Laura Martone focuses her practice on oil and gas finance, renewable energy, and commodities trading, along with general financial transactions and real estate lending. She represents financial institutions, other lenders and borrowers in connection with the structuring, negotiation and documentation of a wide array of secured and unsecured credit transactions, including acquisition financings, project financings, term loans, working capital loans, letter of credit facilities, commodity financings and oil and gas secured financings. Laura also has experience representing both borrower and lender clients in out-of-court restructurings and bankruptcy proceedings. She has practiced in New York, California and Texas.

Prior to entering private practice, Laura served as a law clerk to the Honorable Phil Johnson and the Honorable Michael H. Schneider of the Supreme Court of Texas.

Bar Admissions

Texas

New York

California

Education
University of Houston Law Center, Law, 2004, J.D.
Honors: summa cum laude, Order of the Coif; Articles Editor, Houston Law Review

Texas A&M University, Undergraduate, 2001, B.B.A.
Honors: summa cum laude

Significant Accomplishments
Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC — development of an industrial scale carbon capture pipeline system of more than 1,200 miles of new carbon dioxide gathering and transportation pipelines across five Midwest states (Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois) with the capability of permanently storing up to 5 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year
El Paso Corporation and Ruby Pipeline LLC — $1.58 billion construction and term financing of the 675-mile Ruby Pipeline in the northwest United States
Lead Arranger — $3 billion secured commodity borrowing base revolving credit facility for a global energy trading company
Lead Arranger — $1.3 billion asset based revolving credit facility to an independent oil company
Private equity sponsor — acquisition financing of upstream and midstream assets located in Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia
Privately held Exploration and Production Company — $250 million secured revolving credit facility and $75 million unsecured term loan
Ruby Pipeline, LLC — $1.075 billion senior notes offering and $350 million term loan facility used to refinance its construction financing
Apollo Investment Corporation — $175 million secured second lien credit facility to Miller Energy Resources, Inc. and subsequent restructuring
Lead Arranger — $250 million secured, reserved based loan to a private E&P company with assets in Colorado
Venoco, Inc. — $175 million of first lien notes issuance, $75 million secured term loan, and exchange of $194 million in principal and interest of its unsecured notes for $150 million of second lien notes
Private equity fund — two $100 million mezzanine financings in support of the acquisition, development and construction of two large combined-cycle natural gas-fired electric generation facilities
La Paloma Generating Company, LLC — $412 million first-lien and second-lien term and working capital project finance facilities for its 1,022 MW combined-cycle electric generation facility
Elba Express Company LLC — a natural gas pipeline transporting regassified LNG, and its sponsor in connection with the construction and term financing of a significant lateral connection to the Transco pipeline system
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. — purchase of BNP Paribas’ North American oil and gas loan portfolio.
Global banking company — approximately $390 million sale of certain U.S. real estate portfolio loans
Rockland Capital and GSO Capital Partners — sale of Midland Cogeneration Venture, a 1,500 MW natural gas fired cogeneration facility located in Midland, Michigan
International clothing retailer — asset-based lending arrangements with a global financial institution and subsequent refinancing thereof
Private equity sponsor — $200 million asset-based working capital and term loan credit facilities for a private equity sponsor and certain of its portfolio companies in the aerospace and defense industry