Michelle Earley is a Partner in the Austin office of Locke Lord LLP and a member of Locke Lord’s Executive Committee. She also serves on the Firm's Diversity and Lateral Hire Committees. In her practice, she handles a wide range of corporate and securities matters for public and private companies, including master limited partnerships, with a strong focus on securities offerings and disclosures, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Michelle has extensive experience in representing issuers, underwriters and selling stockholders in registered public offerings, Rule 144A transactions as well as equity and debt private placements, and merger and acquisition transactions. She also advises management and boards of directors of companies in all types of industries on general corporate governance matters.
Michelle Earley is a Partner in the Austin office of Locke Lord LLP and a member of Locke Lord’s Executive Committee. She also serves on the Firm's Diversity and Lateral Hire Committees. In her practice, she handles a wide range of corporate and securities matters for public and private companies, including master limited partnerships, with a strong focus on securities offerings and disclosures, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Michelle has extensive experience in representing issuers, underwriters and selling stockholders in registered public offerings, Rule 144A transactions as well as equity and debt private placements, and merger and acquisition transactions. She also advises management and boards of directors of companies in all types of industries on general corporate governance matters.
Michelle is an active member of the Austin community serving as General Counsel to the Austin Chamber of Commerce in 2017, and participating as a member in the Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), the Junior League of Austin, the Austin Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc., St. David’s Foundation Opportunity Grants, Austin Ed Fund Board, and Impact Austin, as well as a regular volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She is a Leadership Austin Class of 2011 Alumni and 2016 AARO McBee Fellow. In 2016, she was selected to participate as a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow.
Representative Experience
Capital Market Transactions
- Represented outdoor advertising company in its $400 million at-the-market offering
- Advised the Conflicts Committee of Spectra Energy Partners, LP (SEP) in the completed conversion of all of Enbridge Inc.’s incentive distriubtion rights (IDRs) and general partner economic interests in SEP into 172.5 million newly issued SEP common units.
- Represented large offshore oil and gas operator in its $100 million at-the-market offering
- Represented oil field service company in two separate $50 million at-the-market offering.
- Represented regulated utility company in its $175 million private placement of its unsecured senior notes.
- Represented regulated utility company in its $835 million exhcnage offer of senior secured notes.
- Represented large offshore oil and gas operator in its $200 million public senior convertible notes offering
- Represented master limited partnership in its $150 million private placement of payment-in-kind securities
- Represented master limited partnership in its $200 million Rule 144A offering of senior notes
- Represented master limited partnership in its $50 and $100 million public offerings of equity securities
- Represented master limited partnership in its $100 million public offering of equity securities
- Represented master limited partnership in its $200 million and $150 million private debt offering and subsequent exchange offer
- Represented an energy services company in the remarketing of $150 million in municipal bonds
- Represented various issuers in Rule 144A note offerings, exchange offers, high yield note offerings and other equity and debt offerings (registered and private)
- Represent several Fortune 1000 clients in Securities Exchange Act and Securities Act matters
Recent Mergers and Acquisition Transactions
- Represented a publicly traded utility in its $4.7 billion acquisition by an investor group
- Represented a publicly traded industrial services company in its $335 million acquisition of a publicly traded industrial services company
- Represented a publicly traded software company in its $135 million acquisition of a company engaged in end-user experience and web application performance monitoring
- Represented a publicly traded distributor and contract manufacturer of specialized components in multiple acquisitions, dispositions and securities matters
- Represented privately held data analytics company in its sell to a private equity group
Professional History
- Partner, Locke Lord LLP
- Member, Firm Executive Committee
- Law clerk for the Honorable Thomas M. Reavley, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (1997 - 1998)
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
- Board of Directors, Adams Resources & Energy, Inc.
- Member, American Law Institute
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- Member, Austin Bar Association
- Member, Austin Area Research Organization (2018)
- Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2016)
- Frank McBee Jr. Fellow, Austin Area Research Organization (2016)
- Leadership Austin Class of 2011
- Rising Star, Texas Super Lawyers (2005 and 2009)
- Power Pipeline Class of 2006
- Leadership Texas Alumnae Association
Community Leadership
- Junior League of Austin (2007 - Present)
- Jack and Jill of America Inc., Austin Chapter (2008 - Present)
- Meals on Wheels Groceries to Go (Regular Volunteer)
- St. David’s Foundation Opportunity Grants
- Austin Ed Fund, Board of Directors
- IMPACT Austin, Member