Jackson Walker is pleased to announce that Dallas partner Monica Pace Messick has been named Energy Finance Leader of the Year in D CEO’s 2026 Energy Awards. Now in its ninth year, the awards recognize excellence and innovation across the energy sector, including achievements in oil and gas, energy finance, renewable energy, technology, and leadership.

The 2026 honorees will be celebrated on Thursday, October 29. The event brings together leaders from traditional oil and gas, energy finance, renewables, and emerging energy technology, and it offers a networking opportunity for professionals shaping the future of the industry. The evening will include a fireside chat between Legacy Award recipient Jim Burke, president and CEO of Vistra Corp., and D CEO Editor Christine Perez.

Monica has led more than 200 energy finance transactions, ranging from smaller deals to financings of more than half a billion dollars. Lenders and borrowers alike know her as a go-to lawyer for upstream oil and gas lending. Her practice centers on reserve-based credit facilities, and she has also managed a substantial number of mineral and royalty financings underwritten on cash flow. Banks, private equity firms, and oil and gas companies rely on her to negotiate those facilities and the intercreditor, subordination, and security arrangements that support them. She also regularly advises on hedging and usury issues. When a credit runs into trouble, clients count on her to guide them through workouts and distressed loans with practical, clear-eyed advice.

Monica is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Energy Law and is ranked in Chambers USA for Banking & Finance. She is also active in the Dallas legal and business communities. She is a past president and advisory board member of the Women’s Energy Network, and she is involved with Attorneys Serving the Community and the Dallas Bar Association.

To view the complete list of honorees, read “Winners Announced: D CEO’s 2026 Energy Awards.”