Jones Walker represents clients involved in every aspect of the energy industry—whether oil and gas, including upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, mining, alternative energy, power generation, or related environment and natural resources issues. We have handled complex energy transactions, regulatory matters, government relations and litigation, both onshore and offshore.

Oil & Gas

Our attorneys are well-versed in matters of oil and gas law and routinely work with oil and gas companies and pipeline companies in connection with the relocation of facilities and the release of surface rights. Our work spans across upstream, midstream, and downstream entities and issues.

We have extensive experience in examining mineral titles and have issued hundreds of fee title, leasehold, and division order title opinions covering both onshore and offshore properties. Our opinions commonly set forth the landowners' respective interests in the surface, minerals, bonuses, rentals, and royalties, by tract and/or unit, as well as the respective operating and revenue interests of the parties involved in developing the mineral properties. We also have many years of experience in issuing financing title opinions involving producing property interests to ensure that the client has acquired all necessary property rights and has the information needed to make payments and otherwise comply with oil and gas leases and other agreements.

Oil & Gas: Upstream

Jones Walker has years of experience in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry. We have represented and continue to represent oil and gas clients, from the landowner to the major companies, with respect to the full spectrum of upstream-related issues, including title examination and mineral lease acquisition; assignments, subleases, and operating agreements; water acquisition and agreements; lease maintenance disputes; unitization-related disputes; royalty payment and affiliate transaction disputes; toxic tort and environmental actions arising out of operations and involving alleged personal and property damage; and enforcement actions arising out of operations. In addition, we have experience in the representation of oil and gas clients with respect to new shale plays, such as the Haynesville and Eagle Ford.

Oil & Gas: Midstream

Jones Walker is intimately familiar and experienced with the demands of the high-paced, dynamic complexities of the midstream sector of the energy industry. Our energy practice area attorneys work in conjunction with our environmental, litigation, business and regulatory sections in matters relating to the development, transportation, storage and marketing of oil and gas which team oriented approach provides distinct advantages to our clients seeking complete and integrated counsel in all facets of energy law. Since the inception of our energy practice group, Jones Walker attorneys have been involved with midstream transactions and litigation matters having values in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars, including acquisitions and divestitures of gathering systems, processing facilities and interstate and intrastate pipelines, financing, construction, development and permitting of interstate and intrastate pipelines and natural gas storage facilities, publicly traded master limited partnership tax matters, pipeline condemnation matters, legacy litigation, environmental damage litigation, title review, mineral title opinions and review of title policies. Most recently, we have been actively involved in the Haynesville Shale play for many of our processing, transportation and storage facility clients and acted as lead counsel in successfully challenging the Department of Interior’s imposition of the moratorium on the deepwater drilling following the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill.

Oil & Gas: Downstream

Mining

Our mining experience spans agricultural and industrial minerals, precious and base metals, and other minerals within the United States and abroad.

Power Generation

Generation & Transmission

With our significant experience in the electric power industry, we regularly represent project contractors, owners and operators of power and transmission projects, and other industry clients in the development and financing of domestic and international power and transmission projects.

Project Development & Power Plant Operations

From simple and combined-cycle thermal generation projects, cogeneration projects, and hydroelectric projects to facilities for high-voltage transmission systems, our experience includes the negotiation and documentation of the following power project agreements, for owning and operating power plants and transmission systems.

Project Finance Experience

Our power generation and transmission project financing experience includes counseling and supporting the drafting and negotiating of project documents, providing analysis of contractual and commercial risks, and assisting in the development of measures to effectively mitigate or hedge risks.

Renewable Fuels & Alternative Energy

Renewable fuels and alternative energy projects present a wide range of legal issues. From new project development to retrofitting and retooling existing resources, Jones Walker's attorneys have experience in the field of alternative energy development.

Environment & Natural Resources

Whether in the upstream, midstream, downstream, alternative energy, or other sectors, energy industry players are routinely faced with environmental matters. The range of such matters is broad – due diligence associated with the financing and purchase of properties, permitting with respect to facilities and operations under a plethora of federal and state regulatory schemes, enforcement actions under numerous federal and state statutes and regulatory schemes, and litigation by citizens and/or nearby landowners, to name a few. The successful handling of these environmental matters requires a skill set that includes, among other things, the ability to digest and communicate complex scientific information, in-depth knowledge of the relevant federal and state regulatory schemes and personnel, and high-level litigation skills to deal with those matters that simply cannot be otherwise resolved.

Water Law

Jones Walker – the only law firm in Louisiana to establish a "water law" practice team--is at the forefront of the burgeoning field of Louisiana "water law". In addition to lecturing, presenting, and publishing on current water law issues, our attorneys have advised clients, including both private and state governmental entities, and participated in a wide variety of water-related matters. Based upon its extensive experience with water law issues and its ongoing commitment to monitoring and participating in the development of this area of law, Jones Walker is uniquely positioned to deliver "water law"-related services to its clients.

News

• Jones Walker and The Sullivan Group Announce Alliance
• Jones Walker Presents Banking Oil Spill Seminar
• Jones Walker Expands Energy Industry Team
• Plaintiffs Prevail in Challenge to Deepwater Drilling Moratorium

Events

• "The Oil Spill: What Will it Mean to Banks in the Region?"
• "Preparing for Litigation Arising Out of Unconventional Gas Drilling Operations in Shale Plays"
• "How Will Cap & Trade and Green Legislation Affect My Plant?"
• "Haynesville" Public Screening Discussion Panel

Publications

• "LexisNexis Expert Commentaries"
  Grady S. Hurley
  Energy Law 2008, 2008
• "Update on the Regulation of Intrastate Pipelines and Gas Gatherers in Texas"
  Co-Author with Amy Baird
  6th Annual Gas & Power Institute, 2007
• "Corporate Cooperation in the Face of Internal Investigations"
  Co-Author with Mark Robeck and Michael Clark
  The Health Lawyer, April 2005