Sharon M. Beausoleil

Sharon Beausoleil is of counsel in Foley & Lardner LLP's Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice and Distribution & Franchise Practice in Houston. She focuses her practice on complex bankruptcy and commercial contract matters for clients in the energy and manufacturing sectors. Her clients include secured and unsecured creditors, major contract parties and parties interested in acquiring assets from distressed companies.

Prior to joining the firm, Sharon served as senior legal counsel in the global supply chain group for an international exploration and production company, where she handled procurement, transportation and shipping matters for operations in the North Sea, West Africa, the Middle East and the United States.

Sharon also has prior law firm experience, where she was lead counsel for a major integrated energy company. She represented that company and its affiliates in various bankruptcy matters throughout the United States. She also was very involved in local and national professional groups, serving in various leadership roles. Sharon started her career as the law clerk to the Hon. Wesley Steen, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (retired).

Sharon's extensive industry experience makes her a unique resource for Foley clients.

Professional Affiliations

• Member, American Bar Association, Business and Litigation Sections
  
• Member, State Bar of Texas, Business and Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Sections
  
• Member, Houston Bar Association, Bankruptcy and Energy Law Sections
  
• Member, American Bankruptcy Institute 

Selected Publications & Presentations

• Presenter, “Bankruptcy Lingo 101: How Bankruptcy Impacts Strategies for Addressing Distressed Counterparties” at Foley & Lardner LLP’s 31st Annual Law of Product Distribution & Franchise Seminar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (September 2022)
• Co-author, “Strategies for Addressing Financial Distress in the Supply Chain: Checklist” in Thomson Reuters Practical Law (September 2022)
• Co-presenter, “Protect Your Company from Financially Distressed Suppliers and Customers” webinar, National Association of Credit Management (September 2022)
• Co-author, “Franchising and Insolvency,” in Lexology’s Franchise Practice Guide (4th ed.) (March 2022)
• Co-panelist, “Let’s Waive COVID Goodbye” at Association of Corporate Counsel (Houston) webinar (October 2020)

Honors & Awards

• Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©   
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization (2012, 2013, 2019-2023)
  • Litigation: Bankruptcy (2012, 2013)
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights Law (2009-2011)
• Recognized, Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, as published in Texas Super Lawyers Magazine 
  • Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights (2005, 2007-2009)

Education

• J.D., South Texas College of Law, (1999)
  • Member, South Texas Law Review
• B.A., University of California at Santa Barbara, (1991), with honors
  • Political Science

Admissions

• Texas (2000)
• Texas State Courts (2000)
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas