Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that Steven V. Torello has joined the firm as a partner in its Houston office. Mr. Torello joins Willkie from the Houston office of DLA Piper, where he was a partner.
“We’ve chased Steve for three years for good reason: He is among the small group of lawyers who have dedicated their practices to complex transactions involving energy funds and their upstream, oilfield service and midstream portfolio companies,” said Bruce C. Herzog, Willkie’s partner in charge of the Houston office. “Steve’s combination of private equity expertise and asset-level skills directly squares with our core strategy of serving as long-term advisors to energy and buyout fund principals, portfolio companies and management teams.”
Mr. Torello primarily represents energy-focused private equity funds forming platform companies focused on building upstream, oilfield service and midstream businesses. He also represents sponsor-backed portfolio companies in their M&A and joint development programs as well as in their financing transactions.
“Joining Willkie is all about having access to a deep and stable bench of private equity and energy resources in order to best serve sophisticated clients in complex projects,” said Mr. Torello. “Today’s clients need the resources and knowledge base of a firm like Willkie as energy deals and market standards continue to evolve and increase in complexity. Willkie has carefully assembled an outstanding team who will be a tremendous asset to my clients.”
“Steve is an excellent lawyer with a combination of deep experience and versatility across the energy space. The addition of Steve to our team is tremendously accretive and consistent with our strategic focus in the market. We are thrilled to have him join us and are confident he will
both help us develop new client relationships and enhance our ability to serve our existing client base,” said Willkie partner and energy practice co-head Michael De Voe Piazza.
Willkie’s Houston office, which opened in November 2014, has grown to approximately 30 attorneys focused primarily on corporate work, with a special focus on the representation of private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a wide variety of transactions including those relating to the energy sector.