Natural Resources & Energy

Our firm's natural resources and energy practice dates back to the early 1960's. We have counseled a wide range of participants, both domestic and foreign, in the natural resources and energy industries, and in the course of such representation we have developed special skills to help our clients meet their objectives. For example, we have

• Structured and implemented an international joint venture between an independent U.S. oil and gas exploration and production company and an Italian gas distribution company to create an integrated oil and gas company with operations in Italy.
• Advised a Colombian oil and gas company in connection with its joint ventures with several major oil companies.
• Helped structure the first publicly offered oil and gas partnership designed to permit tax exempt investors to invest in oil and gas production without adverse tax consequences.
• Structured and implemented one of the first publicly offered oil and gas completion programs.
• Helped structure a U.S. oil and gas company's investment in the first close-inshore oil and gas exploration venture in the People's Republic of China.
• Helped organize a U.S. independent oil and gas exploration and production company and assisted it in raising a total of approximately $200 million to date through private offerings of securities, an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange, subsequent listings in the United States (first on NASDAQ and then on the American Stock Exchange), a public secondary offering under one of the first universal shelf registration statements to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and various other debt and equity financings.
• Advised a U.S. gas brokerage and marketing firm in connection with its consolidation with a U.S. oil and gas exploration and production company and a U.S. gas pipeline company with a concurrent initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange of the consolidated entity (and subsequent listing on the American Stock Exchange).
• Advised a significant U.S. syndicator of public and private oil and gas income funds.
• Advised a U.S. public oil and gas company in connection with the creation of an institutionally placed oil and gas royalty fund.
• Advised a U.S. privately owned company in connection with title disputes relating to one of the largest talc mines in the United States.
• Advised a U.S. privately owned company in connection with the leasing and exploration of its potentially gold-bearing properties and the extraction of minerals through the heap leaching process.
• Advised a major French bank in connection with a production loan secured by oil and gas properties located in Kentucky.
• Advised a hostile bidder for a large publicly owned oil and gas refining company.
• Advised a U.S. oil and gas company in connection with its $50 million dollar revolving credit, term loan and letter of credit facility from a large money center bank secured by oil and gas properties located in four states and subsequently advised the borrower in connection with the work out of the credit and its ultimate refinancing.
• Advised several U.S.oil and gas companies in connection with their privately placed drilling programs.
• Structured and implemented an institutionally placed non-recourse lease financing for a U.S. oil and gas company enabling it to monetize its leasehold inventory while retaining its ability to identify, acquire and drill prospects.
• Advised offshore investors in connection with the creation of a tax advantaged net profits royalty fund utilizing certain favorable income tax treaties.
• Advised the sponsor in connection with the non-recourse project financing of the construction of one of the first investor owned resource recovery facilities in the United States.
• Advised the private owners of the largest open pit coal mine west of the Mississippi River in connection of the sale of their company to a major oil company.

Clients

We have represented foreign and domestic operating oil and gas companies; gas marketing and transportation companies; sponsors of public and private oil and gas investment programs; commercial banks; investment banking firms and domestic investor groups. The firm has also represented foreign merchant banks, commercial banks, family groups, and other investors who make international oil and gas investments.

Services

We have assisted clients in the registration and sale of limited partnership interests in publicly offered oil and gas income and completion funds; privately syndicated drilling, lease acquisition, production purchase and royalty acquisition programs for individuals and institutions; domestic and foreign debt and equity offerings, including offerings which involved listing securities on European stock exchanges; production loans and production payments; farmout, lease purchase, net profits, drilling and other oil field agreements; joint ventures to explore and develop offshore concessions; utility power plant financings; various "hard rock mineral transactions"; and trust and estate plans for owners of mineral properties and interests.

Contact Us

We are proud to help our industry clients achieve their goals and can provide the necessary experience in a wide range of transactions that will facilitate our client's objectives in a timely and cost efficient manner. If you wish to discuss how we might be of help to you or your organization, please call Peter Basilevsky in our New York office.