Kfir Abutbul, who previously worked at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Kirkland & Ellis, has joined Paul Hastings in Houston as a partner in the private equity and energy practices.

Abutbul's stint at Willkie Farr was short-lived. He joined the firm in August 2017, a little more than a year ago. Before that, he was a partner with Kirkland.

Kfir Abutbul

“[Jumping to Paul Hastings presented] a great opportunity to really try and grow my practice, grow with a firm that for me was the right fit, very focused on growth not just in Houston, but globally in the private equity practice,” he said.

Abutbul said he represents private equity clients in investments, divestitures, joint ventures and related work, with a focus on the power space and manufacturing.

Paul Hastings chairman Seth Zachary said in a statement that the firm has recently strengthened its private equity practice in London, and the addition of Abutbul allows the firm to replicate that success in Houston.

“Kfir brings experience in high-profile energy-related private equity, which will further our goal of expanding the capabilities we offer clients in high-demand global markets,” he said.

The expansion in London includes regulatory and fintech partner Arun Srivastava, M&A partner Roger Barron, private equity partner Anu Balasubramanian and privacy and cybersecurity partner Sarah Pearce.

Paul Hastings opened its Houston office in 2012. It now has 20 lawyers. Over the last year, the firm's lawyers in Houston have advised on complex energy matters, including ongoing energy financing work for Wells Fargo; bankruptcy, restructuring and general corporate governance work for Vanguard Natural Resources; and M&A work for Lotus Midstream, Osprey Energy Acquisition Corp., Targa Resources and Great Salt Plains Midstream.