Rankings: MVPs of the Year

Law360’s MVPs of the Year recognizes the five attorneys who had extraordinary wins and contributed most to their practice area in the past year. The series showcases standout attorneys across the practice areas and industries covered by Law360.
  • September 13, 2021

    MVP: Sidley Austin's Tara Higgins

    Sidley Austin LLP energy practice co-head Tara Higgins led a team of colleagues and local counsel that made global infrastructure investment manager I Squared Capital's $961 million acquisition and financing of Atlantic Power Corporation a reality, securing her spot among Law360's 2021 Energy MVPs.

  • September 10, 2021

    MVP: Gibson Dunn's Michael P. Darden

    Michael P. Darden of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP led a successful effort to help Pioneer Natural Resources land two multibillion-dollar oil company acquisitions and expand the application of its market-leading ESG policies, earning him a spot among Law360's 2021 Energy MVPs.

  • September 09, 2021

    MVP: Kirkland's John Pitts

    John Pitts of Kirkland & Ellis LLP guided energy deals totaling more than $15.5 billion in the past year, including advising Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners through a $750 million joint venture and guiding Alta Resources through its $2.9 billion sale to EQT, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2021 Energy MVPs.

  • September 08, 2021

    MVP: Skadden's Frank Bayouth

    Frank Bayouth of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's energy practice led a team that helped secure a merger of equals between Devon Energy and WPX Energy, creating a company with an enterprise value of about $12 billion and helping earn him a spot as one of Law360's 2021 Energy MVPs.

  • September 07, 2021

    MVP: Davis Polk's Damian Schaible

    Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP partner Damian Schaible's work guiding creditor groups through a fresh wave of energy company bankruptcies, including the case of natural gas giant Chesapeake Energy Corp., has earned him a spot on Law360's 2021 list of Energy MVPs.

  • August 30, 2021

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To 182 Attys From 77 Firms

    The elite slate of attorneys chosen as Law360's 2021 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • October 09, 2020

    MVP: Simpson Thacher's Eli G. Hunt

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP partner Eli G. Hunt played a vital role in sealing a $20.7 billion energy infrastructure deal between Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and a consortium of other industry players, earning him a place among Law360's 2020 Energy MVPs.

  • October 08, 2020

    MVP: Quinn Emanuel's Sanford I. Weisburst

    Sanford I. Weisburst of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP's energy practice helped Total E&P USA Inc. successfully avoid liability for alleged abandonment of offshore oil and gas assets, saving the company from a $17 million damages judgment and earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2020 Energy MVPs.

  • October 07, 2020

    MVP: McGuireWoods' Joanne Katsantonis

    Joanne Katsantonis of McGuireWoods LLP's energy practice guided her client Dominion Energy through big deals over the past year, including its decision to sell its gas transmission and storage business to an affiliate of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in a $9.7 billion deal, earning her a spot as a Law360 2020 Energy MVP.

  • October 06, 2020

    MVP: Latham's Ryan Maierson

    Ryan Maierson of Latham & Watkins LLP's energy practice guided Equitrans Midstream Corp. through several transactions collectively valued at more than $10 billion — including Equitrans' acquisition of subsidiary EQM Midstream Partners — in addition to other significant oil and gas deals, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2020 Energy MVPs.

  • October 05, 2020

    MVP: Kirkland's Lucas Spivey

    Finance work by Lucas Spivey of Kirkland & Ellis LLP helped McDermott International Ltd. and other oil and gas firms climb out of financial trouble even as the COVID-19 pandemic heaped additional stress on the industry, earning him a spot among Law360's 2020 Energy MVPs.

  • October 04, 2020

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 76 Firms

    The elite slate of attorneys chosen as Law360's 2020 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • December 05, 2019

    MVP: Greenberg Traurig's William Garner

    Greenberg Traurig LLP's William Garner has spent the past year working on innovative projects in the energy sector, including a first-of-its-kind carbon neutral ammonia plant in Indiana, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2019 Energy MVPs.

  • December 04, 2019

    MVP: Gibson Dunn's Michael P. Darden

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's Michael P. Darden helped sew up a $1.5 billion Permian Basin joint development venture between Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Ecopetrol, earning him a place among Law360's Energy MVPs for the second straight year.

  • December 03, 2019

    MVP: Morgan Lewis' Kirstin E. Gibbs

    Kirstin E. Gibbs of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP represented Caithness Energy in securing $1.6 billion in financing for a project that is expected to be the largest natural gas-fired electric power plant east of the Mississippi, landing her on the list of Law360's 2019 Energy MVP's.

  • December 02, 2019

    MVP: Pillsbury's Jay Silberg

    Jay Silberg of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP successfully helped a client fight opposition to a planned interim spent nuclear fuel facility and has logged decades of work on nuclear issues, providing him a unique understanding of the field's long-running policy issues and making him one of Law360's 2019 Energy MVPs.

  • November 27, 2019

    MVP: V&E's Doug McWilliams

    Vinson & Elkins LLP's Doug McWilliams helped guide a $2.2 billion deal involving Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and several other multibillion-dollar oil and gas transactions over the past year, earning him a place among Law360's 2019 Energy MVPs.

  • November 08, 2019

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 76 Firms

    The elite slate of attorneys chosen as Law360's 2019 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • December 10, 2018

    MVP: Vinson & Elkins' Stephen Gill

    Stephen M. Gill, a partner in Vinson & Elkins LLP's mergers and acquisitions and capital markets practices, has wielded his vast experience in the energy space this year to keep intense competition at bay as lawyers from other big-name firms swoop into Houston and try to grab market share, making him one of Law360's 2018 Energy MVPs.

  • December 07, 2018

    MVP: Simpson Thacher's David Lieberman

    David Lieberman of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has been involved in several high-profile energy cases, including representing Vistra Energy Corp. in a $20 billion merger with Dynegy Inc. and helping Global Infrastructure Partners acquire NRG Energy's renewable energy business, landing him among Law360's 2018 Energy MVPs.

  • December 06, 2018

    MVP: Jenner & Block's Matthew Price

    Matthew Price of Jenner & Block LLP won court victories for programs in New York and Illinois that put in place incentives for nuclear power plants and secured a victory in the Illinois Supreme Court that helped define what counted as a utility, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2018 Energy MVPs.

  • December 05, 2018

    MVP: Gibson Dunn's Michael Darden

    Michael Darden, the chair of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's oil and gas practice group, represented Concho Resources Inc. in a $9.5 billion acquisition of fellow Permian Basin driller RSP Permian Inc. and handled a $2.6 billion sale of EnerVest Ltd.'s South Texas division, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2018 Energy MVPs.

  • December 04, 2018

    MVP: Akin Gump's John Goodgame

    John Goodgame of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP handled major transactions in the oil and gas sector totaling more than $21 billion over the last year, driving deals for high-profile clients and earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2018 Energy MVPs.

  • November 21, 2018

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 71 Firms

    The elite slate of attorneys chosen as Law360's 2018 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • December 18, 2017

    MVP: Vinson & Elkins' Steve Gill

    Vinson & Elkins LLP’s Steve Gill has helped clients execute major mergers and acquisitions over the past year, including one that established one of the largest natural gas producers in the country, securing him a place as one of Law360’s 2017 Energy MVPs.