Oil and Gas

Clients from every facet of the oil and gas industry have come to us for support on their biggest priorities—from complex transactions to high-stakes litigation. We know exploration and production and transportation and oilfield services, and our work for our clients is grounded in deep industry experience and technical knowledge and performed with an emphasis on delivering excellent client service.

We deliver comprehensive natural resources advice that supports clients engaged in all areas of upstream prospect generation, drilling and development programs, and production activities. Companies involved in the development, operation, and marketing of oil and gas properties call on us to provide experienced counselling, structuring of industry transactions and sophisticated litigation services.

With capital requirements and inherent risk involved in oil and gas transactions and disputes, our clients rightfully expect a sophisticated understanding of mineral title and leasing; operating, farmout and other joint development agreements; and financing, geology, engineering and regulatory issues. Whether contemplating a billion dollar acquisition or confronting bet-the-company litigation, our decades of deep industry experience allows us to provide effective, efficient, and results-oriented representation.

Acquisitions, Sales, and Operations

We represent clients in high-value transactions involving acquisitions and divestitures of producing or prospective mineral assets. Our team has deep experience in:

mineral title and leasing;
joint operating and other development agreements;
drilling and other service contracts;
master service agreements; and
transportation, gathering and processing agreements.

Financing

We have represented financial institutions for more than 40 years in oil and gas loan transactions, including funding of gathering and transportation pipeline construction projects by joint ventures.

We also help exploration and production companies secure the financing they need, whether that involves:

bankruptcy and restructuring;
conventional mortgage and bond financing;
commercial mezzanine and derivative-based financings;
equity-based financing;
like-kind exchanges;
private equity and venture capital funding;
production payment transactions; or
tax credit sales.

Litigation

Our trial lawyers are as comfortable in a board room as they are in the courtroom because they understand the oil and gas business inside and out. When facing serious risk and business disruption, our clients rely upon our decades of experience and outstanding results in oil and gas litigation ranging from disputed transactions, royalty litigation and surface disputes to misappropriation of trade secrets.

Contact

Brandy R. Manning
Member

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Practices

Restructuring and Bankruptcy

Industries

Energy and Natural Resources Renewable Energy Power and Utilities

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Trial Victory in the Oil Patch
Represented client in a royalty interests dispute related to oil and gas producing properties in Archer County and Northwest Texas.

Leading Client Through OSHA Investigation
Representing a major onshore oilfield service provider in a well-blowout incident in which a regional OSHA office sought to impose citations. Worked with OSHA to ultimately obtain a settlement resulting in no citations.

Successful Dispute Resolution Leads to Relocation of Pipeline
Following extended complex litigation culminating in a summary judgment and successful bench trial, forced relocation of a 20-inch NGL pipeline from client’s mineral lease and obtained an award for the client of more than $1 million in attorneys’ fees and expenses.

Successful Sale of Delaware Basin Leasehold Assets
Negotiating and closing multi-seller $90MM Purchase and Sale Agreement for publicly traded oil company in sale of Delaware Basin producing leasehold assets in Texas and New Mexico, including transition agreement and separate seller’s agreement.

Guiding Client Through Restructuring of Oil and Gas Assets
Representing a Texas limited liability company that owns over 52,000 net mineral acres and approximately 100 wellbores in the Bakken region of North Dakota. Due to the collapse in oil prices, we guided our client through voluntary Chapter 11.

Protecting Trade Secrets from Misappropriation Leads to Multimillion Judgment
Trial counsel to TXCO Resources Inc. in successful prosecution of trade secret misappropriation claims against Peregrine Petroleum, LLC. Following a 41-day trial, the court awarded an eight-figure judgment.

Finding the “Cause” of the Blowout in BP Oil Spill Suit
During the Phase I trial we were instrumental in developing and presenting the complex evidence supporting the "cause" of the blowout—a breach in the casing below the float collar—with which the court ultimately agreed. We worked with fact and expert witnesses to reduce complex chains of events into understandable and persuasive trial themes, prepared witnesses for deposition and trial testimony and presented and cross-examined fact and expert witnesses in deposition and at trial.

Resolving Partnership Dispute and Ownership of Oil Producing Properties
Following multi-year complex litigation involving portfolio of successful trucking and oilfield service businesses, obtained a multimillion-dollar settlement in the middle of a week-long arbitration immediately after cross-examination of defense witnesses.

Defense of Drilling Company Against Claims of Catastrophic Damage
Obtaining favorable resolution in suit filed in South Texas by fourteen plaintiffs asserting causes of action for negligence, trespass and nuisance. Claims included catastrophic damage, including property damage to residences and personal injuries allegedly caused by drilling operations. Obtained a take-nothing judgment on the merits, dismissing all causes of action by all plaintiffs against our client with the result of no settlement money paid.

Breach of Confidentiality and Non-Circumvention Agreement Dispute Resolved
Obtaining favorable resolution for publicly traded drilling company in lawsuit filed in Oklahoma, alleging breach of confidentiality and non-circumvention agreement. Obtained judgment dismissing all causes of action against client and paying no settlement money.

Defense of Claims of Fraud, Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Obtained favorable resolution for a publicly traded refining company against claims for fraud, fraudulent inducement, and breach of fiduciary duty; obtained dismissal and paid no settlement money.

Leading a $310 Million Chapter 11 Bankruptcy for a Petroleum Industry Client
Guided a debtor petroleum exploration and production company through a jointly administered chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas. We established the sale process, introduced potential purchasers, and negotiated the terms of a $310 million sale of significantly all of the debtors' assets, enabling payment in full of the creditors’ claims and a multimillion dollar return to equity.