Energy
A Powerful Energy Practice
The energy industry by its nature is complex, and so are its legal matters. Businesses that explore, develop, produce, store, market, transport and process energy resources are among the most capital intensive in the world. Energy industry transactions – from business combinations to raising capital – are high stakes and high impact.
Andrews Kurth has maintained a preeminent reputation in the global energy industry for more than a century, with a successful track record of depth and breadth that few other firms can match. We monitor trends in the industry and consider our in-depth, current knowledge and vast experience to be differentiating factors between Andrews Kurth and other firms. Our energy practice draws upon the Firm’s full global resources and strengths:
- More than 200 of our lawyers form one of the nation’s largest, and highly effective energy practices
- Andrews Kurth is headquartered in Houston, Texas, the epicenter of the energy industry
- Annually, the dollar value of energy-related deals for which Andrews Kurth provides legal counsel exceeds $30 billion
- Andrews Kurth was involved in the creation of the first Master Limited Partnership (MLP) in the early 1980s, and we have remained a market leader in MLPs due to our deep experience in addressing the complex partnership, securities, tax and business issues associated with creating, governing and growing an MLP
Power Players
We have advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, asset acquisitions and divestitures, capital market and commercial bank financing of all types, state and federal regulatory matters, tax matters, litigation, corporate issues (including board and committee counseling, and corporate compliance and investigations), reorganizations and restructurings, project development and financing, securitizations and structured financing, and matters involving intellectual property issues. Our clients include many of the largest and most successful publicly traded and private companies in the energy industry, including:
- Apache Corporation
- Basic Energy Services, Inc.
- BP
- Cheniere Energy, Inc.
- Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
- Duke Energy Corporation
- EOG Resources, Inc.
- Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.
- Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
- Hercules Offshore, Inc.
- Hilcorp Energy Company
- Pattern Energy Group LP
- Rowan Companies plc
- Sinopec
- The Williams Companies, Inc
- ZaZa Energy Corporation
Influential In The Industry
Andrews Kurth’s energy practice is consistently recognized among the best in the legal industry, with regular top rankings from Bloomberg, Thomson Financial, Chambers and Partners (USA, Latin America and Global), Legal 500, the SEC New Registrants Report, The American Lawyer Corporate Scorecard, the Deal Makers Law Awards, Benchmark Litigation and Best Law Firms by U.S. News and World Report.
Big Business
Andrews Kurth’s energy practice has thrived with landmark deals and impressive results for our clients:
- Counseled Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in its merger with TEPPCO Partners L.P. to form the nation’s largest publicly traded energy partnership.
- Represented underwriters Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital in the initial public offering of the Houston-based oil and gas pipeline company Kinder Morgan, Inc. This represented the largest private equity-backed IPO in United States history, and attorneys from the Houston, Austin and Washington, DC offices of Andrews Kurth took part in the record-setting transaction.
- Represented Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. in its $6 billion Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC LNG export project, comprising approximately of $3.6 billion of project finance debt and approximately $2 billion of equity.
- Challenged a jury verdict on behalf of long-standing firm client, BP Corporation North America Inc., in a case involving an alleged chemical release at one of BP’s refineries. The district court rendered a decision striking the plaintiff’s $100 million punitive damage award in its entirety.
- Advised Frontier Oil Corporation in its merger with Holly Corporation to form the fourth largest independent oil refiner in the United States.
- Represented Apache Corporation in its $3.5 billion acquisition of Mariner Energy, marking Apache’s first major entrance into the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
- Advised Sinopec, China's largest oil company and Asia's largest oil refiner, in a transaction with Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) for the acquisition by Sinopec of Oxy's Argentine oil and gas business, including 23 concessions located in three Argentine provinces. Andrews Kurth and the Argentine firm of Alfaro Abogados advised Sinopec on the transaction.
- Served as primary development counsel and primary finance counsel to international energy companies, AEI and Pattern Energy Group LP, for the $245 million development and financing of Parque Eólico El Arrayán SpA’s 115 MW wind power project.
- Counseled Cordillera Energy Partners III, LLC (Cordillera) in its $3.1 billion acquisition by Apache Corporation (Apache). The combination of the two companies’ Western Anadarko position created a platform for a multi-decade development program in a variety of horizontal targets.
- Secured a significant verdict for Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy in a trade secret and computer fraud case against a former employee.
- Participated as issuer, underwriters or investor counsel in more than 150 follow-on equity offerings of MLPs and their general partners, including private placements and registered offerings, since 2000.
Energy In All Its Forms
Our attorneys have experience in all areas of the energy industry, including:
- Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs)—Andrews Kurth was involved in the creation of the first MLPs in the early 1980s and served as issuer’s counsel on the first “drop down” MLP in 1983. Since the 1980s, we have been a market leader in MLP transactions due to our deep experience in addressing the complex tax partnership, securities and business issues associated with creating, governing and growing an MLP.
- Oil and Gas—As counselors to domestic and international oil and gas leaders, we use our experience in all facets of the oil and gas industry to guide a range of clients upstream, midstream and downstream.
- Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)—When counseling top sponsors, advisors and lenders in LNG projects and financings, Andrews Kurth brings technical experience to bridge the gap between all parties. We counsel on both the investment and the industry side of sophisticated LNG transactions and associated regulatory guidance.
- Alternative Energy—We are a leading firm in renewable energy fuels, power, regulation, investment and environmental trading. Our lawyers get deals done by helping clients navigate the complexities of renewable energy projects and maximize available tax, financial and environmental credits and incentives for biofuels, clean energy, solar energy and wind energy.
- Electric—Andrews Kurth represents the owners and developers of electricity projects in all aspects of acquisition and development of their projects as well as representing participants in the electric industry before both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and state public utility commissions. Our broad experience includes navigating the wide array of contracts, statutes and regulations that affect our clients.
- Energy Regulatory—Andrews Kurth advises clients on meeting competitive challenges while remaining compliant with regulations at both the federal and state levels. Our prominent national reputation as counselors on issues pertinent to the natural gas industry is based on decades of experience in the wide range of issues that have regulated natural gas pipelines.
Moving Forward
With a strong commitment to client service, and a deep understanding of the industries we serve, Andrews Kurth will continue to offer sophisticated legal solutions for energy.
