commercial real estate fund, including related "sidecar" co-investment vehicles
  • Represented sponsor in connection with formation and operation of its first and second mineral interest funds
  • Represented distributor of books, video and music products in Rule 144A offering of senior secured notes
  • Represented hedge fund as purchaser in a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction involving a publicly traded clinical developer of anti-cancer therapeutics
  • Represented hedge fund as purchaser in PIPE transaction involving a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company

Credentials

Education
  • Tulane University Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.A.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Texas
  • New York
Memberships
  • Association for Corporate Growth Global Houston
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association
Honors & Awards
  • Rising Star, Texas Super Lawyers, 2016-2020

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News