Overview
Our experience in the energy industry for more than a century has given us a deep appreciation of the unique pressures facing clients in the oil, gas and LNG sectors. Relying on the strengths of our multifaceted team, we advise multinational oil and gas majors on litigation matters, represent governments on the development of regulatory regimes, and advise energy companies, investors and lenders on the development, financing and acquisition of oil and gas interests. We also advise state-owned companies on the midstream distribution, sale and regulatory treatment of natural gas sourced from indigenous fields and advise pipeline companies on regulatory, environmental, corporate and litigation issues. Our experience extends to oil and gas acreage, asset and entity acquisitions, and transactions involving exploration, production, development and transportation. The projects for which we have provided counsel include large, complex onshore and offshore oil and gas ventures both within the United States and across the globe. We use our experience in all facets of the industry to guide a range of clients including, but no limited to: independent producers; energy services companies; financial institutions, equity funds and royalty trusts; midstream and downstream treatment and processing operations; transportation and pipeline companies; and refineries.
Acquisitions Counsel
Whether an acquisition involves a single asset or an entire integrated oil and gas company, our firm offers complete and strategic representation. Working with local counsel as necessary, our lawyers assist in all phases of the acquisition process including:
- Finalizing details of deal structure, transfer of title, tax, lien priority and securities compliance;
- Negotiating and drafting transaction documents;
- Ensuring that due diligence, title, contract issues, environmental assessments, and regulatory review are properly completed; and
- Obtaining third-party consents and waivers, such as consents to assign and preferential purchase rights.
We have experience in a broad range of oil and gas assets, property and entity acquisitions, and exploration, production, development and transportation transactions. Our work involves oil and gas projects throughout the US, including offshore Gulf of Mexico and California, the Outer Continental Shelf and deepwater as well as international oil and gas transactions in Africa, Asia, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America. In connection with our oil and gas experience, our firm also provides environmental, tax, real estate, corporate/partnership, securities, antitrust, maritime, bankruptcy, litigation, international and labor advice and support with respect to issues which may arise in the course of an oil and gas transaction.
Transactions require extensive dealings with regulatory agencies, and we work with clients to complete all required state, federal and foreign governmental filings and notices with the appropriate agencies. Our oil and gas regulatory practice group regularly confers with a range of authorities and we maintain strategic relationships with a number of agencies.
Finance Counsel
Our firm represents lenders, underwriters and borrowers on all types of oil and gas financing transactions. We advise clients on lien and security issues unique to oil and gas property investments and help structure a variety of investment and financing vehicles including:
- Asset monetization/securitization
- Equipment financing/leasing
- Master limited partnerships
- Mezzanine financing
- Net profit interests
- Production payment financing
- Reserve-based financing
- Royalty trusts
- Structured financing
Corporate and Operational Oil and Gas Counsel
Our lawyers have hands-on knowledge and top-to-bottom experience of how the energy industry works. Clients benefit from our practical perspective and integrated approach on all aspects of exploration, production, development and operation of oil and gas properties. In new and emerging markets, we help clients manage complicated risks while creatively addressing their complex commercial and financing challenges, even across multiple jurisdictions.
From the initial seismic and exploration activities through product marketing, refining and storage, clients seek our guidance on all aspects of the oil and gas industry, including:
- Contracts and Agreements—Negotiating and drafting exploration and production concessions, seismic licenses, drilling contracts, participation agreements, pooling and unitization agreements, joint operating agreements, farm-in and farm-out agreements, master service agreements, and site access agreements.
- Interest Payments—Structuring overriding royalty interest, net profits interest and production payment arrangements.
- Production Agreements—Preparing arrangements for oil and gas gathering, transportation, shipping, treating, processing and production handling.
- Storage Facilities—Developing reservoir and salt dome storage facilities and arranging for product storage.
- Agreements and Sales—Documenting natural gas, crude oil and petroleum product sales agreements, swap agreements, hedge agreements and other derivatives.
- Risk Mitigation—Providing project structuring advice and addressing indemnity, insurance and risk management issues.
Pipeline and Storage Representation
We frequently work in the specialized regulatory environment of interstate and intrastate pipelines and storage facilities. Our firm advises clients on such matters as:
- Condemnation and eminent domain proceedings
- Easement and right-of-way agreements
- EPC contracts, equipment sales and rental agreements, pipeline installation and pipeline interconnect agreements
- Governmental licensing, permitting and approvals at the state and federal level
- “Open seasons” for pipeline development or expansions
- Rate and tariff hearings, including those involving LNG
- Title review
- FERC, US Department of Transportation and US Environmental Protection Agency compliance
Liquefied Natural Gas Counsel
Our counsel on LNG projects is global and comprehensive. We have successfully completed LNG projects in the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America, taking our clients from initial structuring to financial closure and from construction to operations. We address every issue across the full value chain of LNG projects, including those involving upstream and offshore gas and oil development and processing; gas liquefaction facilities; LNG sale and purchase arrangements; LNG ship transportation; LNG regasification, downstream gas transportation, distribution and storage; and associated environmental, regulatory, tax, and corporate matters.
Our environmental and safety teams are second to none in terms of oil, gas and LNG sector experience, ranging from project execution and delivery on day-to-day compliance advice under the environmental and safety regulatory frameworks applicable to oil, gas, and LNG facilities. In new and emerging markets, we help clients manage complicated risks while creatively addressing complex commercial and financing challenges, even across multiple jurisdictions. We carefully monitor and manage contract and agreement details for our clients. We prepare and negotiate the full range of project and commercial contracts and address all regulatory and permit issues for sponsor and developer clients. For our lender and credit support provider clients such as commercial banks, financial institutions, ECAs, multilateral and bilateral agencies, we conduct full review and due diligence as well as prepare and negotiate all financing documents. Our work on LNG projects has earned several Project Finance Deal of the Year Awards from leading publications like Project Finance International and Infrastructure Journal.
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