Find Lawyers in Louisiana, United States for Oil and Gas Law
Practice Area Overview
Oil and gas law has developed around the three “streams” of business — (i) upstream is the “E&P” business, the actual exploration for, and production of, oil and gas; (ii) midstream is the gathering, processing, storing, transporting, and marketing of produced oil and gas; and (iii) downstream is the refining of crude oil and the selling and ultimate distribution of natural gas and products derived from crude oil. Oil and gas is the body of law that organizes the discovery, development, allocation, ownership, management, and ultimately use of oil and natural gas as energy sources that fuel modern civilization. Oil and gas law means the constellation of statutory, regulatory, and judicial law that customarily applies to the three streams of the oil and gas business.
This body of law draws heavily from contract, property, and corporate law, but also has substantial overlap with environmental, tax, employment, administrative, and even tort law. The set of legal issues that confront, for example, a client wishing to organize a company to acquire and develop a particular offshore or onshore oil and gas prospect, is unique. Therefore, the diversity and specificity of these issues led to the emergence of specialized oil and gas lawyers.
Oil and gas lawyers also must be familiar with the business realities that affect their clients. They are experienced with the operational details and points of negotiation in the contracts and physical operations that are common and also unique to oil and gas. They must alert clients to potential traps for the unwary in the case law of their jurisdiction, navigate government regulations to accomplish their clients’ goals, and assemble transactions from the myriad property and operational issues that exist for each particular oil and gas prospect or producing property. For example, the mechanics and economics of the development of oil and gas versus hard minerals such as coal has led to dramatically different business structures and contracts to develop these fossil fuel resources.
Some oil and gas lawyers specialize in unwinding the often Gordian mineral ownership of oil and gas in place; others are skilled in litigating the unique disputes that arise in the context of development joint ventures; and still others can structure oil and gas projects from exploration to development and sale. Additionally, the oil and gas industry has a significant international dimension; in this context, oil and gas lawyers can provide invaluable orientation and counsel to foreign companies investing in oil and gas exploration projects in the United States or domestic companies seeking to expand their presence globally.
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Cities
Lee H. Ayres is principally a trial lawyer. He has extensive experience in civil litigation, including business and commercial disputes, oil and gas litigation, property disputes, natural resources litigation, products liability claims, professional malpractice defense, trucking defense, personal injury claims, fraud claims, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith defense. Lee received his undergraduate and law degrees at Louisiana State University Law Center, where he was a member of the...
Bob Duplantis has dedicated his entire career to the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining the firm in 1982 and establishing its Lafayette office, Bob spent more than a decade serving in-house oil company legal departments, including six years as a lobbyist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bob’s law practice focuses on Louisiana oil and gas regulation and “meat-and-potato” legal issues. He routinely argues contract disputes affecting the oil and gas industry, including lease inte...
Greg Duplantis’ legal practice centers on oil and gas property title examination with an emphasis on analyzing and rendering complex opinions concerning title that is held by production. He frequently calculates varying royalty interests, overriding royalty interests, and proportionately burdened net revenue interests. Greg routinely renders “stand up” title opinions that require physically searching the indices of courts' conveyance records and executing opinions on site. H...
Selected to the 2016 Louisiana Super Lawyer list in the Environmental Litigation, Energy and Natural Resources Law, and Business Litigation practice areas (other years recognized: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) 2014 Baton Rouge Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year; 2016 Lafayette Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Energy Law, Litigation - Environmental, Natural Resources Law and Oil & Gas Law Practice Concentration & E...
Peck Hayne's practice centers on oil and gas, pipeline and other energy-related transactions and regulation and on federal appellate litigation. Peck regularly negotiates, drafts and advises clients on complex purchase and sale agreements, operating agreements, mineral leases, right-of-way agreements, transportation and interconnection agreements, gas storage agreements and settlement agreements in complex litigation and other disputes. He also frequently renders title opinions on complex pet...
Aimee Hebert helps clients in the energy business solve their challenging legal problems. Her experience includes disputes that involve mineral royalties, mineral lease termination, implied obligations, mineral servitude maintenance, operating agreements, production handling agreements, blowouts, and oilfield environmental issues. She represents both individuals and businesses and gets excellent results. U.S. News and World Reports has included Ms. Hebert on The Best Lawyers in America® r...
Terry Knister has more than 30 years of litigation experience in both bench and jury trials and also on appeal. His practice is concentrated on toxic tort and environmental litigation with an emphasis on class action and mass tort cases. He has served as lead trial counsel in numerous cases involving allegations of personal injury, property devaluation/damage, and remediation as a result of chemical exposure and/or contamination. These matters typically include thousands of plaintiffs seeking...
Tony Marino’s practice focuses on energy transactions and regulatory matters. His work includes drafting and negotiating oil and gas agreements, acquisitions and divestures of mineral properties, and energy financings. Additionally, he advises clients on regulatory issues on mineral leases both onshore in Louisiana and offshore in state and federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Tony represents clients before regulatory agencies, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Manage...
Sam Masur’s practice is concentrated in the areas of oil and gas litigation, general commercial litigation, oil and gas titles, oil and gas and oil field service company acquisitions and divestitures, and general business acquisitions and divestitures. In both Louisiana state and federal courts, Sam litigates oil and gas and general business contract disputes involving oil and gas leases, overriding royalty interest agreements, joint operating agreements, and distribution agreements and...
Mr. McNeal litigates environmental, employment, commercial, and tort matters in both federal and state courts. In addition, he advises clients regarding energy and environmental regulatory matters. He has extensive experience in environmental legacy litigation throughout Louisiana. Additionally, he has handled numerous class actions, environmental citizen suits, refinery-related litigation, pipeline matters, oil & gas disputes, permitting challenges and disputes with environmental regulat...
Malcolm S. Murchison is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas and enjoys a broad based commercial law practice. His variety of skills equip him to handle a wide range of legal issues for his clients, including oil and gas, real estate, corporate formations/mergers/dissolutions, commercial lending and financing arrangements, state/local tax disputes, and land-use issues. He has significant experience in handling Louisiana mineral interest issues ranging from acquisitions, title examinati...
Cynthia Nicholson’s practice is centered on oil and gas transactions with respect to lands located within the State of Louisiana as well as those located on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). She regularly documents and negotiates acquisitions and divestitures of both onshore and offshore properties, and has extensive experience with many types of transaction structures including mergers, asset and stock acquisitions and sales. She regularly counsels clients on a wide range of regulator...
Scott O’Connor’s practice focuses on oil and gas and complex commercial litigation. He has litigated and arbitrated numerous disputes involving onshore and offshore operating agreements, royalty claims, gas balancing agreements, oil and gas purchase contracts, farmout agreements, preferential purchase rights, and purchase and sale agreements. He has defended national and state class actions involving oil and gas pricing practices including antitrust litigation, and has represented...
David Patrón serves as the Regional Practice Coordinator of the firm’s New Orleans Litigation Group where he manages one of the firm’s largest practice groups. With over twenty years of legal experience, David Patrón has established a solid reputation as a talented litigator who successfully represents businesses at all phases of litigation in state and federal courts throughout the Gulf South and beyond. Whether winning at trial or negotiating favorable settlements,...
A partner of Montgomery Barnett, John Pearce is engaged in general civil practice concentrating in energy (oil and gas) and environmental law for a variety of clients both corporate (international, national, regional and local) and individual. With broad experience in civil litigation and corporate, partnership, environmental, banking, securities and contract law including interpretation, negotiation and preparation of a wide variety of contracts, Mr. Pearce has handled or participated in a b...
Loulan Pitre has extensive experience with the development, construction, operation, and decommissioning of energy, environmental, and infrastructure projects. He has represented energy and other industrial companies, real estate developers, financial institutions, ports, levee districts and other public entities, and participants in the construction and service industries such as contractors, engineers, and material suppliers. His work has included entity formation and governance, traditiona...
John Reeks has worked with small independents, medium and large oil and gas companies in most phases of the energy and oil and gas industry including title work, mergers and acquisitions, litigation of landowner and royalty owner demands, matters involving gas contracts, oil, gas and mineral leases, development of oil and gas leases and title issues, disputes between operators and non-operators and lawsuits concerning environmental damages to property. He also has significant insurance defens...
Carl Rosenblum is special counsel in the Litigation Practice Group. He focuses on representing parties involved in significant oil and gas contract disputes. Carl counsels and advises clients with operations onshore and on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. For more than three decades, he has represented independent producers, major producers, pipeline companies, oilfield service companies, seismic exploration companies, oil and gas management companies, financial institutions...
Gary Russo is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He practices in areas involving oil and gas, commercial and environmental, and insurance fraud and coverage. Gary is an accomplished litigator who represents clients in a broad range of commercial, multi-district, mass tort, and class action disputes. He has extensive trial experience, having organized, handled, and argued cases before judges and juries in state, federal district, and appellate courts in more than half of the US states...
Rob Scheffy is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group, focusing on real estate, and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team. Rob Scheffy has provided businesses with a steady, guiding hand through all phases of the economic cycle, from booms to busts and everything in between. Often described as a “hybrid” lawyer, he draws on his years of private practice and his service as in-house counsel for an interstate gas pipeline company to advise pip...
Larry Shea works primarily in the energy industry representing oil and gas producers and pipeline companies. He has handled numerous matters involving legacy litigation, environmental issues, oil and gas leasing rights, and operations. He commonly represents defendants, including the defense of clients in class actions and mass joinder litigation. Larry has played an integral role in landmark cases, such as AmCom v. Patterson, one of the first modern era decisions of the Louisiana Supreme Cou...
Patrick Talley practices primarily in the area of commercial litigation, with a focus on transportation, energy and environmental law. Mr. Talley has worked extensively within the railroad industry, and is well-known both regionally and nationwide in that area. He has successfully represented railroads, including three Class I and two Short Line railroads, in matters involving cargo and freight claims, derailments, crossing litigation, and employee personal injury and death (F.E.L.A.). He als...
Marion Weinstock serves as Chair of the Commercial Transactions Section for the firm. Her practice covers a wide range of commercial transactions. She has handled and closed real estate purchases and sales of apartment complexes, warehouses, shopping centers and other commercial properties and has negotiated and prepared commercial leases (for both landlords and tenants), purchase agreements, condominium documents, servitude agreements and many other types of contracts and agreements. Marion ...
Josh engages in the representation of oil and gas companies, including both operating and non-operating entities, and intra- and interstate transportation providers, in all areas of energy litigation, including royalty calculation, midstream cost disputes, contract disputes, and environmental damages. He represents municipal organizations in areas including regulatory compliance, zoning, intergovernmental relations, and contract negotiation. Josh has represented a working interest owner in co...
Jane Jackson focuses her practice in the areas of environmental litigation, oil and gas, and commercial litigation. She handles the defense of environmental claims by landowners alleging environmental damage arising from oil and gas exploration and production operations. Ms. Jackson has represented public entities in land use cases involving the appropriation of property for constructing and maintaining hurricane protection levees, and she also has experience handling cases involving land los...
Matthew Lee has worked with small, medium and large oil and gas companies in certain phases of the energy and oil and gas industry, primarily focusing on title work. He has worked on litigation of landowner and royally owners’ demands, matters involving gas contracts, oil, gas and mineral leases, development of oil and gas leases and title issues, and disputes concerning environmental damages to property. He has worked in insurance defense litigation and a variety of corporate defense l...
Kelly Ransom’s practice is focused on patent litigation, energy and environmental litigation, and other high-stakes, complex litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Ms. Ransom represents some of the world’s largest technology companies in patent litigation cases in one of the nation’s busiest patent venues, the Western District of Texas, as well as others. She also represents oil and gas companies in cases involving environmental damage claims, gas storage and mig...
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