Bracewell & Giuliani represents Kinder Morgan Inc. in the Houston energy infrastructure company's pending acquisition of Hiland Partners for about $3 billion, including assumed debt.

Hiland Partners, of Enid, Okla., turned to Vinson & Elkins.

On Jan. 21, Kinder Morgan (KMI) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Hiland Partners from founder Harold Hamm and certain Hamm family trusts. Hiland owns crude oil gathering and transportation pipelines and gas gathering and processing systems, mostly serving production from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota and Montana. Hiland's customers include Continental Resources, Oasis Petroleum, XTO Energy, Whiting Petroleum Corp. and Hess Corp.