"A good attorney navigates through obstacles to identify and implement business solutions to complex problems."
PROFESSIONAL
Claude has represented clients with documentation and implementation of corporate and commercial transactions in most industries, and his clients range from start-up ventures to public corporations, including many in the energy industry. He represents companies in connection with complex business transactions, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, venture capital and start-up representation, private placement of securities, formation issues, joint ventures and strategic alliances, confidentiality and non-circumvention agreements, joint operating agreements, risk management agreements, master service agreements and corporate control matters. He has also successfully managed numerous commercial litigation matters.
Claude’s commercial finance expertise was developed by representing lenders and borrowers in numerous transactions, including complex credit facility structuring and negotiations, due diligence analysis, unusual collateral securitization, distressed collateral management and foreclosures.
Claude’s real estate expertise includes representing clients in formulating strategies for the development, acquisition, financing, management, entity structuring, disposition and leasing of commercial and industrial properties.
EDUCATION
University of Houston Law Center, Juris Doctorate, 1998
University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Science degree, Zoology, 1995 and Bachelor of Arts, Psychology 1993
LICENSURE
State Bar of Texas, 1998
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
State Bar of Texas – Member
Houston Bar Association – Member
Texas Association of Bank Counsel – Member
Houston Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) No. 13 – Director
Redevelopment Authority No. 13 – Director
Named a Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters – 2006-2009
REPRESENTATION
Represented numerous clients in formation and corporate control agreements for closely held entities, joint ventures and related buysell agreements.
Represented an international FBO company with the acquisition of several domestic competitors.
Represented a variety of clients in stock purchase and asset purchase transactions.
Represented an engineering company in acquisition of pipeline construction company’s assets and operations.
Represented a drilling equipment designer in private placement of debt and equity securities.
Represented a manufacturer of Russian oilfield equipment in the acquisition of an international drilling rig design firm and separate exploratory negotiations and bidding for several U.S. based drilling rig manufacturers.
Represented numerous energy industry service providers in negotiations of master service and related agreements with exploration and production companies.
Represented a number of clients in minority shareholder oppression lawsuits.
Represented an international manufacturer/distributor in the acquisition of a U.S. based distributor of sports equipment.
Represented an investor in negotiations for the acquisition of biofuel refinery located at Houston Ship Channel.
Represented a national auto salvage parts distributor in its acquisition of commercial assets for Texas operations.
Represented landlords and tenants in industrial lease, acquisition and disposition transactions.
Represented a national automotive dealer in land planning and troubleshooting issues for a 6 story dealership located in Houston.
Managed a team of attorneys in all aspects of negotiation and documenting lease and purchase transactions for hundreds of telecommunication facilities.
Represented a lending subsidiary of foreign automotive manufacturer in the negotiation and documentation of multiple credit facilities secured by dealerships.
Represented a lending subsidiary of an automotive manufacturer in connection with the division and sale of commercial property.
Represented a national auto salvage parts distributor in the acquisition of a commercial property for Texas operations.
Represented a national financial institution in the financing of a retail lumber sales facilities and working capital credit facility.
Represented a regional health care provider in several sales of group homes.
Represented a low income housing provider in acquisition of multifamily commercial property.
Represented a national developer in structuring lot purchase agreements.
Assisted an institutional lender in connection with a credit facility secured by a 13 mile gas pipeline.
Assisted an investment group with real estate and organizational issues in development of 27-hole golf course.
Assisted a national lender in securing Texas properties in $110MM multi-state real estate/vessel secured credit facility.
Assisted a national health care provider in development and sale of commercial condominiums located within a hospital.
Assisted a developer with lobbying and legal issues in connection with developing a downtown Houston building.
Assisted an industrial client with formation of a $46MM credit facility secured, in part, by a petrochemical refinery.
Assisted a national automotive lender with formation of a $100MM credit facility secured by several automotive dealerships.
Assisted an institutional lender in connection with the financing of several shipyard facilities and vessels under construction.
Represented a national healthcare provider’s development and sale of a surgical facility condominium.
HOBBIES & SPECIAL INTERESTS
In his spare time, Claude enjoys spending time with his family, restoring historic structures and spending time at his small ranch in Cat Spring, Texas.
Download Full Bio