Chris Heasley

Since joining Kirkland, Chris has been involved in the following representations:

• Warburg Pincus and Hawkwood Energy in Hawkwood’s $650 million acquisition by WildFire Energy I
• Private equity fund in a preferred equity investment in a direct air carbon capture business
• Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. (NASDAQ: XOG) in Civitas Resources, Inc.’s $4.5 billion acquisition of Crestone Peak Resources
• Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. (NASDAQ: XOG) in its approximately $2.6 billion all-stock merger of equals with Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc. (NYSE: BCEI)
• Private equity fund in the acquisition of a 150 MW solar project and 20 MW storage project
• Private equity fund in a joint venture to acquire royalty interests on wind generation projects 
• Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SV), a special purpose acquisition company, in its pending $1.2 billion business combination with Aerofarms, a public benefit corporation and certified B corporation that is a leading indoor vertical farming company
• Mesa Minerals Partners, LLC in its sale of oil and gas mineral interests in the Haynesville natural gas play to a subsidiary of Franco-Nevada Corporation
• QL Capital Partners in the formation of an up to $550 million drilling partnership with Antero Resources Corporation
• Northern Oil and Gas Inc. in its acquisition of certain non-operated natural gas assets in the Appalachian Basin from a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd.
• Guidon Operating LLC in the divestiture of all leasehold interests and related assets to Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) for 10.63 million shares of Diamondback common stock and $375 million
• Maverick Natural Resources in its merger with FourPoint Energy LLC to create Unbridled Resources LLC
• BCE-Mach III LLC in its acquisition of Alta Mesa Holdings, LP and its subsidiaries’ upstream oil and gas assets and Kingfisher Midstream, LLC and its subsidiaries’ midstream assets as part of the 363 sales process of the debtor sellers 
• Santa Elena Minerals, LP in its $150 million sale of certain mineral and royalty interests to Viper Energy Partners LP (NASDAQ:VNOM) in an all-equity transaction
• KKR/Spur Energy Partners LLC in its $925 million acquisition of assets in the New Mexico Shelf from Concho Resources Inc.
• Hilcorp Alaska in its $5.6 billion acquisition of BP’s (NYSE:BP) upstream and midstream business in Alaska
• Desert Royalty Company, LLC in its combination with Kimmeridge Energy Management Company, LLC to form Desert Peak Minerals, the largest pure-play mineral and royalty company in the Delaware Basin
• BCE-Mach II LLC in its acquisition of producing properties in Oklahoma and Texas
• Private operator in its $165 million drilling participation arrangement with a Development Capital Resources-managed subsidiary, capitalized by funds managed by affiliates of Ares Management Corporation, to jointly develop drilling locations in the Permian Basin’s Wolfcamp formation
• Gastar Exploration LLC/Ares in the Strategic combination and merger with Chisholm Oil and Gas LLC
• Ensign Natural Resources LLC/Warburg Pincus in the acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc.’sEagle Ford Shale assets, including approximately 59,000 net acres and 14,400 net boepd
• Maverick Natural Resources in its acquisition of producing properties in the Overton field in East Texas, including approximately 11,000 net acres and 2,700 net boepd
• HG Energy II Appalachia, LLC/Quantum in the $400 million divestiture of producing, unconventional wellbores to Diversified Gas & Oil Corporation
• Vanguard Natural Resources, Inc. in the following divestitures of oil and gas assets: (i) sale of its interest in properties located in Mississippi to private equity backed oil and gas company and private oil and gas company; (ii) sale of its interest in properties located in the Permian Basin to private oil and gas company; (iii) sale of its interest in properties located in the Green River Basin to private equity backed oil and gas company; (iv) swap of its interest in properties in Wyoming with private oil and gas company; (v) sale of its interest in natural gas properties and associated midstream assets located in Potato Hills field in the Arkoma Basin to private oil and gas company; and (vi) sale of its interest in properties in Texas to private oil and gas company
• BCE-Mach LLC in its acquisition of Repsol E&P USA Inc.’s producing properties in Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Major, Harper, Noble, Pawnee, Payne, Woods and Woodward Counties, Oklahoma and Barber, Comanche, Finney, Ford, Gove, Gray, Harper, Hodgeman, Ness, Reno, Scott, Sumner and Wichita Counties, Kansas
• KKR/Venado Oil & Gas, LLC in the acquisition of operated assets in the Eagle Ford oil window of South Texas from Texas American Resources Company I, LLC
• FourPoint Energy in its formation of a new pure-play Midland Basin joint venture with Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC named DoublePoint Energy, LLC, with over 70,000 acres in Midland, Glassock, Martin, Howard, Upton and Reagan Counties, Texas
• PE-backed oil and gas company in its $553 million acquisition of Devon Energy Corporation’s (NYSE:DVN) oil and gas properties in the Barnett Shale
• Ares Management, L.P. in its majority investment into Admiral Permian Resources, LLC, a Texas-based independent oil and gas company and the related acquisition of more than 59,000 net acres from Three Rivers Operating Co. III LLC (3ROC) in the Delaware Basin
• HG Energy II Appalachia, LLC in its exchange transaction with CNX Resources Corp. and CNX Midstream Partners LP
• Warburg Pincus/RimRock Oil & Gas Williston, LLC in the $500 million acquisition of non-operated upstream assets in the Bakken Shale from Whiting Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: WLL)
• GSO/Sequel Energy Group LLC in the formation of $325 million drilling partnership to develop domestic unconventional resources in the Utica Shale with Eclipse Resources Corp. (NYSE: ECR)
• Alta Marcellus Development, LLC in its $1.24 billion acquisition of operated and non-operated upstream assets and operated midstream assets in the Marcellus Shale of north-central Pennsylvania from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC)
• KKR in its $625 million divestiture of certain Eagle Ford Shale assets owned by KKR and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) to WildHorse Development Corporation (NYSE: WRD) paid in cash and WRD common stock
• Private equity fund in its divestiture and unwind of an existing drilling partnership with a private oil and gas company to develop Eagle Ford Shale assets
• HG Energy II LLC/Quantum in the $1.23 billion acquisition of Noble Energy, Inc.’s (NYSE: NBL) upstream assets in the Marcellus Shale play
• KKR/Venado Oil and Gas, LLC in its $300 million acquisition of certain of EXCO Resources, Inc.’s (NYSE: XCO) producing and non-producing oil and natural gas properties in South Texas
• PE-backed oil and gas company in its substantial acquisition of certain non-operated oil and gas properties in the Eagle Ford Shale
• Indigo Haynesville in its agreement to purchase from Chesapeake Energy Corp. a portion of its acreage and producing properties in its Haynesville Shale operating area in northern Louisiana for approximately $450 million and associated placement of second lien and equity financing with a syndicate of private equity firms
• Samson Resources Corporation in its Chapter 11 restructuring in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Samson, a leading onshore oil and gas exploration and production company with headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, held oil and gas assets primarily located in Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. In Chapter 11, Samson successfully executed on six simultaneous asset sales during its restructuring, with an aggregate purchase price of $650 million, and negotiated a global settlement with its major stakeholders, resolving all open issues in its bankruptcy. Samson’s plan of reorganization deleveraged its balance sheet by approximately $4 billion and positioned Samson for future success after emergence
• Independent oil and gas company in its formation of an acquisition partnership to acquire and develop oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin
• Private equity fund in its unwind of an existing drilling partnership with a private oil and gas company and associated acquisition of additional working interest in the Eagle Ford Shale
• KKR/Haymaker Resources LP in the acquisition of Chesapeake Energy Corporation’s (NYSE: CHK) producing and non-producing mineral and royalty interests associated with over 8,500 wells across 24 states and 324 counties
• Large global investment fund in its formation of drilling participation arrangement with Gastar Exploration Inc. (NYSE: GST) to jointly develop up to 60 Gastar-operated wells in the STACK play in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma
• Independent oil and gas company in its $423 million acquisition of Devon Energy Corporation’s (NYSE:DVN) oil and gas properties in the southern Midland Basin
• TPG Special Situations Partners, LLC in its formation of $400 million drilling partnership to develop domestic unconventional resources in the Midland Basin with Hunt Oil Company
• Private equity fund in its formation of drilling partnership to develop assets in the Permian Basin
• Indigo Minerals LLC in its $375 million equity capital raise and the acquisition of certain producing and undeveloped Cotton Valley and Haynesville properties from a private exploration and development company
• Independent oil and gas company in its divestiture of undivided working interest in large-scale position in the Permian Basin
• Seneca Resources Corporation in its formation of drilling partnership to develop unconventional resources in Pennsylvania with an affiliate of IOG Capital, LP and Fortress Investment Group, LLC (NYSE: FIG) and the subsequent modified extension of the original joint development agreement
• KKR/Fleur de Lis Energy, LLC in the acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s CO2 enhanced oil recovery properties in the Powder River and Green River Basins of Wyoming
• GSO Capital Partners LP in its formation of $500 million drilling partnership to develop domestic unconventional resources with Linn Energy(NASDAQ: LINE)
• Private equity fund in its formation of drilling partnership to develop unconventional resources in South Texas
• KKR in its formation of drilling partnership with Anadarko Petroleum to develop Eaglebine Shale assets
• East Resources and private oil company in the $1.75 billion divestiture of oil and gas assets in the Utica and Marcellus Shale plays to affiliates of American Energy Partners, LP

Prior to joining Kirkland, Chris was involved in the following representations:

Acquisitions, Divestitures and Joint Ventures

• Private equity fund formation of drilling partnership to develop Bakken Shale assets
• Carlyle Group in its formation of joint venture with Hilcorp Energy to develop Utica Shale assets
• KKR in its formation of multiple drilling partnerships to develop Eagle Ford Shale assets
• Dominion Resources Inc. in its farmout of 90,000 Marcellus Shale acres underlying gas storage fields to CONSOL Energy Inc.

Other Energy Project Development

• International oil company in its structuring of initial investments in U.S. Gulf of Mexico deep-water oil and gas assets

Associate, Baker Botts L.L.P.

Summer Associate, Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C.

Summer Associate, Baker Botts L.L.P.