Professionals

James Cowen is a partner in the corporate practice group of Porter Hedges. He represents public and private companies and individuals in a variety of corporate and securities matters. His practice includes public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, SEC compliance, corporate governance, executive employment agreements and compensation, and general corporate matters. Mr. Cowen represents clients in the oil and gas, biopharmaceutical, technology, chemical and manufacturing industries. He also represents investment banking firms, investors and indenture trustees in capital market transactions.

Mr. Cowen was selected for inclusion in Texas Rising Stars from 2005 - 2008. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state were selected.

Mr. Cowen served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Karen K. Brown, Justice, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Prior to and while attending law school, Mr. Cowen worked as an aerospace engineer and software developer for a NASA subcontractor, Unisys, where his responsibilities included developing and maintaining software for the space shuttle program, and then as a software development consultant for an oilfield services company.

Recent Highlights

• Represented underwriters of an exploration and production company's $250 Million IPO focused on exploration, acquisition, and development of oil and natural gas resources in the Eagle Ford shale
• Represented an independent energy company in the completion of a $3.2 billion joint venture with an energy producer in the Marcellus Shale
• Represented an oilfield services company in its acquisition of subsidiaries of a privately held oilfield services company

Additional Experience

• Mergers between publicly held companies in the energy industry
• High yield offerings of debt securities pursuant to Rule 144A for publicly held companies in the energy and pharmaceutical industries, including subsequent registration with the SEC
• Public debt exchange offers and consent solicitations for publicly held companies in the energy industry
• Public offerings of equity and debt securities for companies in the energy and pharmaceutical industries
• Representation of underwriters in IPOs and follow-on public offerings of equity securities by companies in the energy industry
• Acquisitions by both publicly and privately held companies in the energy, information technology and chemical industries
• Establishment of universal shelf registrations for publicly held companies
• Establishment of shareholder rights agreements, or “poison pills” for publicly held companies
• Private placements for publicly and privately-held companies in the energy, information technology and telecommunications industries
• Venture capital financings for privately held companies in the information technology industry
• Simultaneous acquisitions of numerous companies in “roll up” transactions for new entities
• On-going representation of publicly held companies with respect to corporate governance, equity compensation, and SEC reporting and compliance matters

• American Bar Association, Member of Business Law Section
• State Bar of Texas, Member of Business Law and Corporate Counsel Sections
• Houston Bar Association, Treasurer of Mergers and Acquisitions Section