15 Jun 2026
Bracewell Adds Partners Kevin Brophy and Ming Lei to Houston Oil and Gas Transactions Team
"Bracewell has hired Kevin Brophy and Ming Lei as partners in its Houston office to strengthen upstream and midstream oil and gas transactional and cross-border energy work."
Kevin Brophy joins Bracewell from Winston & Strawn LLP, where he co-chaired the firm’s energy and infrastructure group. He brings both transactional and in-house experience, having served as general counsel for the Kayne Anderson Energy Funds and advising on the formation, structuring and governance of funds with aggregate commitments exceeding $7 billion. Brophy’s practice focuses on upstream and midstream oil and gas transactions for private equity sponsors, family offices, investment firms and operating companies, including acquisitions and divestitures of energy assets, joint ventures, project financings, commercial agreements, and related corporate and incentive matters. He joins Bracewell as a partner.
Ming Lei also joins Bracewell from Winston & Strawn LLP as a partner. Her practice covers domestic and cross-border oil and gas and broader energy and infrastructure transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, private equity investments, project finance and complex commercial contracts. Lei has particular experience advising China-based companies on US investments, corporate governance, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution, and her work spans upstream and midstream oil and gas as well as broader energy matters.