Oil and Gas

Overview

Holland & Knight offers market-leading legal counsel to oil and gas clients throughout the U.S. and around the globe. In addition to the full range of services provided by our Oil and Gas Practice, the firm's deep bench of cross-practice attorneys covers all aspects of oil and gas industry transactions, commercial projects, litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring, intellectual property, real estate, construction and regulatory matters. Thus, Holland & Knight provides our clients a competitive advantage.

[Holland & Knight] remains "the nation's preeminent firm in the area of oil and gas law. They have capability not only in the nuts and bolts of property matters, but in all of the various disciplines that are so closely related to this industry."

– Client Testimonial, Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" 2024 guide

Our clients include multinational and independent oil and gas companies, host government oil and gas companies, private equity and commercial lenders, energy industry service giants, refineries, petrochemical companies, and multinational drilling contractors and construction companies.

The firm's oil and gas experience and skills have been recognized by numerous prestigious legal directories, including:

The Legal 500 Latin America 2024 guide, which lists Holland & Knight as one of the leading law firms in Energy and Natural Resources
Chambers Latin America 2024 guide, which lists Holland & Knight as one of the leading law firms in Energy and Natural Resources
Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" 2024 guide, which lists Holland & Knight as a Tier 1 firm for Oil & Gas Law
The Best Lawyers in America 2024 guide, which lists 12 Holland & Knight attorneys for Oil and Gas, one of the largest numbers of any law firm in the United States
Chambers Global – The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2023 guide, which ranks Holland & Knight among the top global firms for Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)
Chambers USA – America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2023 guide, which ranks Holland & Knight among the top firms in the U.S. for Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) and Oil & Gas Litigation
The Legal 500 United States 2023 guide, which ranks us among the top firms in the nation for Energy Litigation: Oil and Gas and Energy Transactions: Oil and Gas

Many of the attorneys on our Oil and Gas Team have prior industry experience, including as petroleum engineers, in-house counsel, auditors, landmen and bankers. As a result, we not only provide integrated service through the collaboration of attorneys across multiple practice areas, but each of these attorneys also understands the oil and gas industry.

Upstream

We assist clients in the full range of upstream matters, including:

acquisition, divestiture and merger agreements
joint development, DrillCos and farm-in/farmout transactions
negotiating, drafting and interpreting the full range of oil and gas contracts
leases/licenses, concessions, production sharing agreements and service contracts
market value and royalty deductions
surface use and damages issues
condemnation matters
lease interpretations
horizontal and vertical relinquishments
limitation on title
instruments of ratification
title due diligence
accounting procedure (Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies/COPAS) negotiations, drafting and interpretation
acquiring host government contracts
litigation and dispute resolution
permitting and environmental review of production facilities

Midstream

Holland & Knight's midstream practice includes a strong bench of experienced transactional, commercial, regulatory and litigation attorneys, with a value-oriented staffing perspective. We offer extensive experience and a deep knowledge base, both as in-house and outside counsel, in natural gas (including compressed natural gas/CNG and liquefied natural gas/LNG), crude oil, refined products, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and purity products, carbon dioxide (CO₂), produced and potable water, saltwater disposal (SWD) wells and disposal arrangements.

Our attorneys have decades of experience advising clients in a wide variety of midstream matters, including commercial projects, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), financing and other corporate transactions, day-to-day operations, regulatory matters and dispute resolution. The firm represents midstream companies, producers, service companies, investors, lenders and acquiring parties, providing valuable perspectives on due diligence, transactional and negotiated terms, lessons learned and market perspectives.

Downstream and Petrochemical

Our oil and gas attorneys have more than 30 years of experience in handling all aspects of refinery and other downstream matters, including structuring, negotiating and preparing contracts for commercial transactions. Holland & Knight's in-depth experience includes the negotiation of crude oil supply and transportation agreements, tolling agreements and offtake agreements. The firm also assists refinery owners in land acquisitions and sales associated with refinery plant expansions, along with the creation of buffer zones surrounding the plant, and otherwise rationalizing the real property assets associated with the refinery. Our lawyers also represent clients in plant acquisitions and sales, project development and finance, environmental compliance, permitting and joint ventures.

Additionally, extensive heavy industry, project development and energy industry practices are the foundation for our practical knowledge as counselors of petrochemical manufacturers, their institutional investors and companies with similar concerns. We assist chemical products manufacturers with product lines as diverse as ethylene, chlor-alkali, olefins, polyethylene, and a host of other commodity chemicals and additional products, including industrial equipment pharmaceuticals, high-tech products, forest products and cement. Our attorneys regularly counsel petrochemical clients concerning the formation and structuring of international and national joint ventures, asset acquisitions and dispositions, project finance transactions, bankruptcy and restructuring, and litigation and tax matters. We also advise petrochemical clients on the commercial execution side, including with respect to construction and procurement, operations, marketing and sales agreements, and transportation arrangements.

Oilfield Services

We assist oilfield services companies with regard to a wide range of legal matters, including corporate, intellectual property, tax, finance, real estate, labor and employment, environmental, trial and appellate, and bankruptcy and restructuring. The firm's oilfield services clients include those focused on the following:

water transfer and disposal services
drilling
engineering services
fracking
energy-related technology and software
machinery and equipment manufacturing and wholesaling
natural gas compression services
oil and gas exploration services
pipeline operations, management, construction and maintenance
well intervention and pressure control services

Offshore

Holland & Knight's offshore oil and gas experience includes:

acquisitions and divestitures of offshore federal oil and gas leases, offshore oil and gas companies, and offshore producing properties, including negotiating and drafting purchase and sale agreements
advice regarding Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regulations
due diligence
negotiation of contracts related to the construction and decommissioning of offshore wells and facilities
assistance with permitting and entitlements and environmental review for decommissioning of platforms, associated pipelines and related onshore facilities

Representative Engagements

Representation of Halcón Resources Corp. in the $1.4 billion sale of its operated assets in the Williston Basin to an affiliate of Bruin E&P Partners, a portfolio company of ArcLight Capital Partners
Advising a leading independent oil and gas operator in Latin America, with operations and growth platforms in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador, on matters under Colombian law on the issuance of $150 million of 5.5 percent senior notes due 2027, issued under Rule 144A/Regulation S; three securities firms acted as initial buyers of the issue
Representation of Ajax Resources LLC in the sale of its northern Midland Basin assets to Diamondback Energy Inc. for $1.25 billion, consisting of $900 million in cash and 2.58 million shares of Diamondback common stock
Environmental legal advice to Petrobras de Valores Internacional de España S.L. (Colombia Branch), in relation to the company's exploration and production rights within the establishment of a regional protected area, including legal assistance to national and regional government agencies and local community members, which could lead to significant litigation potential
Representation of Pivotal Petroleum Partners in a DrillCo transaction to fund up to 18 South Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP) wells (with an off ramp after the first nine) on a 75/25 basis with Canyon Creek Energy; after reaching payout, the interests will revert to 25/75
Representation of several energy and hydrocarbons companies operating in Colombia in due diligence and subsequent negotiation in mergers and acquisitions (M&A)
Representation of Fieldwood Energy LLC in the acquisition of SandRidge Energy Inc.'s Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Coast business unit for a net cash payment of approximately $705 million and the assumption of approximately $370 million in abandonment liabilities, for a total transaction of approximately $1.075 billion
Representation of Chaparral Energy LLC, an affiliate of Chaparral Energy Inc., in a joint development agreement with BCE Roadrunner LLC, an affiliate of Bayou City Energy, to finance the drilling of 30 joint wells on Chaparral's Sooner Trend Anadarko Basin Canadian and Kingfisher counties (STACK) acreage in Oklahoma, targeting the Osage, Meramec and Woodford formations; maximum capital commitment of approximately $100 million
Representation of Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corp. in the $1.02 billion acquisition of oil and gas assets in Oklahoma from Chesapeake Energy Corp.
Representation of a private equity-backed portfolio company in a joint development agreement with a Dallas-based energy investment firm covering properties in Blaine, Woodward, Major and Dewey counties in Oklahoma; five-well commitment with an option to fund five additional wells
Representation of Roan Holdings LLC in the formation of Roan Resources Inc. through a consolidation of Roan Holdings LLC and publicly traded Linn Energy Inc.'s respective 50 percent interests in Roan Resources LLC (Winner: ACG-Houston's 2018 Oil & Gas Deal of the Year for more than $500 million)
Representation of a private equity-backed portfolio company in a DrillCo to fund completion and equipping of 10 wells drilled by a Tulsa-based exploration and production (E&P) company in Coal and Hughes counties, Oklahoma
Representation of EnerVest Ltd. in its $876 million acquisition of Range Resources Corp.'s Nora natural gas properties in Virginia
Representation of a Dallas-based investment firm in the execution of a Mineral Acquisition Rights Agreement between its affiliate and a Denver-based E&P company, under which the client will receive drilling timelines and proposed well locations for certain planned operated and non-operated wells in the Permian Basin in exchange for the conveyance of certain fee minerals underlying the leasehold
Representation of Samsung C&T, a Seoul-based construction, engineering and trading unit of the Korean conglomerate, in its approximately $800 million purchase, along with Korea National Oil Corporation, of Texas-based Parallel Petroleum LLC
Representation of Carrier Energy Partners LLC in its $775 million sale, along with Panther Energy Company II LLC, of Permian Basin assets to RKI Exploration & Production LLC
Representation of Surge Energy (through its affiliate, Moss Creek Resources LLC) in its $420 million acquisition of producing properties in Howard County, Texas (approximately 18,500 net mineral acres) from Grenadier Energy Partners II LLC
Representation of a subsidiary of one of the largest conglomerates in the South in its $300 million purchase of producing assets (operated) and non-producing assets in Oklahoma from two different sellers as well as its $60 million purchase of non-operated working interest in the Permian Basin from a separate seller
Representation of a Houston-based oil and gas company in a deal with a New York-based global investment company to fund a $290 million drilling program in the Eagle Ford and Escondido formations, with the private equity fund receiving a 65 percent interest until payout
Representation of Riley Exploration Permian LLC in its $236 million merger with Tengasco Inc.
Representation of a Texas-based oil and gas company in the $130 million sale of its overriding royalty interest in more than 800 wells and 500,000 acres in the Utica Shale to a publicly traded energy company
Representation of two U.S. subsidiaries of a South Korean energy company in the sale of all Oklahoma assets, both producing and non-producing, in the Osage, Oswego, Meramec and Woodford formations to an Austin, Texas-based oil and gas company
Representation of an Indian state-owned energy company in a $95 million joint venture with a U.S.-based oil and gas company for a 20 percent working interest in roughly 20,200 net acres located in LaSalle County, Texas targeting the Eagle Ford Shale, which was the first time the client invested in the U.S. oil and gas industry

Legal advice to Promigas, a large Colombian company, on constitutional and environmental matters: 1) the company's environmental licensing procedures, including assisting in hearings before environmental authorities requesting additional information; 2) environmental sanction proceedings against the company; 3) providing legal assistance in high-level meetings with the Colombian government regarding environmental regulations with implications on the natural gas transportation sector; 4) providing advice and assistance to hearings before the National Environmental Authorities (ANLA); and 5) providing advice in relation to the interpretation and execution of resolutions involving the company
Representation of the largest privately held midstream crude oil operator in the Permian Basin in a number of midstream transactions for crude oil gathering, transportation and purchase arrangements with a number of leading producers in the Permian Basin, with an aggregate value in excess of $2 billion
Representation of Empresa de Energía de Bogotá (EEB), in Colombia, in the purchase of 31.92 percent of the shares of Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI) from The Rohatyn Group (formerly Citi Venture Capital International), for US$880 million, and in the corresponding loan granted by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA)
Representation of the conflicts committee of American Midstream Partners LP in its $2 billion merger with JP Energy Partners LP
Representation of EPIC Midstream in the formation of strategic partnerships with Apache Corp. and Noble Energy for the EPIC crude oil pipeline
Advising J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in the granting of a US$200 million international unsecured loan to Promigas S.A. E.S.P., in a transaction involving 15 international banks (Japan, Peru, Colombia and Spain) led by J.P. Morgan Chase Bank
Representation of Howard Midstream Energy Partners in sale of a terminal asset in Brownsville to Victory Hill
Representation of a Permian Basin midstream company in the negotiation of a $950 million long-term crude oil gathering agreement and transportation services agreement with a publicly traded E&P company
Representation of GT Logistics in a terminaling agreement with Atlantic Trading & Marketing Inc. as the anchor customer at a large petroleum export terminal in Port Arthur, Texas
Representation of a leading midstream company in a 15-year, $189 million construction commitment agreement and pipeline capacity lease with a Midland, Texas-based midstream services provider for crude oil midstream activities in the Permian Basin
Representation of Oryx Midstream Services in the acquisition of a subsidiary of PDC Permian Inc., together with execution of two crude oil gathering agreements and a crude petroleum purchase and sale agreement for operations in the Permian Basin
Representation of Producers Midstream in its joint venture with a subsidiary of Charger Shale Oil Company LLC to develop midstream assets in the Western Delaware Basin
Representation of Castleton Resources LLC (TG Natural Resources) in gas processing and Y-grade purchase and sales agreements with large midstream companies
Representation of Southcross Energy in a number of natural gas midstream projects, including gathering, processing, purchase and redelivery agreements, fractionation agreements, gas compression services and products agreements
Representation of TransMontaigne Partners LP in a lease, operating agreement and development agreement for the construction and operation of a 1 million-barrel crude oil storage facility in Cushing, Texas
Representation of Caliber Midstream Partners in the acquisition of two saltwater disposal wells from Slawson Exploration
Representation of a Texas-based, Y-grade pipeline company in the sale of a 36.4 percent interest in Phase II of its 730-mile interstate natural gas liquids pipeline running from New Mexico to Texas, which the buyer will operate as a separate "pipe-within-a-pipe"
Representation of Diamondback Energy/Rattler Midstream in the negotiation of a water supply agreement with a municipality for the delivery of potable water produced alongside oil and gas operations

Representation of a subsidiary of one of the largest global oil and gas companies regarding its downstream/retail/fuel distribution strategy and implementation in Mexico
Representation of a Brazilian petrochemical company regarding gas regulation issues and line transmission and power market rulings in Mexico
Representation of a subsidiary of one of the world's largest manufacturers of chemicals and oil products in executing a complex downstream transaction for the construction and operation of a plant-within-plant methionine manufacturing facility jointly developed and owned by two Japanese conglomerates and located within the company's acrylonitrile facility in Texas
Representation of a state-owned energy company with regard to a significant petrochemical facility in India, including sourcing the ethane feedstock
Representation of a Brazilian global company in all legal aspects regarding a new ethylene facility in Mexico
Representation of an Argentinean consortium in the legal strategy to obtain the award under public-private partnership (P3) rules of a water treatment facility to supply one of the major refineries in Mexico
Representation of a Texas-based company in the formation of a jointly owned entity and the negotiation of contracts related to the construction and operation of a facility to process crude oil intermediate petroleum products
Representation of a subsidiary of one of the world's largest manufacturers of chemicals and oil products, which focuses on the production of polyalphaolefins (PAOs), in a $414 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with a global provider of technical, professional and scientific services
Represented Tri Star Energy, owner and operator of Twice Daily and Sudden Service convenience stores, in its acquisition of Herndon Oil Corporation and its convenience retail brand Southern Traders

Representation of STEP Energy Services Ltd., a Canadian oilfield service company, in its $275 million acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Tucker Energy Services Holdings Inc. (Winner: ACG-Houston's 2018 Oil & Gas Deal of the Year between $100 million and $500 million)
Representation of a Canadian oilfield services company in the sale of certain fracking equipment assets and licensed fracking intellectual property (IP) to an independent oil and gas exploration and development company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas
Representation of a consortium of buyers in acquiring the Mexican businesses and related assets of a publicly traded oilfield services company and its subsidiaries
Representation of South Korea-based Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd. in its acquisition from Platte River Ventures LLC of ACT Independent Turbo Services Inc., a leading independent full-service gas and steam turbine repair company focused on large frame turbines for power and industrial end users
Representation of a publicly traded Canadian corporation in the purchase of 100 percent of the equity ownership of a provider of drilling services to the oil and gas exploration and development industry with operations in the U.S. and Mexico
Representation of an international consortium in the acquisition of a Mexican natural gas well testing service company
Representation of one of the world's leading subsea engineering and construction companies servicing the oil and gas industry, in the negotiation of a joint venture agreement with a Mexican company long recognized as a leader in the energy services business
Representation of the Mexico subsidiary of a multinational oilfield services company in the execution of an Uncommitted Receivables Purchase Agreement with an international bank headquartered in the Middle East regarding accounts receivable from Pemex
Representation of a United Kingdom-based energy services company in an amendment to its UK Sterling Loan Facility for an underground gas storage project
Representation of Chemtec Energy Services LLC in the $69 million sale of 100 percent of membership interest in Chemtec to B. Foster Co.
Representation of a Midland, Texas-based oil and gas measurement and fabrication company offering oil field services, parts and supplies in the $60 million sale of substantially all of its assets
Representation of leader in delivering software-as-a-service (SaaS) products and services to energy companies in the U.S. and Canada in the acquisition of all of the outstanding capital stock of a Houston-based company providing software and services for land asset management
Representation of LQC Pipe & Tube LLC and its owners in an asset sale to Rock Hill Capital Group
Representation of a frac sand supplier focused on the Eagle Ford Shale in $30 million acquisition of two parcels of land

Representation of the U.S. subsidiaries of two Asian oil and gas companies in their $1.1 billion acquisition of offshore Gulf of Mexico properties
Representation of Petronas in the award and execution of two deepwater license agreements, one in partnership with Sierra Offshore Exploration and another in partnership with Murphy Sur, Ophir Mexico and Sierra Offshore Exploration
Representation of a Chinese national oil company in the $42 million sale of interests in certain offshore midstream assets to a subsidiary of a publicly traded natural gas processing and transportation company
Representation of a Spanish oil and gas company in the acquisition of a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel for use in the Gulf of Thailand
Representation of CNOOC Ltd. in the award and execution of two deepwater license agreements, Block 1 and Block 4 in the Perdido Fold Belt, as a result of Round 1.4 conducted by Mexico's National Hydrocarbons Commission (Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos/CNH)
Representation of clients regarding business interruption and property damage claims arising from hurricane damage to offshore structures, including from Lili, Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav
Representation of TETRA Technologies Inc. and certain of its affiliates in a multistep transaction involving the sale of its offshore decommissioning services businesses and its Maritech operations to Orinoco Natural Resources and Epic Offshore Specialty for $57.5 million as well as Orinoco's assumption of responsibility for completing Maritech's $47 million in remaining asset retirement obligations
Representation of an independent U.S. oil and gas company in the construction and installation of offshore producing facilities worth approximately $250 million
Representation of an Australian-based diverse mineral resource development and exploration company in its acquisition of an 80 percent participating interest in offshore Blocks A2 and A5 in The Gambia from a Houston-based publicly traded exploration and production company
Representation of Centaurus Capital LP in multiple offshore Gulf of Mexico drilling and development projects (including the Who Dat project and Delta House project with LLOG Exploration Offshore LLC), including with respect to the development, acquisitions and financings of floating production systems and related tie-ins to oil and gas pipelines
Representation of a Mexico‑based oil and gas company, as borrower, in six project financing transactions, totaling $373 million, for the development, design, construction and maintenance of offshore pipelines
Representation of a U.S. oil and gas company in the decommissioning of multiple platforms off the California coast, including environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and associated permits and entitlements from various local, state and federal agencies