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Marcia’s handling of highly complex, multi-billion dollar energy transactions has resulted in her ranking among The Best Lawyers in America in corporate, M&A;, and securities law, every year since 2003.
Marcia E. Backus
Experience | Education | Recognition | Activities

Biography
Marcia has a broad-based energy transactional practice, representing major energy industry players in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments and other corporate transactions, project finance, and complex partnership and llc transactions. Marcia also has extensive experience in energy marketing and trading and renewables. 

Marcia’s energy transactional experience includes representing buyers and sellers of power generation facilities, energy trading businesses, natural gas pipelines and crude oil pipelines, oil and gas properties, processing and other midstream assets and oil field service companies. She represents several private equity companies in their investments in the energy sector. Recently, Marcia has represented private equity investors in a variety of renewable and other non-conventional energy projects, including biodiesel, biomass and coal gasification projects.

She is a member of the firm’s Management Committee, chair of its Partnership Admission Committee, Co-Administrative head of the Houston office. She is also a member of the firm’s Energy Practice Executive Committee.

Cited as a leader in her fields of practice by numerous publications, Marcia has been listed among The Best Lawyers in America since 2003 in corporate, energy, oil and gas and project finance, and as one of Chambers USA’s America’s Leading Business Lawyers in 2005-2006.

Representative Experience
Mergers and Acquisitions
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  • Represented the seller of a hydro and gas fired power project portfolio with a consideration of $900 million
  • Represented the buyer of a partnership owning oil and gas properties with purchase consideration of $4 billion
  • Represented the buyer in a unique production payment and partnership/acquisition with a purchase consideration in excess of $1 billion
Private Equity
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  • Representing a private equity fund in its investment in, and development of, coal gasification projects
  • Counsel to a private equity fund in connection with its investment in, and restructuring of, a biodiesel company
  • Represented a private equity fund in its investment in a biomass company
Project Finance and Development
  • Represented the project company in the development and OPIC financing of a build-own-operate gas processing project in Venezuela, including negotiating the project agreements, EPC contract and financing agreements
  • Represented the developer of a power plants in California
  • Represented a company in connection with the development of refining and upstream and downstream projects in Venezuela to be developed and owned (and project financed) through entities to be owned jointly with Venezuelan government-owned companies and other third parties
Other Energy Transactions
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  • Represented a partner in the formation of a complex energy trading and marketing partnership
  • Represented a financial institution in structuring innovative power tolling agreements
  • Represented the seller of oil and gas properties with a related advance gas contract and limited liability company structure
Results depend upon the facts of each case.

Education and Professional Background
  • University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with high honors, 1983 (Order of the Coif)
  • University of Texas, B.A. summa cum laude, 1976
  • Attended Georgetown University
  • Admitted to practice: Texas, 1983
Professional Recognition
  • Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers in energy and projects law, 2005-2006
  • The Best Lawyers in America in corporate, energy, international trade and finance, oil and gas, and project finance, 2003-2007
  • Euromoney's Guide to the World's Leading Energy & Natural Resource Lawyers, 2005
Activities and Affiliations
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  • Member: AIPN Business, Natural Resources, and Energy Law sections, American Bar Association; Business, Corporate Counsel, and International Law sections, State Bar of Texas; Corporate Counsel, Oil, Gas and Mineral, and International Law sections, Houston Bar Association
  • Fellow: Houston Bar Association
  • Keeton Fellow: University of Texas
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Full Biography

Marcia E. Backus
Partner
Co Administrative Partner, Houston
First City Tower
1001 Fannin Street, Suite 2500
Houston, TX 77002-6760

713.758.1101 : Tel
713.615.5606 : Fax
mbackus@velaw.com

Practices

Industries