Michael Piazza
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Michael De Voe Piazza is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Houston office, and is Co-Chair of the firm’s U.S. Private Equity Practice. Mr. Piazza focuses his private equity practice on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, and equity and debt offerings, including control, minority and preferred investments and structured equity and asset-level investments and financings. He regularly represents clients in the financial, oil and gas, energy transition and power sectors. Mr. Piazza has significant experience advising private equity funds and other financial sponsors in “GP stakes” transactions, leveraged buyouts, portfolio company investments and fund formation projects. He also has developed expertise in transactions involving the mineral and royalty business, the renewable natural gas business, volumetric production payments and “DrillCo” structures.
Mr. Piazza was named Energy & Industrials Dealmaker of the Year at The Deal’s Middle Market Awards in 2020. In 2015, he was one of only seven lawyers under the age of 40 to be named a “Rising Star” by Law360 in the area of Energy. It was his third consecutive “Rising Star” honor. In 2013, Mr. Piazza was also named a “Legal Leader on the Rise” by Texas Lawyer.
Chambers USA (2021/2022) ranks Mr. Piazza among the leading individuals practicing in the areas of Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) in the United States and Private Equity and Corporate/M&A in Texas. He is also nationally recognized in the Legal 500 for Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas, M&A: Large Deals, Private Equity Funds and Private Equity Buyouts. According to the Legal 500, Mr. Piazza is “exceptional.” Clients singled out Mr. Piazza for his “outstanding ability to see transactions through his client’s eyes and do everything possible to secure a maximum beneficial outcome.”
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Piazza was a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP where he served as Co-Head of the firm’s Energy practice and Co-Managing Partner of its Houston office.
Mr. Piazza graduated from Georgetown University Law Center cum laude in 2008 and received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University magna cum laude in 2001.
