Tammi S. Niven
Partner at Locke Lord
Tammi Niven is a partner in the Houston office of Locke Lord LLP where she counsels and represents energy companies and other corporate borrowers and investors, institutional lenders, commercial banks, private equity firms and hedge funds in a broad range of complex commercial credit transactions, including secured and unsecured syndicated credit facilities, asset-backed and oil and gas reserve-based financings, acquisition financings, project financings, real estate, MLP and multicurrency financings, cash flow and working capital loans, mezzanine and subordinated loans, intercreditor arrangements, bridge loans, term loans, letter of credit facilities, structured finance transactions, leveraged buyouts, subscription secured credit facilities, loan workouts, debt restructurings, UCC foreclosures, and debtor-in-possession and exit financings. Tammi’s industry specific experience includes energy, oilfield services, financial services, real estate, manufacturing, resort, hospitality and telecommunications.
Practices
• Energy Finance
• Project Finance & Development
• Debt Finance
• Banking & Finance
• Real Estate & Real Estate Finance
• Real Estate Transactions & Finance
• Securitization & Structured Finance
• Energy
Industry Groups
• Energy
Education
• J.D., with highest distinction, University of Nebraska College of Law, 2002 Order of the Coif
• B.S., magna cum laude, Psychology & Sociology, Grand Valley State University, 1999
Bar Admissions
• Texas, 2009
Representative Experience
Representation of a private independent energy company in connection with a $1 billion senior revolving credit facility and $325
million second-lien term credit facility, secured by oil and gas properties located in Texas and Louisiana
Representation of an independent power development company, as borrower, in connection with the project financing of a 51-megawatt gas-fired power plant developed to supply peaking power to meet the power demands of the approximately 18,000 members of an eightcounty electric cooperative of south central Texas
Representation of a growing Houston-based oil and gas company focused on the acquisition and exploitation of oil reserves from
underdeveloped or bypassed reservoirs in U.S. onshore basins in connection with its $300 million secured syndicated revolving credit facility governed by a borrowing base
Representation of a private equity firm and its portfolio company in connection with the project financing of an approximately 22 mile natural gas pipeline in order to provide natural gas service to the Oregon Clean Energy Center, an approximately 800-MW combined cycle power plant in Ohio
Representation of a growing midstream provider in the refinancing and expansion of its senior revolving credit facilities supporting the company’s operations in the Midland Basin and Delaware Basin
Representation of the lead arranger and administrative agent in connection with a $500 million syndicated revolving credit facility entered into in connection with the IPO of a master limited partnership formed by a U.S. based oil refining, marketing and pipeline transportation company
Representation of a publicly traded energy exploration and production company in connection with a $225 million sale-leaseback of a natural gas liquids pipeline gathering system
Representation of a private equity firm and its portfolio company, a value-added distributor of fuel and lubricants to upstream and midstream customers throughout the Permian Basin, in connection with a senior secured revolving and term loan credit facility secured by substantially all of the portfolio company’s assets
Representation of a Houston based integrated onshore drilling services provider in connection with its $125 million revolving loan facility and hedging facilities secured by the company’s onshore drilling rigs and other assets
Representation of a private equity fund and its portfolio company, a leading provider of specialty well servicing rigs that perform maintenance and repairs on wells with conventional or continuous sucker rod and other types of artificial lift, in connection with a senior secured revolving and term loan credit facility secured by substantially all of the portfolio company’s assets
Representation of a natural gas liquefaction and export company in connection with its secured bridge loan for the purpose of developing of a modular mid-scale natural gas liquefaction facility
Representation of an oil and gas exploration and production company primarily focused on the acquisition and development of resource plays in select North American basins, in connection with a $200 million revolving credit facility secured by oil and gas properties
Representation of the lead arranger and administrative agent in connection with a $400 million secured syndicated revolving credit facility and a $225 million secured 364-day term loan facility (which was used to fund a portion of the acquisition of the retail propane operations of a publicly traded master limited partnership) for a company engaged in nationwide marketing and distribution of propane, fuel oil and refined fuels and marketing of natural gas and electricity in deregulated markets
Representation of the lead arrangers and administrative agent in connection with an $11.8 billion syndicated financing ($4 billion revolving credit facility, $5 billion bridge loan and $2.8 billion term loan) for a now publicly traded independent refiner in connection with its spin-off from an integrated international energy company
Representation of the lead arrangers and administrative agents in connection with a $1.5 billion syndicated revolving credit facility and a separate $300 million term loan for an NYSE listed leading independent natural gas and oil exploration and production company with operations focused in the Rocky Mountain and Midcontinent regions of the United States, and natural gas gathering, processing and storing assets
Representation of the lead arranger and administrative agent in connection with a $1 billion multi-currency syndicated revolving credit facility for a global engineering, construction and services company and defense services provider
Representation of a provider of outsourced network and infrastructure services to the telecommunications industry in connection with a $50 million borrowing base credit facility secured by accounts receivable, inventory and other assets and more than $35 million of subordinated debt
Representation of the servicer in connection with the provision of special services relating to a $65 million mezzanine loan
Representation of the special servicer for an $825 million mortgage debt in a Chapter 11 case.
Representation of the administrative agent in connection with the workout and eventual pay-off of a $632.5 million credit facility with a major finance company
Representation of the lead arranger and administrative agent in connection with a $400 million secured credit facility with a leading resort owner, hotel manager, and real estate developer
Representation of the purchaser/lessor in connection with a $130 million sale-leaseback facility of 500 natural gas compressors
Representation of a letter of credit issuer in connection with a committed $75 million multi-currency letter of credit facility
Representation of a global leader in the computer-aided design and product lifecycle management software market in connection with its debtor-in-possession and exit credit facilities
Representation of the debtor-in-possession agent and pre-petition agent in the Chapter 11 case of an independent energy company engaged in oil and gas exploration and production
Representation of a large independent energy retailer that markets and sells electricity and natural gas in the U.S. in connection with intercompany debt issued in tandem with the IPO of its indirect parent company on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Representation of the lead arranger and administrative agent in connection with a $2 billion credit facility for a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns and operates oil and natural gas transportation, storage, processing and marketing assets
Representation of the administrative agent in connection with a $475 million revolving credit facility to a publicly traded REIT
Representation of the lender in connection with a $150 million, 19 property mortgage and mezzanine credit facility
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions
Member, Texas State Bar Association
Member, Houston Bar Association
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Houston Commercial Finance Lawyers’ Forum