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  1. Professionals

Ben D. Smolij

Partner

Houston

+1 713-651-2644

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  • Overview
  • Experience
  • Credentials
  • Insights & News

Ben focuses his practice on corporate and securities work for both public and private companies across all stages of growth.

Ben is a member of the Firm’s corporate and capital markets practice groups. He advises companies, private investors, financial advisory firms, and private equity clients in a variety of capital markets and M&A transactions including disclosure and reporting obligations under U.S. federal securities laws, stock exchange listing obligations, and general corporate governance matters. Ben's broad capital markets experience includes initial public, follow-on, and secondary offerings and private investment in public equity (PIPE) transactions, as well as extensive experience representing special purchase acquisition company (SPAC) sponsors, investors, and underwriters in initial public offerings (IPOs) and business combinations.

Key Matters

Some of the experience represented below may have been handled at a previous firm.

  • Represented an oilfield services company in its $500 million offering of publicly-traded senior notes
  • Represented an oilfield services company in its $50 million at-the-market offering
  • Represented a publicly-traded upstream energy company in its $2.2 billion acquisition
  • Represented a utility company in its $375 million underwritten public offering of senior notes
  • Represented a publicly-traded utility in its $75 million private placement of senior notes
  • Represented a privately held upstream energy company in its $322 million acquisition of a publicly-traded energy company
  • Represented a master limited partnership in its public offering of equity securities
  • Represented two publicly-traded master limited partnerships on the merger of its companies
  • Represented an energy company in two different securities offerings valued over $1 billion each
  • Represented a major energy company in the spin-off of its multibillion-dollar distribution business
  • Represented a publicly-traded utility in its $4.7 billion acquisition by an investor group
  • Represented a private equity fund in its acquisition of a medical equipment and service provider
Recent Experience
Copley Acquisition Corp. Closes $172.5 Million Initial Public Offering
Voyager Acquisition Corp. and VERAXA Biotech Announce Business Combination
Titan Acquisition Corp Announces Closing of $276,000,000 Initial Public Offering
Drugs Made In America Acquisition Corp. Announces Closing of $200,000,000 Initial Public Offering
Drilling Tools International in Agreement to Acquire Titan Tools Services
Charlton Aria Acquisition Corp. Announces Closing of $75,000,000 Initial Public Offering
Drilling Tools International Corp. in its Acquisition of European Drilling Projects
Winston Represents SandRidge Energy, Inc. in its $US144M Acquisition and Entry into a Joint Development Agreement
Rubicon Sale of Fleet
StoneBridge Acquisition Corporation Closes Business Combination with DigiAsia
View All Related Matters

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Corporate Law (2021–2024)
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Energy Law (2021–2024)
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law (2023–2024)
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2023–2024)

Ben is a board advisor to the Polish American Chamber of Commerce in Texas.

Capabilities

Transactions
Capital Markets
Corporate Governance
Private Investment Funds
Mergers & Acquisitions
Private Equity
Financial Innovation & Regulation
Financial Services
Oil & Gas
Cryptocurrencies, Digital Assets & Blockchain Technology

Key Matters

Some of the experience represented below may have been handled at a previous firm.

  • Represented an oilfield services company in its $500 million offering of publicly-traded senior notes
  • Represented an oilfield services company in its $50 million at-the-market offering
  • Represented a publicly-traded upstream energy company in its $2.2 billion acquisition
  • Represented a utility company in its $375 million underwritten public offering of senior notes
  • Represented a publicly-traded utility in its $75 million private placement of senior notes
  • Represented a privately held upstream energy company in its $322 million acquisition of a publicly-traded energy company
  • Represented a master limited partnership in its public offering of equity securities
  • Represented two publicly-traded master limited partnerships on the merger of its companies
  • Represented an energy company in two different securities offerings valued over $1 billion each
  • Represented a major energy company in the spin-off of its multibillion-dollar distribution business
  • Represented a publicly-traded utility in its $4.7 billion acquisition by an investor group
  • Represented a private equity fund in its acquisition of a medical equipment and service provider
Recent Experience
Copley Acquisition Corp. Closes $172.5 Million Initial Public Offering
Voyager Acquisition Corp. and VERAXA Biotech Announce Business Combination
Titan Acquisition Corp Announces Closing of $276,000,000 Initial Public Offering
Drugs Made In America Acquisition Corp. Announces Closing of $200,000,000 Initial Public Offering
Drilling Tools International in Agreement to Acquire Titan Tools Services
Charlton Aria Acquisition Corp. Announces Closing of $75,000,000 Initial Public Offering
Drilling Tools International Corp. in its Acquisition of European Drilling Projects
Winston Represents SandRidge Energy, Inc. in its $US144M Acquisition and Entry into a Joint Development Agreement
Rubicon Sale of Fleet
StoneBridge Acquisition Corporation Closes Business Combination with DigiAsia
View All Related Matters

Credentials

Education

Ben received his BA, magna cum laude, from Babson College in 2008. He earned his JD, cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center, where he was a Notes and Comments Editor for the Houston Law Review.

    Admissions
    • Texas
    Languages
    • Polish

    Related Insights & News

    Publications

    • Co-Author, “Open Your Books or Be Delisted: SEC Finalizes Rules for Non–PCAOB Compliant Foreign Companies,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, December 2021
    • Co-Author, “Singapore Permits SPAC Listings,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, September 2021
    • Co-Author, “SEC May Ask for Backup on Funds Investing in Green Companies,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, September 2021
    • Co-Author, “SEC Chairman Pauses Chinese IPOs Via Shell Companies,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, August 2021
    • Co-Author, “SEC Approves New Nasdaq Board Diversity Requirements,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, August 2021
    • Co-Author, “Potential Impacts of New Chinese Opinions for Overseas Listings,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, July 2021
    • Co-Author, “SEC Investigates PCAOB Chairman and Removes Entire Board,”Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, July 2021
    • Co-Author, “ESG in a Time of COVID: Materiality and Energy Companies,” Oil, Gas & Energy Law Intelligence, October 2020
    • Co-Author, “SEC Approves Stricter Shareholder Proposal Rules,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, September 2020
    • Co-Author, “SEC Expands Access to Private Offerings and Streamlines S-K Disclosure,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, August 2020
    • Co-Author, “SEC Weighs In on Proxy Voting Advice,” Capital Markets & Securities Law Watch, July 2020
    Sponsorship
    Winston & Strawn Sponsors 2025 Private Company Strategic Alternatives Symposium

    June 11, 2025

    Blog
    House Committee Votes to Abolish Public Company Accounting Oversight Board

    May 15, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Approves First U.S. “Green” Stock Exchange

    May 8, 2025

    Blog
    Tariff Disclosure Considerations for Form 10-Q

    May 7, 2025

    Sponsorship
    Winston & Strawn Sponsors the Centri Capital Conference 2025

    April 22, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Staff Issues Guidance Exempting Covered Stablecoins from Registration Requirements

    April 10, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Withdraws Defense of Climate Disclosure Rules

    April 7, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Staff Issues New Guidance Making Capital Raising Easier for Non-WKSI Form S-3 Issuers

    April 3, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Hosts Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence in Finance

    April 2, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Issues No-Action Letter Clarifying Verification of Accredited Investor Status Under Rule 506(c)

    March 25, 2025

    Blog
    SEC Publishes Updated C&DIs on Lock-Up Agreements and Tender Offers

    March 19, 2025

    Blog
    Proxy Advisory Firm Glass Lewis to Continue Using Diversity Factors for Voting Recommendations for U.S. Boards

    March 11, 2025

    View All Insights & News

    Capabilities

    Transactions
    Capital Markets
    Corporate Governance
    Private Investment Funds
    Mergers & Acquisitions
    Private Equity
    Financial Innovation & Regulation
    Financial Services
    Oil & Gas
    Cryptocurrencies, Digital Assets & Blockchain Technology
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