Ashley is co-lead of the firm’s Oil and Gas practice group.

Ashley has broad experience in the energy industry. Her experience includes drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, merger agreements, exploration and development agreements, joint venture agreements, joint operating agreements, limited liability company agreements, and partnership agreements. Ashley also has significant midstream experience negotiating gas gathering agreements, processing agreements, fractionation agreements, crude oil transportation agreements, NGL sales agreements, and other midstream contracts. Ashley has experience working on the foregoing matters for oil and gas shale properties across the country, including in the Utica Shale, Barnett Shale, Eagle Ford Shale, Marcellus Shale, Niobrara Shale, and Haynesville Shale plays.

Ashley also advises clients regarding periodic SEC reporting, corporate governance, reporting, and compliance matters.

Representative Experience

Representative Upstream Energy Work

• Representation of a privately held E&P company in a $525 million equity capital raise from private equity fund in connection with its acquisition of certain strategic upstream and midstream assets in the Anadarko Basin
• Representation of the subsidiary of a Japanese oil and gas company in its acquisition of a 30% equity interest in a subsidiary of a global commodities merchant
• Representation of a private oil and gas company in the acquisition of Anadarko Basin oil and gas properties from major public oil and gas company for $385 million
• Representation of Hilcorp Energy Company in the acquisition of South Texas oil and gas properties from major public oil and gas company
• Representation of Hilcorp Energy Company in the formation of a $1.24 billion joint venture with private equity firm to acquire North American oil and gas properties
• Representation of a private oil and gas company in the acquisition of Anadarko Basin oil and gas properties from major public oil and gas company for $840 million

• Representation of a private oil and gas company in the formation of a joint venture with a private equity firm to develop its Utica shale leasehold position in Ohio and Pennsylvania
• Representation of a public oil and gas company in the purchase of Eagle Ford assets from a private oil and gas company
• Representation of a public oil and gas company in the sale of Permian assets to a private oil and gas company
• Representation of a private oil and gas company in the financing and acquisition of Anadarko basin assets and related joint development thereof (and ongoing representation of same client in connection with series of joint acquisitions with joint venture partner)
• Representation of a private oil and gas company in its acquisition of certain oil and gas assets in Alaska from large public oil and gas company for $375 million
• Representation of a public oil and gas company in its sale of Eagle Ford properties for $100 million
• Representation of private oil and gas company in its sale of its shallow water Gulf of Mexico shelf oil and gas interests to independent oil and gas company for $550 million
• Representation of private oil and gas company with significant Mid Continent leasehold positions in Oklahoma and Texas in merger with public oil and gas company for $2.8 billion
• Representation of large public oil refiner in a $7 billion merger of equals
• Representation of Houston-based drilling company in the sale of its land drilling division for $510 million
• Representation of large public oil company in its $3.9 billion acquisition of an offshore oil company for cash and stock consideration
• Representation of independent power producer in its acquisition of a 760 MW natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Mississippi (and representation of same client in connection with several similar bidding transactions)
• Representation of energy-focused private equity firm in its acquisition of all of the Series A interest in the GP of a publicly traded MLP for approximately $100 million
• Representation of Japanese corporation in connection with its joint venture arrangement to export liquefied natural gas from liquefaction facility in America

Other Representative M&A Work

• Representation of publicly traded chemical company in its acquisition of new pipe and foundations company
• Representation of one of the world's largest automakers in the acquisition of one of the nation's leading independent auto finance companies in connection with a $3.5 billion all-cash transaction [Named Deal of the Year in The Deal Magazine.]
• Representation of global provider of oilfield products and services in its acquisition of privately held isotopic analysis company for cash and stock consideration

Representative Midstream Work

• Representation of the Conflicts Committee of the General Partner of a midstream MLP in a dropdown of logistics assets.
• Representation of private oil and gas company in the acquisition of South Louisiana crude oil gathering and transportation pipeline system from publicly held energy company
• Representation of private oil and gas company in the formation of a joint venture with a private equity firm to acquire and own crude oil gathering and transport pipelines
• Representation of public energy company in negotiating an omnibus gas gathering and processing agreement for producing oil and gas properties in the DJ Basin in Colorado
• Representation of publicly traded producer in negotiating long term oil transportation contracts in the Bakken shale play
• Representation of a large midstream gathering and processing MLP in negotiating gas gathering agreements and gas processing agreements in the Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Niobrara, Haynesville and Utica shale plays in connection with its acquisition of $2.7 billion of assets from a publicly held energy company
• Representation of private oil and gas producer to negotiate separate field gathering, rich gas header gathering, processing, and residue gas gathering agreements in the Utica shale play (and representation of same client to partially assign each such contract to financial partner)
• Representation of private midstream company to negotiate gas contracts in Texas
• Representation of private midstream oil and gas company in connection with a $1 billion joint venture involving a south Texas crude oil and condensate gathering and transportation pipeline system

Representative Compliance and Special Committee Work

• Representation of special committees of boards of directors of several midstream MLPs in connection with certain transactions, including the acquisition of tangible assets and real property located in the Eagle Ford Shale play; the acquisition of gathering and processing assets in South and Central Texas; the acquisition of interests in an East Texas gathering system; the acquisition of certain crude oil storage tanks and related real property; and the acquisition of certain midstream assets in the Haynesville and Bossier Shale plays
• Assists directors, officers and 10% shareholder clients with Section 16 and Section 13 reporting and compliance matters

Representative Capital Markets Work

• Representation of underwriters in connection with $93.389 million follow-on equity offering of an NYSE American-listed, upstream company
• Representation of underwriters in connection with a $195 million IPO of an NYSE-listed retail fuel distribution master limited partnership
• Representation of underwriters in follow-on offering by MLP of $650 million aggregate principal amount of 4.875% Notes due 2021
• Representation of issuer in registered public offering of 4,140,000 shares of common stock for $125.5 million
• Representation of issuer in private placement of $115 million of Convertible Senior Notes and concurrent registered public offering of common stock
• Representation of issuers and underwriters in numerous public equity and debt financings, including master limited partnerships

Other Work

• Prepare all master service agreements and related requests for services for a large public gas pipeline company and regularly negotiate directly with various contractor counterparties

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, The University of Texas School of Law, with honors, 2009BS, Finance, Louisiana State University, summa cum laude, 2006

• AK Migration: SEC Proposes Rules to Implement the Dodd-Frank Act’s Mine Safety Disclosure Requirements
• AK Migration: SEC Proposes Enhanced Short-Term Borrowing Disclosure Rules
• AK Migration: Oil and Gas Companies Should Expect Increased SEC Scrutiny of Operations and Reserves
• AK Migration: SEC Proposes Disclosure Rules for Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers
• AK Migration: DC Circuit Panel Vacates Proxy Access Rule
• AK Migration: SEC Proposes Rules for Compensation Committees and Compensation Advisers
• AK Migration: SEC Issues Interpretive Guidance Regarding Liquidity and Capital Resources Disclosures
• AK Migration: Recent Ruling Allows a Shareholder Lawsuit to Proceed After a Negative Say-on-Pay Vote: Quirk or Harbinger?
• AK Migration: PCAOB Considers Changes to Standards for Auditors’ Reports on Audited Financial Statements
• AK Migration: SEC Proposes Amendments to Issuer Repurchase Rule
• AK Migration: DC Circuit’s Proxy Access Decision to Stand, but SEC to Allow “Private Ordering” of Proxy Access
• AK Migration: PCAOB Floats Possibility of Mandatory Audit Firm Rotation
• Eye on the Exit: Building Value of a Business for Future Sale, Straightline