K&L Gates Enhances Texas Corporate and Energy Capabilities With Dallas Partner Addition

Dallas – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Patrick Knapp as a partner in its Corporate practice. He joins the firm’s Dallas office, further strengthening its capabilities in energy-focused transactions and financings.

Knapp is an accomplished corporate transactional lawyer with extensive experience advising public companies, private equity-backed portfolio companies, and family offices on mergers and acquisitions, financings, and complex commercial transactions. His practice is particularly focused on the energy sector, including upstream, midstream, and downstream infrastructure and related commercial arrangements.

Prior to joining K&L Gates, Knapp served as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of a NASDAQ-traded, Dallas-based energy and infrastructure company, where he led legal, compliance, and risk functions and guided numerous strategic transactions.

Over the course of his career, Knapp has represented clients in significant transactions involving energy infrastructure development, asset acquisitions and divestitures, and complex commercial arrangements. His clients include independent refiners, marketers, infrastructure providers, and family offices, and his work involves matters throughout the United States and internationally.

“Pat brings a strong combination of private practice and in-house leadership experience that aligns well with our clients’ evolving needs, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors,” said Beth Petronio, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Dallas office. “His deep transactional experience further strengthens our ability to support clients across Texas and the broader energy market.”

K&L Gates’ presence in Texas spans more than 50 years with offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Knapp’s arrival follows the addition of Austin partner Kate Goodrich, who held key legal and policy roles within the Texas Legislature, including serving as deputy general counsel and policy advisor to the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Globally, the firm’s Corporate practice recently welcomed data partner Sarah Pearce in London and M&A partner Yang Wang and capital markets partner Guiping Lu in Hong Kong.

“Pat’s arrival enhances our corporate M&A capabilities, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors where clients are continuing to navigate complex transactions and evolving market conditions,” said Adam Tejeda, leader of K&L Gates’ global Corporate practice. “His experience advising public companies, private investors, and energy-focused businesses strengthens our ability to support clients on sophisticated transactions across key markets.”

K&L Gates’ Corporate practice is one of the most substantial in the legal industry, with hundreds of lawyers assisting clients in the structuring, financing, and completion of domestic, international, and cross-border transactions. The group serves as counsel to a broad array of Global 500, Fortune 100, FTSE 100 corporations, privately held and venture-backed companies, partnerships, private equity firms, other investment funds, management groups, and entrepreneurs, helping to earn K&L Gates the distinction of Corporate “Law Firm of the Year” in the 2024 and 2022 editions of Best Law Firms®.