Overview

Aaron Powell is a business attorney in Holland & Knight's Dallas office who focuses his practice on oil and gas matters.

Mr. Powell's experience encompasses the acquisition and divestiture of upstream and midstream oil and gas assets, including offshore projects. He has extensive experience negotiating purchase and sale agreements, participation agreements, "DrillCo" transactions, farmout agreements, surface use agreements and other contracts related to upstream oil and gas exploration and development.

Mr. Powell also routinely advises on mineral and royalty transactions of all kinds. His background as a petroleum landman allows him to bring additional experience to bear on all facets of upstream energy transactions. Mr. Powell also represents stakeholders in the negotiation of carbon sequestration agreements in connection with large-scale carbon capture and sequestration projects.

In addition, Mr. Powell has a significant background in title-related oil and gas dispute resolution. He has counseled clients on matters pertaining to a range of interpretive issues involved with all aspects of mineral conveyances and oil and gas leases.

Representative Experience

  • Represented Murchison Oil & Gas LLC, a privately held independent oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and gas resources in the United States, in its sale of Midland Basin assets to Langford Energy Partners, a privately held oil and gas operating company
  • Represented a family office-backed company in the disposition of non-operated working interests in Texas and New Mexico for $154 million
  • Represented the seller in a disposition of a portion of its working interests in the Utica Shale formation for $115.5 million; the transaction also included a development agreement component where the parties contribute capital for future joint drilling and development
  • Represented a mineral and royalty private equity fund in an acquisition of nearly 2,300 net royalty acres in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico, for more than $142 million
  • Represented an exploration and production (E&P) company in an acquisition of more than 5,200 net mineral acres and more than 40 wells (including saltwater disposal (SWD) assets and related infrastructure) in the Permian Basin for $88 million
  • Represented a consortium of family partnerships in a divestiture of legacy mineral and royalty interests, consisting of assets in more than 300 counties across 24 states and the Gulf of Mexico, for $125 million
  • Represented Alpha Energy Partners LLC in a sale of non-operated working interests in the Permian Basin to Northern Oil and Gas Inc. for $157.5 million.
  • Represented a mineral and royalty private equity fund in an acquisition of more than 5,600 net royalty acres in the Permian Basin for $140 million
  • Represented Oil India (USA) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil India Limited, in the sale of non-operated working interests to Verdad Resources for $25 million 
  • Represented a Dallas-based mineral and royalty company in the acquisition of fee minerals, overriding royalties and non-participating royalties in the Midland Basin for $11.2 million
  • Represented Grey Rock Investment Partners in a $1.3 billion business combination with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) backed by former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan to form Granite Ridge Resources (NYSE: GRNT)
  • Represented a multinational chemical company that operates in a variety of industries on the acquisition of a major tranche of an American E&P company's oil and gas assets in the Eagle Ford shale in south Texas for $1.4 billion
  • Represented an investment firm in connection with the $31.4 million acquisition of mineral and royalty interests in 35 counties across Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and New Mexico from a family partnership
  • Represented a private equity-backed oil and gas company in its $23 million purchase of roughly 185 net mineral acres of leasehold and interests in 40 oil and gas wells in Martin and Midland counties, Texas

  • Represented a private equity fund in connection with various authorization for expenditure (AFE)/wellbore deals where the client committed more than $150 million in drilling and completion capital across nearly 100 wells in the Permian Basin
  • Represented a consortium of landowners in the negotiation of a 14,000 acre carbon sequestration agreement for the permanent sequestration of carbon dioxide; the transaction was part of a large-scale carbon capture project being developed by a major U.S. oil and gas company
  • Represented a Texas-based oil and gas company in its agreement to drill three horizontal wells in Ward and Loving counties, Texas, in exchange for partial leasehold assignments from counterparties, as well as its agreement to fund certain well costs of counterparties
  • Represented an investment firm focused on mineral and royalty interests in the execution of a mineral joint venture with an E&P company under which the client will receive information regarding planned wells in the Permian Basin in order to target mineral and royalty acquisitions "ahead of the drill bit" in exchange for the conveyance of an interest in certain fee minerals 
  • Represented Sunbridge Energy Services in a $260 million agreement with Hanwha Cimarron LLC, whereby Hanwha will supply tube trailers containing dozens of vessels that store compressed natural gas and other pressurized gases such as hydrogen 
  • Represented an E&P company in a leasehold title dispute relating to approximately 3,700 acres in the Permian Basin
  • Represented a family mineral partnership in a fee mineral title dispute, assisting client in successfully recovering millions of dollars in suspended royalty funds

Credentials

Education
  • Texas Tech University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude
  • Texas Christian University, Certificate, Petroleum Land Management
  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.A.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Texas
Memberships
  • Dallas Bar Association, Energy Law Section
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Dallas Energy Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Oil and Gas Law Ones to Watch, 2024, 2025
  • Order of the Coif

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News