William M. Kerr Jr.
BIOGRAPHY
William M. Kerr, Jr. has more than three decades of experience in commercial transactions, with particular emphasis on acquisitions, financings and divestitures of oil and gas related concerns. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where he received his bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, in 1979, as well as of the University of Texas School of Law, where he received his juris doctor, with honors, in 1981. Mr. Kerr is a fourth generation Texas lawyer and practiced for many years in Midland, Texas prior to joining the Austin office of this firm in 2005. His business practice includes extensive international experience in North America, South America, and Europe. Mr. Kerr represents clients ranging from individual investors to mid-size independents to major corporations. Mr. Kerr is a past president of The Trail Foundation in Austin.
EXPERIENCE AND HIGHLIGHTS
- Served as lead counsel to group of over 100 sellers in $600 million divestiture of oil and gas assets
- Represented E&P company in divestitures totaling in excess of $700 million
- Represented client in private equity raises totaling in excess of $750 million
- Served as lead counsel to a client in a series of divestitures of Permian Basin oil and gas assets aggregating $500 million
- Represented a US-based company in connection with its acquisition, equity financing, and divestiture of Italian/Sicilian E&P concerns
- Represented a client in a series of acquisitions of salt water disposal facilities aggregating in excess of $100 million
- Represented a domestic oil and gas service company in a series of corporate and asset acquisitions aggregating in excess of $75 million
- Represented a client in the acquisition, financing, securitized re-financing, and divestiture of $200 million office/retail real estate portfolio
- Assisted an independent oil and gas producer with the acquisition, high-yield debt financing, and divestiture of $250 million oil and gas portfolio
- Represented an oil and gas service company in the acquisition of approximately 40 service companies or their assets preparatory to an initial public offering of stock in the company
- Represented an affiliate of Fortune 500 Company in connection with the divestiture of a South American mining concern
AFFILIATIONS
- American Bar Association
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Austin Bar Association
- Institute for Energy Law, Advisory Board Member, 2017-2022
HONORS
- Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News & World Report, 2013-2025
- Energy Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Best Lawyers®“Lawyer of the Year” Austin, U.S. News & World Report
- Energy Law, 2022
- Natural Resources Law, 2021
- Named Top Austin Attorney, Austin Monthly, 2019
EDUCATION
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., with honors, 1981
- Order of the Coif
- Washington and Lee University, B.A., cum laude, 1979
ADMISSIONS
- State Bar of Texas, 1982
SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS
- Author/Presenter, “Navigating an Imperfect Oilfield: Drilling with NoJOA or Multiple JOAs,” 62nd Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, July 2016
- Author/Presenter, “Surface Use Waivers for the Real Estate Developer,” 19th Annual State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course, Dallas, Texas, March 2008
- Presenter, “Mineral Severances – Surface Lender’s Perspective,” University of Texas School of Law’s 41st Annual William M. Gibson, Jr. Mortgage Lending Institute, Austin and Dallas, Texas, September and October, 2007
- Author/Presenter, “Drafting Mineral Severance Arrangements – Surface Owner’s Perspective,” 18th Annual State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Drafting Course, Houston, Texas, March 2007
- Presenter, “Sales Taxation of Land Services in Texas: Is One Tough Grandma Getting Tougher?,” PBLA, Midland, Texas, November, 2005
- Author/Presenter, “How to Document Three-D Seismic Participation Agreements,” Review of Oil and Gas Law XI, Dallas, Texas, 1996
- Author/Presenter, “Navigating an Imperfect Oilfield: Drilling with No JOAs or Multiple JOAs,” 62nd Annual Institute of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, July 2016