Keith Fullenweider spoke with LEADERS Magazine on how V&E became an industry leader in energy, infrastructure, and private equity. Read a Q&A with him below.
As the firm continues expanding its work across power, energy, infrastructure, technology, and private equity – both in the U.S. and globally – what capabilities are most defining Vinson & Elkins’ strategic direction?
Our strategic direction is dictated by a commitment to continuously develop and improve the capabilities needed to help our clients move forward. It could be analyzing financing options, dissecting regulations, protecting key intellectual property or helping mitigate risk through strong board governance. We sit at the intersection of energy, capital, and innovation, where the pace of change is reshaping entire industries. Much of our growth is being driven by the work we’re doing across energy transition and decarbonization, digital infrastructure, and private capital deployment, but we also help clients safeguard their work and defend them through arbitration and disputes. We don’t take any of this lightly.
Clients are turning to us because we can connect many different threads – everything from carbon capture and natural gas pipelines to hyperscale data centers, advanced power markets, and the influx of global private capital. Vinson & Elkins can integrate top-tier transactional, regulatory, and disputes practices into a single offering. It allows us to guide clients through the full lifecycle of a project or investment: developing it, financing it, operating it, and defending it when necessary.
Vinson & Elkins has remained a market leader through multiple industry cycles and global shifts. What has enabled the firm’s industry leadership, especially in key sectors such as energy and infrastructure?
Our leadership stems from two enduring strengths: deep sector knowledge and long-standing client trust. For more than 100 years, we’ve advised on the evolution of the energy and infrastructure landscape – from the early days of oil and gas to today’s complex ecosystem of renewables, power markets, digital infrastructure, and global energy transition investments.
We are at our best when the landscape is changing. Clients rely on us because we understand both the technology and the economics behind the assets they’re building or acquiring – whether it’s M&A transactions, structured finance, tax credits and policy, or early-stage funding. And we invest heavily in talent so that we’re always positioned to help clients navigate the next shift, not just the current one. Our culture, handed down from one generation of lawyers to the next, is the DNA strand that has allowed us to remain an industry leader through countless economic cycles, political administrations domestically and abroad, and rounds of technologic innovation.
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Keith Fullenweider leads Vinson & Elkins’ corporate and private equity practices, advising top investors on transactions, capital raises, and corporate development. Under his leadership, the firm has become a market leader in private equity and energy M&A, representing major global investors and solidifying its reputation as a go-to advisor across key industry sectors.