Jesse Betts is a partner in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department. He is based in the Firm’s Dallas office.
Jesse’s practice is focused on advising private equity funds, portfolio companies, public and private companies, management teams and high-net-worth individuals through the entire investment cycle. He represents clients on private equity investment, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, internal restructurings, compliance with securities law, securities offerings, venture capital investments and other corporate governance matters.
He regularly counsels private equity funds in connection with their portfolio company formations and follow-on investments, as well as high-net-worth individuals investing venture capital in various technology start-ups.
His representation of publicly traded companies includes advice regarding the registration of securities, periodic reporting, compliance with stock exchange listing requirements, stockholder proposals, corporate governance and other corporate matters.
Jesse advises clients in a variety of industries and is particularly experienced in the upstream and midstream oil and gas, oilfield water and waste disposal, manufacturing, logistics, medical device and technology industries.
Experience
- Recognized by D Magazine as among the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” for Corporate Law: Private Equity, 2022-2025
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US for M&A: Large Deals: $1bn+, 2022
- Recognized by Thomson Reuters as a “Texas Rising Star” for Business/Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions, 2012-2018
- Board of Directors, KidLinks
- Speaker, “It’s Not Easy Being Green: Energy Dealmaking in a Decarbonizing Future,” The University of Texas Law M&A Institute, October 6, 2022
Significant M&A Transactions
- Represented funds managed by Yorktown Partners LLC, an energy private equity sponsor, in connection with the $2.7 billion merger of Indigo Natural Resources LLC, a Yorktown portfolio company, with Southwestern Energy Company.
- Represented a private equity backed purchaser in its acquisition of an oil and gas midstream company for more than $300 million in consideration.
- Represented a private equity backed seller in the sale of an oilfield environmental services and solid waste disposal portfolio company for more than $350 million.
- Represented a private equity backed seller in the sale of an oil and gas water disposal portfolio company for more than $350 million.
- Represented a private equity backed seller in the sale of a midstream portfolio company for $1 billion.
- Represented a private equity backed seller in the acquisition of a food processing company for more than $75 million.
- Represented a strategic purchaser in its acquisition of a distribution company for an amount in excess of $400 million.
- Represented a purchaser in its acquisition of an oil and gas exploration and production company for $300 million.
- Represented a purchaser in a series of acquisitions of saltwater disposal well businesses and its subsequent disposition of such businesses for an amount in excess of $300 million.
- Represented a public company purchaser in connection with numerous acquisitions of mineral and royalty interests in exchange for common units.
- Represented a purchaser in its acquisition of a national restaurant group.
- Represented a seller in its disposition of a destination management company.
Public Securities Offerings
- $173 million follow-on offering of common stock.
- $129 million follow-on offering of common stock.
- $107 million follow-on offering of common stock.
- $250 million offering of high-yield senior notes.
*Jesse advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
University of Kansas, J.D. Kansas State University, B.S.