Energy, Oil and Gas Law

WE REPRESENT CLIENTS IN ALL ASPECTS OF ENERGY, OIL AND GAS LAW

Bright and Brown has decades of litigation and transactional expertise representing clients in connection with energy-related issues, including contractual negotiations, due diligence, litigation, dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance. We have extensive experience litigating energy related disputes, as well as drafting and negotiating many types of energy-related agreements, such as oil and gas leases, drilling and operating agreements, joint development agreements, unit agreements, water disposal agreements, purchase and sale agreements, farmout agreements, pipeline agreements, cogeneration agreements, power purchase agreements, purchase and sale agreements, easements, ground leases, licenses and the like. In connection with its energy practice, Bright and Brown has represented many oil and gas companies, from small independent companies to large multi-national energy corporations, major utilities, and large commercial and residential developers. Bright and Brown also provides advice to businesses involved in exploring, discovering, acquiring, developing, and producing oil and gas resources in California and utilities in connection with their fuel acquisitions and transportation arrangements.

Below are a few examples of successful results obtained for our clients with respect to energy and oil and gas matters:

  • Bright and Brown represented an independent oil company in litigation against a major oil company with respect to a joint development agreement for breach of contract and usury claims. Bright and Brown obtained a favorable settlement that resolved all of the disputes and included future rights and performance obligations valued at several hundred million dollars.
  • Bright and Brown represented a major oil company in an arbitration matter against a large utility and obtained a multi-million dollar arbitration award for breach of contract and fraud claims based upon a long term gas sales agreement.
  • Bright and Brown represented an independent oil company in an arbitration matter against a group of other independent oil companies for claims asserted over the unlawful drainage of substantial volumes of oil and gas. Bright and Brown obtained a very favorable multi-million dollar arbitration award for its client.
  • Bright and Brown defended a major oil company in litigation against claims asserted by an independent oil company and large insurance company that funded a joint venture managed by that independent oil company in which the plaintiff joint-venture alleged theft of oil and gas prospects and other intellectual property and property interests. Bright and Brown obtained a very favorable settlement for its client.
  • Bright and Brown represented an international oil company in an arbitration matter with respect to breach of contract claims against another international oil company based upon a joint development agreement for a large oil field in Alaska. Bright and Brown obtained an arbitration award in favor of its client affecting multi-million dollar rights to extract gas.
  • Bright and Brown represented an international oil company in a litigation against a city with respect to a pipeline right of way, the outcome of which was critical to the operation of the client’s refinery and threatened potential losses estimated at several hundred million dollars. Bright and Brown obtained injunctive relief permitting the refinery to continue operations pending resolution of the dispute and then negotiated a favorable settlement for its client for a minimal annual right-of-way fee.
  • Bright and Brown represented a major utility in its sale of one of the largest geothermal power plants in California to an independent power generator.
  • Bright and Brown assisted a major utility in its negotiations with an international contractor to remove spent fuel from wet storage at a nuclear power plant to dry storage.
  • Bright and Brown represented a major utility in its acquisition of undivided interests in several natural gas transmission pipelines serving the State of California.
  • Bright and Brown has represented a major utility in negotiating multiple operation and maintenance agreements under which independent contractors operate different power plants for the utility.
  • Bright and Brown represented an independent oil company in connection with a multi-party purchase and sale transaction involving a major national utility and subsequent conversion of a coal-fired cogeneration plant to a biomass plant.
  • Bright and Brown represented a private landowner in the cleanup, remediation, and regulatory closure of a large oil and gas property and the subsequent sale of that property for increased value to a national residential developer.
  • Bright and Brown routinely represents large mineral interest owners in connection with the sale or leasing of their mineral interests.

Call Bright and Brown at 818-243-2121 or contact us online today to schedule a consultation at our Glendale, California office.