Clifford Chance
Cephas Sekhar advises public and private companies on complex M&A transactions across a broad range of industries.
He also has extensive experience advising private equity funds and other financial investors on significant investments, joint ventures, stockholder arrangements and liquidity events.
Cephas also regularly advises clients on securities law compliance and general corporate and governance matters.
His representative work underscores his experience at navigating complex regulatory frameworks and managing global stakeholder interests.
- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in its $6.9 billion joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure Partners to acquire a 42% stake in Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CQP), a leading liquefied natural gas producer and exporter
- Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo in a private placement of preferred units by Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP (NYSE: KRP), a leading owner of oil and gas mineral and royalty interests
- ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE) in its $18.8 billion acquisition of Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP), a pipeline operator
- Ivanhoe Capital Acquisition Corp. in its US$3.6 billion. combination with SES Holdings Pte. Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of high-performance Hybrid Lithium-Metal (Li-Metal) rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles
- Vector Acquisition Corporation in its US$4.1 billion merger with Rocket Lab USA, Inc., an aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider
- Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) in its acquisition of all leasehold interest and related assets of FireBird Energy in exchange for 5.86 million shares of Diamondback common stock and US$775 million of cash
- Bluescape Clean Fuels, LLC, a developer of gasoline derived from renewable feedstocks, in its business combination with CENAQ Energy Corp.
- Team, Inc. (NYSE: TISI), a global leading provider of integrated, digitally-enabled asset performance assurance and optimization solutions, in its US$280 million sale of its Quest Integrity business to Baker Hughes
- Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE) in its US$3.4 billion all-stock merger of equals with Maersk Drilling (CSE: DRLCO)
- Colgate Energy Partners III LLC in its US$3.9 billion merger with Centennial Resource Development Inc. (NASDAQ: CDEV) to create the largest pure-play exploration & production company in the Delaware Basin
- HealthCor Catalio Acquisition Corp. in its US$580 million combination with Hyperfine, Inc., creator of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared portable magnetic resonance imaging device, Swoop™, and Liminal Sciences, Inc., a medical device development company dedicated to non-invasive measurement of key vital signs in the brain*
- Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) in the sale of its North American onshore hydraulic fracturing business to Liberty Oilfield Services Inc. (NYSE: LBRT)
- OCI N.V. (Euronext: OCI.AS) on its take-private via tender offer of OCI Partners, the operator of an integrated methanol and anhydrous ammonia production facility
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, Houston
- +1 713 821 2828
- Email me
- Follow me on LinkedIn
- Practice area M&A corporate
- Sector Energy & resources, Private equity
Career and qualifications
- Northwest University (B.A., Business Administration) 1997
- Texas A&M University (M.A., English Literature) 2000
- University of Texas at Austin School of Law (J.D. with Honors) 2009
- Admitted as Attorney-at-Law in Texas 2011
- Joined Clifford Chance as Partner 2023
Awards and citations
- Leading Dealmakers in America
Lawdragon 500 2025