Oil & Gas
Mineral Leasing and Development on the Outer Continental Shelf
White Paper
An OCS lease implicates far more than the usual ‘four corners’ of the contract because lessees and their agents must navigate a labyrinth of rules and regulations to remain in compliance with their lease obligations.
Hall Estill Adds Reed Smith Partner Leah Rudnicki as Oil and Gas Practice Expands
NEWS
Hall Estill expands its oil and gas practice with the addition of Leah Rudnicki, most recently a partner at Reed Smith in Houston. Rudnicki, an Oklahoma native, joins the firm’s Oklahoma City office.
My Mineral Producer has Filed Bankruptcy – Now What?
Article
As the dreaded packet arrives in the mail from a Bankruptcy Court, many mineral owners are being introduced to the third “B” of the oil business – Boom, Bust, Bankruptcy.
Taylor Energy Executive Blames Decade-Old Oil Leak on ‘Act Of God’
NEWS
A decade-old oil leak that could last for another century was caused by an “act of God” during a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, the president of the company responsible said Wednesday.
Resources for Innovation Still Needed Amid Oil, Gas IT Budget Cuts
Article
When oil traded at $100/barrel, oil companies were more focused on expanding their geographic footprint, but the decline in oil prices now has companies focusing instead on reducing costs
Winter 2015-2016 – Good Tidings Ahead?
On-Demand
Platts has posted an on-demand webinar reviewing the natural gas markets winter-to-date and a taking forward look at the first quarter of 2016.
Record Verdict Winner, Texas ‘King of Torts’ Dead at 90
NEWS
His representation of Pennzoil in a case against Texaco over the purchase of Getty Oil Co. led to a record jury verdict of $10.5 billion and helped make him one of the U.S.’s most sought-after lawyers during his five decades in practice.
What You Should Know About U.S. Unconventional Oil And Gas Development
On-Demand
The third program in Norton Rose Fulbright’s global litigation school web seminar series discusses unconventional oil and gas development in the United States and the dramatic rise in claims associated with that activity.
How the SEC’s New Crowdfunding Rules Are Creating Options for Oil and Gas Financing
White Paper
If energy companies and crowdfunding portals can adequately manage the litigation risk, the possibility of opening investment opportunities to the ‘little guy’ will be a welcome prospect for all parties involved.
Managing Risks in Large Solar Energy Projects: Webinar
On-Demand
Large renewable energy projects require substantial capital investments, and depend on predictable, long-term cash flows in order to provide investor returns that can attract that capital.
Court Hits Anadarko With $159M Fine for Deepwater Horizon Disaster
NEWS
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. must pay a $159.5 million civil fine for its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil well whose blowout that caused the largest U.S. offshore oil spill, reports Reuters.
Trial Teams Win $61M in Two Cases
NEWS
Gruber Hurst Elrod Johansen Hail Shank won a $33 million verdict in a gas transportation contract dispute and a $28 million verdict in a fraud/fiduciary breach claim in the oil patch in recent weeks.
Oilfield Anti-Indemnity: When Does an Agreement “Pertain” to a “Well”?
White Paper
The interpretation of the Louisiana Oilfield Anti-Indemnity Act will take center stage at the Fifth Circuit and likely be the determinative question.
West Texas Jury Awards $43 Million in Oil and Gas Lease Breach of Contract
NEWS
Jury found that a group of oil and gas investors’ business partners had breached fiduciary duties by crediting themselves for financial contributions they never made.
Three Provisions to Change in your Oilfield Master Service Agreements
White Paper
Hidden perils in oilfield master service contracts have the potential to bring even a thriving company to its knees, making even big business with big clients a big mistake, writes Jordan J. La Raia in Gardere’s Texas Energy Law blog.
Webinar: Energy Reform in Mexico: Examining Land Use Laws and Issues
EVENT, Oct. 21, 1 p.m. CDT
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center at the University of Texas School of Law will present a free webinar explaining the laws, both new and old, that govern land use for energy development in Mexico and other important considerations for working with land owners.
How to Score a Contract from the Red Zone
NEWS
Charles Sartain, writing in Gray Reed & McGraw’s Energy and the Law blog, uses a football metaphor to describe how a negotiating party could fail to score an enforceable contract while near the end of the negotiation process.
Tips for Dispute Avoidance in the Current Oil Price Environment
NEWS
The conventional belief is that oil and gas disputes will rise in the latter part of 2015 and into 2016, triggered in some measure by banks’ next round of reserve-based redeterminations for oil and gas companies.
Texas Court of Appeals Rules on Permission Needed for Off-Lease Horizontal Drilling
NEWS
The Fourth Court of Appeals in Texas recently held that surface owners control the matrix of the underlying earth; thus, a surface owner can give permission to drill through the subsurface to an adjacent lease, reports Lauren N. Randle in The Energy Law blog published by Liskow & Lewis.
Energy Bankruptcy Filings: The Risks and Opportunities
On-Demand
Steptoe & Johnson has posted the presentation slides from a recent webinar on the issues of oil and gas rights in a bankruptcy proceeding including the risks and the opportunities in restructuring and acquiring challenged assets in today’s ever-changing market.
