Porter Hedges offers deep experience in the acquisition, development, and sale of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, with a focus on domestic oil and gas shale plays. These unconventional resources pose unique environmental, regulatory, and legal challenges to all parties involved. Thus, our team includes a cross-functional group of lawyers who bring extensive experience in each relevant legal discipline.

We have handled shale deals valued in the many billions of dollars in the most prolific shale basins in the U.S., including the Eagle Ford, Marcellus, Barnett, Utica, Niobrara, and Haynesville, among others. On behalf of developers, investors, purchasers, and sellers of these resources, our representations often include:

  • Negotiating joint venture partnerships for the development of shale properties.
  • Developing oil and gas leases, joint operating agreements and joint development agreements specifically for the emerging legal issues arising out of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
  • Addressing environmental issues involved in water sourcing and disposal for hydraulic fracturing operations.
  • Structuring and documenting development arrangements for LNG plants using unconventional resources.
  • Structuring and documenting complicated tax issues.
  • Due diligence on these issues in connection with acquisitions and divestitures.

Experience

Unconventional Resources

  • Porter Hedges Represents American Energy-Utica in its $407M Sale of Appalachian Assets to Gulfport Energy Corporation
  • Porter Hedges Represents Chesapeake Energy Corp. in the $5.375B Sale of Marcellus and Utica Shale Assets to Southwestern Energy
  • Porter Hedges Represents American Energy Partners in Three Shale Acreage Transactions Totaling $4.25 billion
  • Porter Hedges Represents Special Committee of the Gulfport Energy Corporation Board of Directors in the $220 million acquisition of Utica Shale Acreage from Windsor Ohio
  • Porter Hedges Represents Special Committee of the Gulfport Energy Corporation Board of Directors in the $372 million acquisition of Utica Shale Acreage from Windsor Ohio
  • Porter Hedges Represents Chevron U.S.A. Inc. in the Acquisition of Unconventional Assets in New Mexico from Chesapeake Energy Corp.
  • Porter Hedges Represents Noble Energy in the Completion of the $3.2 billion Joint Venture with CONSOL Energy in the Marcellus Shale
  • Porter & Hedges Represents Talisman (Canada) in Creation of Joint Venture with Statoil (Norway)


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