McGuireWoods bolstered its global energy transactional capabilities with the addition of Houston partner Jude Leblanc, who has nearly 25 years of experience negotiating deals in the energy and power sectors in the United States and abroad.
Leblanc joined McGuireWoods after serving as a vice president and in-house counsel at Fluor Corp., a leading multinational engineering and construction firm. He led numerous multibillion-dollar deals with oil companies, developers and public utilities domestically and internationally and managed Fluor’s oil and gas transactions in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. He also worked closely with senior management on transactional, corporate compliance, risk and anti-corruption matters.
Leblanc structures, drafts and negotiates deals for major industrial, energy and power facilities and infrastructure projects; large-scale equipment purchase agreements; project and corporate finance and M&A deals; and joint venture and consortium agreements.
“Jude’s background leading complex international deals for one of the world’s most respected engineer and construction firms strengthens our position as a leading M&A firm with powerful capabilities in energy matters,” said Michael Woodard, chair of McGuireWoods’ M&A and Energy Transactional Department.
Leblanc joined a McGuireWoods practice that consistently ranks among the leaders in U.S. and global M&A deals in league tables published by Bloomberg and Refinitiv. The firm’s M&A practice has earned nationwide recognition from Chambers USA and The Legal 500. McGuireWoods also was a finalist for best energy practice in The American Lawyer’s inaugural Corporate Departments of the Year Awards.
“Jude’s experience as a legal adviser at a Fortune 150 company and in private practice gives him a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities clients face in today’s market. We are thrilled to have him on our growing team in Houston,” said office managing partner Yasser Madriz.
“McGuireWoods has established itself as a leader in innovative, industry-focused client service, including all aspects of the energy sector,” Leblanc said. “I am proud to work with this world-class team and be part of the firm’s continuing growth in Texas.”