Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts

Partner

Ian advises clients on the many complex issues and opportunities that arise in deleveraging a capital structure.

With particularly deep experience representing borrowers and strategic buyers, Ian counsels on highly leveraged special situations, distressed acquisitions, refinancing transactions, cross-border restructurings, and all manner of insolvency-related corporate governance. He strives to maximize value for his clients, which have included debtors, purchasers, lenders, investment funds, family offices, institutional investors, governmental agencies, and a labor union. Ian has especially notable experience in matters relating to energy and technology.

Following law school, Ian served as a law clerk to the Honorable Hayden Head of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. In 2014-2015, he served as in-house counsel for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, focusing on global turn-around initiatives.

Experience

Representative matters

Restructuring Matters

Vice Media, as debtors’ counsel, in the chapter 11 cases of the global digital media and broadcasting company in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, which included a $350 million sale to a consortium of pre-petition lenders. 

Leading U.S. Oil & Gas services provider, as company counsel, in liability management transaction and balance sheet restructuring.

Southland Royalty Company, as debtors’ counsel, in the chapter 11 cases of a private-equity sponsored E&P company with interests in over 8,000 wells throughout Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado.

Ad Hoc Group of Intervenor Market Participants in litigation of ERCOT’s $1.8 billion claim against Brazos Electric Power Cooperative in connection with Brazos’chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, and related appellate matters before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

NRG in the chapter 15 cases of Just Energy and related appellate matters before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ad Hoc Group of Counterparties holding approximately 2,000 MWh in long-term power purchase agreements in PG&E’s chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.

Key midstream counterparty in the chapter 11 case of Arsenal Resources and related transactions.

Bristow Group, as debtors counsel, in the chapter 11 cases of a leading industrial aviation services provider in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas and related pre-petition financing transaction (previous firm experience).

NRG in the pre-arranged chapter 11 cases of its subsidiary GenOn Energy with $2+ billion of funded debt and the separation of GenOn from NRG to a stand-alone enterprise (previous firm experience).

Playfly Sports—a sports media, marketing and technology company—in the chapter 11 cases of Diamond Sports Group in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

West Virginia oil & gas producer, as company counsel, in its out-of-court restructuring and sale (previous firm experience).

New Gulf Resources, as Debtors counsel, in the pre-arranged chapter 11 cases of a private upstream energy company in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (previous firm experience).

Global Geophysical Services, Inc., as debtors counsel in the chapter 11 cases of a provider of seismic data to the Oil & Gas industry in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas and related Colombian cross-border insolvency proceeding (previous firm experience). 

Major League Baseball Players Association in the Texas Rangers’ chapter 11 case in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas and related transactions (previous firm experience). 

Distressed Acquisitions 

Prairie Farms in its purchase of dairy processing facilities and related assets in Dean Foods’ chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in a competitive section 363 sale process.

NRG in its $2.6 billion acquisition of Edison Mission Energy and post-closing claims resolution process (previous firm experience).

NRG in its acquisition of renewable energy projects both within and outside of SunEdison's chapter 11 cases (previous firm experience).

NRG in its acquisition of retail power contracts in Liberty Power’s chapter 11 cases via a section 363 sale (previous firm experience).

Private equity sponsor in its purchase of assets from Anuvia Plant Nutrients’ receivership estate in Delaware state court.

Bidder in the chapter 11 cases of Proterra—a designer and manufacturer of electric transit buses and components, batteries and electric drive trains—in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Bidder and intellectual property licensees in Eastman Kodak’s chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (previous firm experience).

Buyer of Crusader Energy—an upstream oil and gas company—through a plan of reorganization and stock purchase agreement (previous firm experience).

Private equity sponsors in structuring of acquisitions and dispositions.

Family office in strategic dispositions and related planning.

Finance and Project Structuring

Citibank N.A. as agent on a $1.75 billion DIP facility in chapter 11 cases of Weatherford International plc—the Oil & Gas Services company—in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Lenders to refinery and chemical joint venture in amendments to ABL facility and intercreditor agreements.

Investors in joint-ventures relating to mining of cryptocurrency.

Family office in disposition of mineral interests and surface rights.

Multinational energy firms and investment funds in structuring LNG and other energy project investments (previous firm experience).

Federal Highway Administration in refinancing transactions under federal infrastructure loan programs (previous firm experience).

Judgment creditor in the negotiation of a letter of credit facility to secure a stayed judgment of $1 billion pending appeal (previous firm experience).

Pro bono

Counsel to Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation

Mental Health America of Greater Dallas, Board of Directors, 2012-2014

Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

  • John C Ford Inn of Court (2013-2023)

Recognition

Ian Roberts is the master of the facts. He keeps me appraised and gets to the heart of the matter.
Chambers USA, 2023
Ian Roberts is an excellent lawyer and has fantastic client-communication skills. Fabulous!
Legal 500, 2022

Awards

  • Up and Coming, Chambers USA, 2022-2023
  • The Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2023
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2018-2019

Qualifications

Admissions

State Bar of Texas, 2006

Courts

United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Academic

B.A., Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, 2003, summa cum laude
J.D., University of Texas, 2006, with honors; Texas Law Review, Associate Editor 

Languages

Spanish
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.