Direct (713) 892-4813
Fax (713) 892-4800
“Listen, Advise, Execute.”

Kathryn Smyser is a shareholder in the Corporate section of Nathan Sommers Gibson Dillon. Her corporate and finance practice focuses on energy and energy services businesses and transactions, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, private equity and venture capital investments.

Kathryn is active in the UT Law School Alumni Organization and a member of the UT Law School Parent Leadership Committee.

In the Houston community, she and her husband Craig are longtime supporters of Inprint, Inc., which sponsors programs and activities tied to literary arts in Houston. Kathryn previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Annunciation Orthodox School and of the Friends of Fondren Library at Rice University.

Her “free” time is spent with her family, including her two young grandchildren, and on the tennis courts.

Admitted to Practice

Texas, 1980

Education

Juris Doctor with honors, University of Texas School of Law, 1980, Texas Law Review
Masters of Arts in History, Harvard University, 1977
Bachelor of Arts in History, Rice University, 1975

Judicial Clerkship

Hon. Carolyn Dineen King, US Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit

Professional Affiliations and Awards
  • Member of the Houston Bar Association
  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
  • Member of the American Bar Association (Business Law Section and Committee on Negotiated Mergers and Acquisitions)
Publications & Presentations
  • Financing Commercialization of Renewable Energy Technology, Presentation to the University of Texas Permian Basin Alliance for Innovative Energy Technology Commercialization (2009)
  • Smyser, Kathryn V. (1988) “Going Private and Going Under: Leveraged Buyouts and the Fraudulent Conveyance Problem,” Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 63: Iss. 4, Article 3
Representative Transactions
  • Counsel to real estate development group in connection with formation of private real estate investment fund.
  • Private placement funding for real estate development projects, including multi family, retail, office, professional office, and industrial properties.
  • Business formation, organization, financing and joint venture transactions in a variety of industries including technology services, consumer products, oil and gas investment, resort and entertainment park developments, professional services businesses, information services.
  • Counsel to privately held chemical manufacturer in connection with recapitalization and successful negotiations of new revolving credit facility with major national bank
  • Counsel to privately held Houston software and technology services company in its sale to NYSE listed buyer.
  • Counsel to ownership group consisting of privately held provider of industrial coating services in sale of business assets.
  • Counsel to individual owners of a group of industrial and refining services companies in complex internal restructuring and subsequent sale of controlling interest in the reorganized enterprise to private equity buyer (transaction value $125M).
  • Counsel to minority shareholder group in connection with negotiated sale of private equity portfolio company engaged in industrial services and construction business to NYSE listed buyer (transaction value $450M).
  • Counsel to Houston based information management technology and software services provider in general business matters, corporate reorganization and multiple acquisition transactions.
  • Counsel to individual shareholder and director of privately held marine construction business in connection with corporate governance matters, disputed change of control process, and follow on litigation and arbitration.
  • Counsel to business group including specialty chemical manufacturer and hazardous waste disposal companies on general business matters, including business structure executive employment matters and corporate governance.
  • Counsel to private U.S. investors in connection with the disposition and sale of South American oil & gas assets and related joint venture relationship.
  • Counsel to privately held oil and gas exploration and production company in connection with private placement financing for its acquisition of 500,000 acres of unconventional oil and gas assets on Alaska’s North Slope.