Vinson & Elkins

Founded in Houston in 1917, Vinson & Elkins has been one of the most vital energy law firms since its start. Today, V&E attorneys are trusted advisers to clients in the most important industrial, financial, and digital industries, such as renewable energy, technology, banking/finance, M&A/private equity, real estate, media, complex litigation, and tax.

A Dynamic Centenarian

With 13 offices across the globe, V&E comprises a diverse partnership and team of business professionals who solve problems and create opportunities for client transactions, investments, projects, and disputes. In 2021, the firm celebrated the 50th anniversary of its London office, making it one of the oldest U.S. law firms with a continuous presence in the city, and 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of its Washington, DC, office. The V&E New York City office, established in 1998, recently increased the number of attorneys by more than 100% since 2018, bringing the firm’s Big Apple headcount to nearly 150 lawyers. In 2024, Vinson & Elkins opened new offices in Dublin and Denver.

The firm is headed by a four-person leadership team located in different offices. Executive Committee members include Chair Keith Fullenweider (Houston), Vice Chairs Jim Fox (New York), Michael Holmes (Dallas), and Hilary Preston (Austin and New York).

The Energy Transition

V&E navigates its clients’ most complex legal matters with expertise across practices, including litigation, investigations, real estate, private equity, technology, projects, and finance. Within its capacity as a full-service firm, V&E continues to thrive in its original core areas of energy and infrastructure and has been consistently in the top rankings in Vault’s Energy, Oil, & Gas and Clean Tech/Renewable Energy categories.

During the past 20 years, the firm has built a top-notch clean energy and renewables practice with lawyers experienced in hydro, solar, and wind energies; energy storage; fuel cells; smart-grid applications; biomass; and waste-to-energy matters. V&E teams work across practices, combining attorneys’ expertise in tax and tax equity, environmental law and regulatory counseling, licensing, M&A, project development, and project financing.

V&E focuses on the energy transition to provide insight and analysis to clients on a broad range of topics by looking at how companies and economies establish energy sustainability and a clean technology future via renewable energy projects while complying with federal and state regulations, making climate change adaptations, and considering international developments.

Plus Pro Bono

Vinson & Elkins isn’t just a big player in the energy, financial, industrial, and digital worlds; it also demonstrates a strong commitment to pro bono work. V&E lawyers perform an average of 20,000 hours on pro bono matters every year. V&E is known for the legal aid it provides veterans, nonprofits, low-income individuals, asylum seekers, small businesses, and people seeking medical guardianship.

• Vinson & Elkins is at the forefront of the energy transition, advising on complex transactions and disputes related to renewables and clean energy, providing Inflation Reduction Act tax credit counseling and helping clients navigate climate change and environmental risks. Since 2022, V&E has advised on related matters worth more than $25 billion. Clients include Goldman Sachs, Riverstone, Macquarie, and The Carlyle Group.
• In 2022, V&E trial attorneys secured a $94 million unanimous jury verdict for Huntsman Corporation against an industrial gas supplier in a breach of contract. The complex commercial litigation team continues to handle high-profile and bet-the-company matters for a range of clients.
• Vinson & Elkins represented Woodside Petroleum in a $43 billion merger with BHP Group, creating a global top 10 independent energy company, one of the largest transactions by value in the industry in 2022.
• Vinson & Elkins represented Google in its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit and with ongoing antitrust matters for Google and other prominent companies across technology/data centers, energy, real estate, finance, and other industries.

• Top band in 19 categories and 163 individual lawyer rankings, 2024—Chambers USA
• 141 total recognitions for Antitrust, Bankruptcy, Cybersecurity, Dealmaking, Energy, Environmental, Labor & Employment, and Litigation, among others in Leading Lawyers Guides, 2024-2025—Lawdragon
• Ranked in 44 practice areas with 131 individual lawyer recommendations in The Legal 500 US, 2024—Legal 500
• 85% of Vinson & Elkins partners are recognized for their work in leading U.S. and international legal publications, 2024—Chambers, Legal 500, and Lawdragon