JD, magna cum laude, Southern Methodist University, 2012
BBA, with Honors, Finance, The University of Texas, 2008

In law school, Blake was on the Southern Methodist University Law Review and was honored as a member of the Order of the Coif. He was admitted to practice law in Texas in 2012.

• Texas State Bar

Financial Institutions

Capital Markets

• A Houston-based bank holding company in its initial public offering and Nasdaq Global Select Market listing.
• A Denver-based financial holding company in its initial public offering and Nasdaq Global Select Market listing.
• The underwriters for a Dallas-based financial holding company's initial public offering and Nasdaq listing.
• A Kansas-based bank holding company in its initial public offering and Nasdaq Global Select Market listing.
• The underwriters in a $203 million public offering by a Nasdaq-listed financial holding company.
• A Nasdaq-listed bank holding company in its $87 million public offering.
• A Nasdaq-listed bank holding company in a PIPE transaction involving multiple private equity investors.
• A Nasdaq-listed bank holding company in its $52 million public offering.
• A Texas-based bank holding company in its private placement of $140 million of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes.
• A Texas-based bank holding company in its private placement of $42 million of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes.
• A Nasdaq-listed bank holding company in the private placement and registered exchange offer for $75 million in aggregate principal amount of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes.
• A Denver-based financial holding company in multiple private placements of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes.
• The underwriters in a $60 million subordinated notes offering by a Nasdaq-listed financial holding company based in Texas.
• The placement agents for a Texas bank holding company's private placement of $70 million in aggregate principal amount of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes.
• The placement agents for a Texas bank holding company's private placement of $15 million in aggregate principal amount of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes.
• The underwriters in the registered offering of $40 million of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes by a Nasdaq-listed financial holding company.
• The underwriters in the registered offering by a Nasdaq-listed financial holding company of $45 million of depositary shares each representing an interest in shares of the issuer's fixed-rate non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock.
• An investment banking firm acting as placement agent in numerous private placements.
• Securities counsel to numerous financial institutions and other public companies for routine Exchange Act compliance matters.

Mergers and Acquisitions

• An NYSE-listed bank holding company in its $1.5 billion merger of equals with a Nasdaq listed bank holding company.
• A Nasdaq-listed bank holding company based in Kansas in the following transactions:
  • acquisition of a bank with $172 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $127 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $310 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $320 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $254 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $149 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $475 million in assets
  • merger with a bank with $134 million in assets
• A Nasdaq-listed bank holding company located in Texas in the following transactions:
  • merger with a Texas bank with $366 million in assets
  • merger with a Texas bank with $383 million in assets
  • merger with a Texas bank with $630 million in assets
• A Texas-based bank holding company with $517 million in assets in its merger with a Texas-based holding company.
• An NYSE-listed financial services company in its minority investment in a regional bank.
• A Texas-based community bank $856 million in assets in its merger of equals with a Texas-based community bank.
• Multiple other community bank mergers and acquisitions.

Energy

Capital Markets

• The underwriters for offerings by an NYSE-listed natural gas utility in the following offerings:
  • $1 billion at-the-market offering of common stock
  • $900 million offering of senior notes
  • $325 million of senior notes
• An NYSE-listed master limited partnership that owns, operates, develops and acquires crude oil and refined products logistics assets in its:
  • $750 million at-the-market public equity offering of common units
  • $280 million public equity offering of common units
  • $300 million public equity offering of common units
  • $1.32 billion public equity offering of common units
  • $144 million public equity offering of common units
  • $200 million at-the-market public equity offering of common units
  • $320 million public equity offering of common units
• An NYSE-listed exploration and production company in a Rule 144A exchange offer for $600 million of high yield notes.
• An upstream oil and gas firm in its equity financing with a private equity firm.
• An NYSE-listed exploration and production company in its liquidation and dissolution.

Mergers and Acquisitions

• A global energy company in its $1.2 billion acquisition of a publicly traded company developing an LNG export terminal on the US gulf coast.
• A publicly traded E&P compression services company in its sale of its turbocharger division to a private equity backed buyer.
• A publicly traded E&P compression services company in multiple sales of large packages of compression units and related assets.
• An engineering firm specializing in developing and licensing natural gas processing and sulfur recovery technologies in its sale to a subsidiary of Fortune 100 company.
• A private equity fund in its purchase of a Tulsa-based midstream logistics and storage company
• A NYSE-listed master listed partnership in its $400 million merger with another NYSE-listed master limited partnership that provides gathering, compression, transportation and processing services to producers and users of natural gas and crude oil.

Private Equity and Venture Capital

• A portfolio company of a private equity firm with its acquisition of multiple roofing and building materials distributors across the United States.
• A portfolio company of a private equity firm in its acquisition of an irrigation parts distributor.
• A private equity firm in its sale of one of the largest high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe manufacturers in North America.
• A private equity firm in its acquisition of a manufacturer of refrigerated desserts, dips, cheeses and other foods.
• A private equity firm in its acquisition of a manufacturer and seller of refrigerated and frozen prepared food products and ingredients for the retail and the foodservice channels.
• A private equity firm in multiple bolt-on acquisitions in the manufacturing industry.
• A NYSE-listed food and beverage company in a venture investment in a plant-based food and beverage company.
• A sovereign wealth fund in its venture investment in an automated kiosk technology company.

Technology and Life Sciences

• A global energy company in its $169 million acquisition of a Nasdaq listed, industry-leading electric vehicle charging and media company. 
• An Arab technology company in its de-SPAC and listing on Nasdaq.
• A Nasdaq-listed Arab technology company in its combination with a leading video streaming service.
• A privately held operator of hospitals in the acquisition of multiple rehabilitation hospitals and healthcare facilities around the country.
• A major Texas-based health system in its acquisition of the assets of a hospital in a Section 363 asset sale in bankruptcy.
• A management team of rehabilitation hospitals in the distressed sale of its equity interest to a private equity firm.

• Legal 500 US, Recommended lawyer: M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m), The Legal 500, 2024
• Chambers USA, Texas, Corporate, M&A: Associates to Watch, Chambers and Partners, 2021-2022 
• The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Corporate Law, Best Lawyers, 2024 - 2025
• The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Best Lawyers, 2021 - 2025
• The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2025
• Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation, Lawdragon, 2023 - 2024

• State Bar of Texas
• Dallas Bar Association
• Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
• Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program