Energy

BakerHostetler’s Energy Team “impresses with its ‘excellent response times, and strong business and industry knowledge’. The team is particularly strong in the oilfield services sector.”

Members of BakerHostetler’s Energy team, recognized as an Energy Group of the Year by Law360, have successfully secured major projects for leading international and domestic energy companies and service providers with interests in oil, natural gas (including shale) and alternative energy sources. From financing to land acquisitions, exploration to drilling, and production to distribution—our business, litigation and regulatory knowledge affords clients the leverage they need in a highly demanding marketplace.

On the business side, we’ve handled large-scale stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions of energy companies and their assets, including acquisitions and dispositions of proved and unproved oil and gas properties, natural gas gathering systems, drilling rigs and related equipment. We have represented issuers and underwriting syndicates in public offerings of oil and gas company debt and equity securities and managed private placement of energy company debt and equity securities with commercial banks, insurance companies and other institutional investors.

Energy production is a process with unlimited challenges and legal disputes. We help you resolve litigation arising from contractual disputes involving oil and gas leases, joint operating agreements, joint development agreements, exploration and development agreements, drilling contracts, licensing agreements, patent infringement, offshore environmental compliance and oil spill issues. Our work has included lease disputes involving over $1 billion in claims, defense of major antitrust lawsuits that could have resulted in hundreds of millions in damages and representation of the world's largest integrated energy company in federal litigation involving a dispute over development rights and ownership.

Secured a jury verdict of more than $60 million for a global oilfield services and equipment company after a six-week trial on claims that two former officers of a subsidiary entity misappropriated tens of millions of dollars from the company by engaging in undisclosed related-party transactions amounting to fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy and theft of trade secrets.
After a monthlong trial, recovered more than $74 million in damages for an independent oil and gas exploration and production company. The award was based on a counterclaim asserting gross negligence and willful misconduct on the part of the operator in the construction of a processing facility, which exceeded the authorized budget by millions of dollars.
Represented an industry leader in a $4.5 billion transaction that created one of the nation’s largest crude oil-focused independent North American exploration and production companies.
Worked with a hedge fund to purchase $700 million of oil and gas properties in two complex transactions involving a volumetric production payment that gives the financing bank an interest in the energy reserves.
Represented one of the world’s largest energy companies in a variety of transactions, including a $200 million joint venture with a common carrier pipeline company, the $500 million sale of a refinery and the $30 million acquisition of major terminal and pipeline assets.
Represented the pipeline division of a large energy company for the negotiation of $800 million long-term shipping agreements with large refining companies.
Represented a publicly-held drilling company in its $3 billion merger with another publicly held drilling company.
Representing a client in connection with significant litigation surrounding the first U.S. offshore wind energy project—the 420 MW Cape Wind project—which will supply most of the energy needs of Cape Cod and its islands.
Successfully represented a global energy company in litigation regarding the closure and permitting of process waste water ponds at one of its facilities.
Represented several trade associations and companies in various rulemakings under the Clean Air Act that resulted in the promulgation of NAAQS, NESHAPs and MACT standards, as well as the subsequent legal challenges to those rules.
Representing a coal company in an administrative appeal of terms and conditions of a Section 401 Water Quality Certification that, if upheld, would prohibit the company from accessing millions of tons of coal resources.
Representing a leading supplier of wind turbines on various matters, including the resolution of disputes with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration, and working with state and federal resource agencies to address concerns related to potential environmental impacts associated with proposed development projects.