Matthew D. Lea

Matt’s finance experience includes advising on other types of energy-related transactions such as acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures (e.g., DrillCo transactions), and the preparation and negotiation of various agreements, including participation, operating, farmout, and other asset-level agreements. He also represents clients in alternative energy capital solutions, such as call financing facilities, production payments, and prepaid swap agreements.

Broadly, Matt’s practice extends to secured and unsecured commercial finance transactions, such as syndicated financings, asset-based financings, bilateral loans, and loan workout and restructuring transactions, including debtor-in-possession and exit credit facilities.

Prior to joining the firm, Matt was a partner in the finance practice of another international law firm. While in law school, Matt was the editor in chief of the South Texas Law Review.

• Represented a commercial bank, as administrative agent, in a $125 million syndicated reserve-based senior secured first-lien credit facility collateralized with certain oil and gas assets in Texas
• Represented a commercial bank, as administrative agent, in a $100 million syndicated senior secured first-lien credit facility collateralized with certain pipeline and other midstream assets in Texas and Louisiana
• Represented a large international investment fund, as administrative agent for an international banking syndicate, structuring a $265 million delayed draw term loan facility to fund a public oil and gas company’s development of upstream assets located in Texas
• Represented one of the largest US privately held commodities trading companies in a structured $120 million call financing facility secured by oil and gas assets in Pennsylvania
• Represented a private equity-backed oil and gas exploration and production company in a $150 million revolving credit facility secured by oil and gas reserves in Utah
• Represented a private equity-backed midstream company in a $135 million syndicated senior secured first-lien revolving credit facility, with a $50 million accordion feature, to finance the company’s working capital needs and other general corporate purposes and secured by the company’s personal property assets (including, without limitation, equity interests, fixtures, equipment, and bank accounts
• Represented a large international investment fund structuring a $300 million delayed draw term loan facility to fund development of oil and gas assets located in the Marcellus shale
• Represented a mezzanine lender in a $75 million advancing term credit facility collateralized with certain oil and gas assets in Texas in which the lender acquired an overriding royalty interest in the borrower’s oil and gas assets
• Represented a large international investment fund structuring a $50 million delayed draw term loan facility to fund various joint venture developments to produce proprietary biocarbon
• Represented a privately-owned helium producer in an $83 million asset-backed securitization transaction secured by helium producing assets located on Navajo Nation tribal lands in Arizona and Utah
• Represented a private equity-backed oil and gas exploration and production company in a $50 million revolving credit facility and a pari passu $30 million main street lending facility secured by oil and gas reserves in Oklahoma
• Represented a privately-owned fuel, propane, lubricant, and natural gas liquids distributor in a $75 million first-lien revolving credit facility and a $50 million second-lien term loan facility secured by all of the company’s personal and real property assets in Texas, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, South Carolina, and Kentucky
• Represented a mezzanine lender in a $40 million advancing term credit facility collateralized with certain coal-bed methane properties in Kansas and Pennsylvania in which the lenders acquired fee mineral interests and net profits overriding royalty interests in the coal bed methane assets
• Represented a foreign mezzanine lender in a $200 million senior term loan credit facility collateralized with certain oil and gas assets in Texas in which the lender acquired a net profits overriding royalty interest in the borrower’s oil and gas assets in Texas
• Represented a publicly traded oil and gas exploration and production company in a $300 million syndicated senior secured first-lien revolving credit facility and a $350 million syndicated second-lien term loan to finance the company’s acquisition and development of certain oil and gas assets in and offshore Texas and Louisiana
• Represented commercial and mezzanine lenders in the negotiation of intercreditor agreements involving first- and second-lien lenders and hedges counterparties and standardized master agreements commonly used in the energy industry (including ISDAs and NAESBs)
• Represented commercial and mezzanine lenders in various workout and credit settlement transactions, including the foreclosure on and transfer of secured oil and gas assets located in, among other places, Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Colorado