Jessica Rivera is an associate in the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group in the Houston office of Haynes and Boone, LLP.
Ms. Rivera’s work experience gives her a unique insight into the importance of client service and the challenges faced by international corporations. After joining Haynes and Boone, Ms. Rivera accepted a one-year secondment working in the legal department of a large Helsinki-based power plant and marine engine supplier, Wartsila, where she provided legal services to Wartsila subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. While there, Ms. Rivera addressed a broad range of issues including negotiating master services agreements, developing employee training programs for the company’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act policy, and managing outside counsel’s work on litigation.
Ms. Rivera’s practice at Haynes and Boone involves representing various Oilfield Services clients in master services agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and cross-border transactions. Ms. Rivera’s proficiency in Spanish and Portuguese and her understanding of Latin American business culture have enabled her to represent clients throughout the Americas.
Representative Experience
- Represented distributors of plastic resin in Central America in the sale of their assets to a U.S.-based distributor of engineering and commodity grade thermoplastics.
- Representing owners of multiple funeral homes and cemeteries in the sale of their businesses to public acquirers.
- Represented a limited liability corporation in the sale of membership interests to add additional member to the company.
- Represented companies who manufacture and sell parts for directional drilling in the sale of substantially all of their assets to a wholly-owned subsidiary of an oil and gas field services company.
- Secondment at Wartsila North America, Inc. Oversaw outside counsel's work on litigation, bankruptcy and transactional matters; developed program for, and led training of management in, legal risks including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues; drafted and negotiated Master Services Agreements and Operations and Maintenance Agreements.
Honors and Awards
- Argued before Justice Antonin Scalia in Duke Law Dean's Cup Moot Court competition finals
Recent Publications
- "Navigating Uncharted Waters? Indemnities and Releases in Offshore Drilling Contracts Post-Macondo Litigation," co-author, Bloomberg Law Daily Environment Report, August 29, 2012.
- "Drilling Into Ambiguities In Oil And Gas Laws," co-author, Law360, March 28, 2012.
- "Deradicalization: A Review of the Literature with Comparison to Findings in the Literatures on Deganging and Deprogramming," co-Project Lead, Research Brief, Institute for Homeland Security Solutions, May 2010.
Professional Recognition
- One of twenty attorneys in the state of Texas selected for the State Bar of Texas Leadership Class of 2012-13
- Commissioned by Governor Perry as a Yellow Rose of Texas (2010)
Selected Representative Experience
Representation of Distributor of Plastic Resin in Central America in Asset Sale
Represented distributors of plastic resin in Central America (a Costa Rican corporation and its Texas limited partnership affiliate), in the sale of their assets to a U.S.-based distributor of engineering and commodity grade thermoplastics.
Haynes and Boone Represents Garden Oaks Funeral Home in the Sale of its Business to S.E. Funeral Homes of Texas, Inc.
A team of Haynes and Boone attorneys, led by Jeff Dinerstein and supported by Jessi Rivera, counseled Garden Oaks Funeral Home in the sale of its business to S.E. Funeral Homes of Texas, Inc.
Haynes and Boone Represents Schmidt Funeral Home in Sale of Business to Carriage Management, L.P.
A team of Haynes and Boone lawyers, led by Jeff Dinerstein and supported by Jessi Rivera, represented Schmidt Funeral Home in the sale of its business to Carriage Management, L.P.
Membership Interest Purchase and Transfer
Represented JBD DCH Griffin, LLC in sale of membership interests to add additional member to the company.
Acquisition of M&R Industries, Ltd. d/b/a KM Services, Pro-Flow Fabrication Technologies, Ltd. and LTI Lambright, LLC
Represented companies who manufacture and sell parts for directional drilling, M&R Industries, Ltd. d/b/a KM Services, Pro-Flow Fabrication Technologies, Ltd. and LTI Lambright, LLC, in the sale of substantially all of their assets to Enteq KMS LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enteq Upstream PLC, an oil and gas field services company.
In re David Buren Wilson, No. 14-10-00045-CV, (Tex. App. -Houston[14th Dist.] Jan. 20, 2010) (orig. proceeding) (mem. op.)
Before the trial court and in a mandamus proceeding involving a dispute over the construction of the Texas Election Code, successfully defeated a potential opponent's attempt to have his name placed on the primary ballot.
In re Dorman, No. 14-10-00024-CV, (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] Jan. 12, 2010], orig. proceeding)(mem. op.)
In a mandamus proceeding involving a dispute over the construction of the Texas Election Code, successfully defended the trial court’s removal from the ballot of a candidate for Harris County District Clerk.