James “JJ” McAnelly III

JJ McAnelly is co-chair of Bracewell’s oil and gas practice and has more than 30 years of industry experience. His work spans upstream and midstream transactions for major and independent oil and gas companies, oilfield services businesses, private equity firms and their portfolio companies. He advises on purchases, sales, restructurings, joint ventures and exchanges involving exploration and producing properties, processing plants, production and storage facilities, and pipeline systems. These assets are located both onshore and offshore, including in the Gulf of America.

JJ also advises on the formation of joint ventures, “drillcos” and partnerships to fund, acquire, operate and develop energy projects, as well as on clients’ day-to-day operational concerns. His finance experience includes representing commercial banks, investment banks, hedge funds and private credit investors in energy lending. In distressed situations, he represents creditors and debtors in financial restructurings, distressed investments and acquisitions, Chapter 11 proceedings and Section 363 sale processes.

Drawing on his oil and gas experience, JJ advises on carbon capture projects, including real property rights and commercial issues relating to enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration. He has been ranked in Chambers USA for 17 consecutive years.

Harbour Energy plc

• specialist oil and gas counsel on its $3.2 billion acquisition of US-based LLOG Exploration Company LLC (LLOG) from LLOG Holdings LLC, comprising $2.7 billion of cash and $0.5 billion of Harbour’s voting ordinary shares

Black Swan Oil & Gas

• $55 million sale of Black Knight Midstream, LLC to Plains All American Pipeline, LP. The transaction included the negotiation of midstream connection and dedication agreements for certain oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin between Black Swan Oil & Gas II, LLC and certain of Plains All American Pipeline, LP’s affiliates.

Private equity-backed E&P company

• $300 million acquisition of certain unconventional oil and gas assets located in New Mexico

Private equity-backed buyer

• acquisition of certain oil and gas assets from a publicly traded oil and gas company in the DJ Basin

Rock River Minerals, LP

• $259 million sale of mineral and royalty interests across several counties in the Permian Basin to Freehold Royalties Ltd

Iron Orchard Upstream LLC

• negotiation of two term assignments with a drilling commitment for the acquisition of certain oil and gas assets in the Delaware Basin from a large publicly traded oil and gas producer, and the acquisition of assets in the Delaware Basin from a private equity-backed portfolio company

• The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1993
• The University of Texas at Austin, B.B.A., 1990, with honors

• Texas

Chambers Global

• Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional), 2011 – 2026

Chambers USA

• Nationwide Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional), 2010 – 2026
• Nationwide Energy & Natural Resources, 2009

Legal 500 United States

• Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas (Mid-Market $0-$500 million), 2017 – 2026 (Leading Partner, 2026)
• Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas (Large Cap $500 million+), 2026
• Energy: Transactions, 2012 – 2013

Legal 500 US City Elite

• Houston: Energy Transactions, 2025

Houston Business Journal

• Who’s Who in Energy, 2013 – 2016

IFLR1000

• United States: Project Development, 2018 – 2025
• United States: Project Finance, 2018 – 2025

Lexology Index Thought Leaders USA Guide

• Thought Leader, USA – Energy – Oil & Gas, 2025

Lexology Index Energy Guide

• Global Elite Thought Leader, Energy – Oil & Gas, 2024 – 2026
• Global Leader, Energy – Oil & Gas, 2023
• Global Elite Thought Leader, Energy – Energy, 2023

Euromoney Expert Guides

• The World’s Leading Energy and Natural Resource Lawyers, 2013

Best Lawyers in America®

• Energy Law, 2014 – 2027
• Oil and Gas Law, 2018 – 2027
• Natural Resources Law, 2019 – 2027
• Houston Lawyer of the Year, Energy Law, 2022
• Houston Lawyer of the Year, Oil and Gas Law, 2018
• Houston Lawyer of the Year, Natural Resources Law, 2025, 2027

Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America

• Corporate & Securities and Private Equity, especially Energy, 2024 – 2026

Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Energy

• Energy Transactions, 2026

Lawdragon 500 Leading US Energy Lawyers

• Energy Transactions, 2023 – 2025

Super Lawyers

• Texas, 2003 – 2005, 2013 – 2019

• State Bar of Texas, Oil and Gas Section
• Institute for Energy Law, Executive Committee
• The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
• Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law, Board of Advisors
• Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center at the University of Texas, Executive Committee

• “Leaving from America – The Differences Between US and International Oil, Gas Transactions,” Hart Energy, June 24, 2026.
• “Energizing Growth: Current and Future Trends in Deal Activity,” Consero Energy General Counsel Forum, September 2024.
• “A Line In (and Under) the Sand,” Texas Bar Journal, March 2024.
• “Pore Space Leasing and Land Issues,” IEL Conference on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage, October 2023.
• “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration Webinar,” Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy Law & Business, February 2021.
• “The Way Forward: A Legal and Commercial Primer on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration,” The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law Volume 16:1 2021, Page 43.
• “Areas of Mutual Interest Agreements – Certain Legal Issues to Consider in Texas,” Section Report of the Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Volume 41, Number 3/ Spring 2017.