Energy
National Chambers and Partners USA
Energy: Oil & Gas (Band 3)
The Firm: This firm combines the oil and gas experience of the firm's Houston office with the natural gas expertise of Chuck Shoneman and his Washington, DC team to provide clients with a comprehensive service. Alan Rafte's Houston group possesses extensive knowledge of upstream oil and gas work, corporate and project finance and energy M&A, and it has impressive environmental law resources it can utilize on behalf of its clients. When it comes to regulatory, compliance and enforcement matters, the team's lawyers work alongside the firm’s white-collar crime and compliance teams to monitor developments at the FERC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Both sides of the practice are also actively engaged in LNG, with gas interchangeability issues an increasing area of focus. The firm is becoming increasingly well known for its energy trading and marketing work, servicing some of the most high-profile entities in the business. Highlights include representing UBS and DB Energy on a $1.2 billion volumetric production payment from Chesapeake Energy.
Projects
The Lawyers: This practice is noted for the breadth of its expertise and is able to work for any party on any stage of a project. A star lawyer in the Houston office, Alan Rafte [Band 3] has a practice that covers the full range of work, from pure energy E&P and project development to more esoteric financing vehicles such as volumetric production payments. In addition to its oil and gas practice, the firm is recognized for its longstanding association with Kinder Morgan and its outstanding pipeline expertise. Highlights here include acting for Rockies Express Pipeline on the construction financing of its $5 billion natural gas pipeline. Infrastructure is another feature of the workload, an area where the skills of Thomas Moore [Band 4] come to the fore. He represented the SH 130 concession company in the successful negotiation and financing of a 50-year concession for the SH 130 toll road project. In the Washington, DC office, Nancy Wodka [Band 4] is able to offer "brilliant advice on any type of power project." She was engaged by Westinghouse to advise on the negotiation of contracts for the development and construction of new nuclear power plants. Her "polite brand of persuasion works brilliantly for a client where negotiations last for two years and everyone needs to keep getting along."
District of Columbia Chambers and Partners USA
Energy: Electricity (Band 5)
The Firm: This team has been impressing sources with its work for energy traders, power marketers, developers and energy companies on NERC and other enforcement proceedings before the FERC, in addition to M&A, administrative litigation and regulatory filings.
The Lawyers: Sandy Rizzo [Band 5] "brings a great deal to the firm - she's a real bright spark." She focuses on litigation, market development, market rules and compliance. She represented PPL in RTO credit issues and acts for Harbinger Capital Partners on investments in US utilities and related FERC proceedings. Jeffrey Watkiss' [Band 5] practice centers on compliance, finality of contracts and transmission issues. He represented a client in the defense of an electric power sales contract against a challenge by the State of California before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the FERC.
Energy: Oil & Gas (Band 3)
The Firm: The widely esteemed natural gas practice at Bracewell & Giuliani acts for a diverse clientele of shippers, utilities, traders and marketers. In litigation, clients appreciate the additional resources provided by the firm's white-collar crime attorneys and their expertise in prosecution and investigation. Shoneman and Rich worked together to create and update compliance manuals for clients such as Constellation, Dynegy, and DB Energy Trading. LNG is another area of strength with the practice working on both development and regulatory matters, with a focus on gas interchangeability.
The Lawyers: The most notable trading work highlight was Charles Shoneman's [Band 1] representation of a group of large natural gas marketers, including Coral Energy, ConocoPhillips, ChevronTexaco, Merrill Lynch, UBS Energy, NEXEN and Tenaska, in initiating vital changes to FERC's regulations concerning the release of interstate gas pipeline capacity and asset management arrangements. The team is also active in FERC and CFTC compliance and enforcement matters.
Texas Chambers and Partners USA
Energy & Natural Resources (Band 2)
The Firm: The firm covers the entire energy landscape and is able to provide a cohesive and comprehensive service by enlisting the expertise of its environmental and regulatory practices to the cause of its transactional energy activities.
The Lawyers: Clients praise the excellent attorneys working under Alan Rafte's [Band 1] careful leadership in Bracewell & Giuliani's energy team. Rafte's own practice reflects the group's broad base of expertise. Adept in upstream oil and gas projects, corporate and project finance and energy M&A, he has been playing an increasingly important role in the firm's market-leading volumetric production payment practice. He represented UBS and DB Energy in a $1.2 billion volumetric production payment from Chesapeake Energy and acted for Plains Exploration & Production in the $1.55 billion sale of Permian and Piceance Basin assets to Occidental Petroleum. Assisting Rafte on that transaction was Ryan Holcomb, [Band 5] whose technical aptitude is extolled by clients. Holcomb also led the team advising Entergy on the negotiation of a partial requirements agreement, a coordination agreement and two tolling agreements with three East Texas electric cooperatives. James McAnelly's [Band 5] "enthusiasm and talent for oil and gas work shine through everything he does." He represented O'Brien Resources and four additional sellers in their $654 million sale of on-shore producing properties and prospects to Berry Petroleum. Rising star Walter Keneally represents developers, investors and utilities in the power industry.
Energy & Natural Resources: Dispute Resolution (Band 3)
The Firm: Bracewell's energy group has expertise in litigation and arbitration. It represents clients ranging from offshore drillers such as Pride International, which it is acting for in disputes arising from the loss of a rig in the Gulf of Mexico, to traders and marketers of power such as Powerex. Clients are quick to praise the firm's younger talent, whose "skill means the group's future in this area is bright."
The Lawyers: Clifford Gunter [Band 1] is representing Powerex in cases related to the California energy crisis and the California Department of Water Resources' allegation of contract procurement through fraud and duress. He is regarded as being at the top of the market for antitrust, oil and gas and securities disputes due to his "exceptional tactical mind and vast experience."
For more information about Chambers and Partners, visit their website at www.chambersandpartners.com.
Chambers Global
United States: Energy (Oil & Gas)
Noted for its proficiency in the natural gas and LNG sectors, this firm combines the regulatory, commercial and finance expertise of its Texas and Washington, DC offices to provide well-rounded energy advice. The energy group is also able to draw on the expertise of the firm’s white-collar crime and compliance teams in regulatory, legislative, compliance and enforcement matters. A significant draw for clients is the firm’s energy trading capability, and the Texas commercial litigation group is recommended for its skills in energy disputes, including antitrust, oil and gas and securities matters and hydrocarbon patent and IP claims. Highlight work includes acting for Shell LNG on transactions relating to the Elba Island LNG terminal expansion and new pipeline, and the settlement of litigation relating to Dominion Cove Point’s rate case.
Alan Rafte heads the firm’s energy and finance practice and is a popular choice with energy clients embarking on major M&A transactions. He is recognised for his “insight into the latest trends and issues,” and for his reasoned assessment of potential regulatory concerns. “Down to earth, thorough and careful,” co-head of the firm’s energy regulation group Charles Shoneman impresses clients with his FERC and state regulatory knowledge, abundance of experience and familiarity with the natural gas markets. Described as “the total package,” he has a regulatory practice that encompasses ratemaking, litigation, compliance and enforcement issues, M&A, financing and LNG projects matters.
For more information about Chambers and Partners, visit their website at www.chambersandpartners.com.
Euromoney
From 2001 through 2008, Bracewell’s Energy attorneys were ranked in the Guide to the World’s Leading Energy and Natural Resource Lawyers, published by Euromoney Institutional Investor. Subsequently, Bracewell’s Energy practice was recognized as a leader in energy and natural resources by the Legal Media Group’s The Best of the Best USA 2008.
For more information about Euromoney, visit their website at www.euromoney.com.
The Legal 500
Litigation: Energy (Band 3)
PRACTICE: Litigation is a vital element of an energy practice that aligns a considerable volume of trial expertise in Texas with the regulatory muscle of a solid Washington D.C. practice. One client describes the Bracewell & Giuliani LLP team as able to ‘bring together all the pieces of the puzzle - they’ve always had the edge,’ although market sources underline the extent to which the top-tier firms have a wider scope of engagement with the industry as a whole.
Natural Gas and LNG are fundamental industry areas where the team has long had a presence, but a glance at recent trial activity shows that it also has a flourishing reputation in the electric arena. For instance, the practice has been representing Powerex in a series of cases arising from the California energy crisis.
This flair for handling complex multi-jurisdictional matters is at its most apparent in the high-profile oil and gas work the team undertakes. Recently it applied its ‘hardworking attitude and winning approach,’ to the latest in a history of cases for Shell Oil. The team was involved in a recent arbitration proceeding that arose from Shell and Amoco’s sale of their oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin to Oxy. The case has been active since 2006 and was recently resolved by arbitration award.
The practice exhibits the ‘traits that mark it out from competitors: persistence, commitment and lots of litigation experience in the bank,’ says one client.
CLIENTS: Clients include Midland Cogeneration Venture, Pennzoil Quaker-State Company, Vetco Grey, Enerplus Resources, and Pride International.
INDIVIDUALS: Co-head of the energy regulatory group Charles Shoneman complements his impressive FERC practice with a history of representing clients in regulatory litigation and appellate matters. Clients say he is ‘dependable, intelligent and has access to a great reservoir of knowledge on the industry.’ He also provides a valuable Washington D.C. presence to a group that has a significant weight of trial lawyers in Texas.
Head of that particular group is J. Clifford Gunter, who clients say ‘has a great way about him, he’s a really inspiring figure and definitely a tough litigator.’ Given the broad outlook of his practice out of the Houston office, Gunther has been able, in 2008 alone, to act on cases ranging from traditional oil and gas disputes to securities litigation and appellate matters.
Described by clients as ‘the complete package,’ partner Sandra Rizzo is another Washington DC lawyer with experience of regulatory proceedings. Her activity in the electricity field is highly regarded and she has a reputation for ‘putting in the extra mile for clients.’
For more information about The Legal 500, visit their website at www.legal500.com.
PLC Which Lawyer?
Bracewell's banking and finance, corporate/mergers & acquisitions, energy, environmental, restructuring and insolvency, intellectual property and tax practices were recognized for its excellence, 2006-2008.
For more information about the Practical Law Company, visit their website at http://whichlawyer.practicallaw.com.