Houston Partners Honored with Professional Excellence Awards

Houston corporate partners Bill Finnegan and Stephen Szalkowski were recognized by Texas Lawyer in their 2019 Professional Excellence Awards. The annual awards program honors those “who have made their mark on the legal profession in the Lone Star State and beyond.”

Finnegan earned the distinction of a Lifetime Achievement honoree for his legal accomplishments throughout his career. In the last year, he guided dozens of energy deals worth an aggregate value of more than US$199 billion. His profile also mentions his longtime representation of Energy Transfer Partners, including his work on Energy Transfer’s US$18 billion acquisition of Regency Energy Partners which at the time created the second-largest master limited partnership in the world.

Szalkowski received an On the Rise award, which honors “lawyers under the age of 40 who have wielded influence in their practice areas in Texas and beyond.” In his profile, Texas Lawyer notes his work on domestic and international energy transactions, including his recent representation of Hess Corporation in the US$255 million sale of its water business to Hess Infrastructure partners. In addition, they discuss his work guiding Dow Chemical Company’s drilling joint venture with Devon Energy.