Gail Merel
Partner
Gail practices in the corporate and securities and business transactions areas of the firm, with extensive experience in a variety of corporate transactions and a particular emphasis in corporate finance matters, including taxable and tax-exempt public debt issuances, private placements, commercial paper programs, syndicated and single-lender loan and letter of credit facilities, debt restructures, project financings, leveraged and synthetic lease transactions, structured financings, asset securitizations, cross-border and multi-currency financings, collateralized mortgage obligations, venture capital investments and lender liability counseling.
Gail has represented a wide range of participants in these matters, including national, state and foreign banking institutions, insurance companies, trustees, asset-based and other lending institutions, underwriters, venture capital investors, securities issuers, borrowers and other corporate clients. A significant portion of her practice has also been devoted to transactions related to the health care industry. Gail also has extensive experience in handling secured transactions, including under both Articles 8 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.
Gail was named a Texas Super Lawyer for each year 2003-2011, as published in Law & Politics and Texas Monthly, and one of the Best Lawyers in America for 1995-2012, as published by Woodward/White Publications. Among her professional honors, she has been elected a Fellow of The American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers.
Representative Experience
- Representation of litigation support services company in its senior credit facility, subordinated debt facilities, intercreditor arrangements and equity investments
- Representation of affiliated oil and gas production investment companies in secured, syndicated credit facilities aggregating $1.5 billion
- Representation of financial institution in $35 million syndicated acceptance facility
- Representation of public hospital corporation in its receivables securitization facility and $65 million asset-based loan and letter of credit facility
- Representation of independent oil and gas producer in public offering of $150 million guaranteed senior subordinated notes and related exchange
- Representation of petrochemical producer in $475 million syndicated cogeneration project financing
- Representation of telecommunications provider in $300 million debtor-in-possession revolving credit facility
- Representation of trustee in $40 million Rule 144A convertible senior subordinated note issuance
Publications
- Amendments to Chapter 9 of the Texas UCC (July 27, 2011)
- Texas Legislature Amends Statute on Choice of Law (July 5, 2011)
- Editor in Chief, Working Group on Legal Opinions Fall and Spring Seminar Handbooks (2006-present)
- Supplement No. 4 to the Report of the Legal Opinions Committee Regarding Legal Opinions in Business Transactions: Statement on ABA Principles and Guidelines, Co-Author, Texas Journal of Business Law (Spring 2009)
- Legal Opinion Risk Seminar Handbook (October 2006)
- "Statement on Legal Opinions Regarding Indemnification and Exculpation Provisions Under Texas Law," Co-Author, Texas Journal of Business Law (Winter 2006)
- "Legal Opinions as to Securities and Other Investment Property," Supplement No. 2 to the Report of the Legal Opinions Committee, Co-Author, Texas Journal of Business Law (Spring 2001)
- "Legal Opinions on Usury," Supplement No. 1 to the Report of the Legal Opinions Committee, Co-Author, Bulletin of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Texas (December 1994)
- "The Protection of Individual Choice: A Consistent Understanding of Religion Under the First Amendment" (co-authored) The University of Chicago Law Review (1978)
- "Liberalism and Religion in Political Philosophy and American Constitutional Law"
Events
- "Leadership Strategies for the Corporate Board," Harvard Law School Celebration '55, September 2008
- "Current National Legal Opinion Issues," Moderator, State Bar of Texas Advanced Business Law Course, October and December 2007
- “Legal Opinions Under the New Texas Business Organizations Code,” The University of Texas School of Law 2006 Partnerships, Limited Partnerships and LLCs Conference, July and September 2006
- "Working with Opinions Under the New Texas Business Organizations Code," The University of Texas School of Law, Houston and Dallas, Texas, 2006
- "Update on Legal Opinions: The Effect of the TBOC on Legal Opinion Practice," State Bar of Texas, 3rd Annual Advanced Business Law Course, Houston, Texas, 2005
- Testified on the Subcommittee Report on Proposed Constitutional Amendment Relating to School Prayer, on behalf of the Committee on Federal Legislation of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Hearings on S.J. Res. 73 and S.J. Res. 212 before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 98th Congress, First Session, 1983
Professional Recognition
- Fellow, The American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers
- The Best Lawyers in America by Woodward/White Publications (1995-2012)
- Texas Super Lawyer in Banking, Texas Monthly (2003-2011)
- Who's Who in American Law (2009-2010)
- Houston’s Best Lawyers by Inside Houston (1998, 2002)
- Awarded the Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Service to the State Bar of Texas (June 2002)
