Finance

All projects require not only ‘legal work,’ but financing. In the Energy Sector, they must also take into account public policy considerations that often favor some types of projects over the other.

Representative Work

  • Provided confidential and comprehensive tutorial on the overall regulatory environment governing the energy sector (distinguishing the jurisdictions of FERC, NRC, EPA, FMC, FTC, SEC, CFTC, and the federal Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Interior, Energy, Transportation as well as the Defense Supply Service of DoD’s relationship to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, in addition to role of state governments and international organizations) to analysts managing energy-sector investments of diversified hedge fund.
  • Provided confidential advice on legal and policy issues of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceedings concerning grandfathering of tariffs and the audit of natural gas supplied to Enron, for the largest publicly-traded pipeline partnership managing a refined petroleum products pipeline system in the U.S.
  • On behalf of DoE, assessed claims by operators of Great Plains Gasification facility that servicer of federal loan guarantee was improperly attributing capital costs to operating costs under Standstill Agreement between guarantor and debtor, thereby ‘triggering’ accelerated payments by debtor and making default more likely.
  • Developed legal and policy strategy for $1 Trillion investment banking firm to develop new financial instruments for trading of crude oil reserves backed by the United States Government.
  • Provided confidential advice on legal and political issues raised by comprehensive energy legislation (H.R. 6) and an assessment of likely final-content of Conference Report, to $775 Billion global financial services firm.
  • Provided confidential analysis of provisions of H.R. 6 repealing the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA) to British investment banking firm.
  • Provided confidential analysis to British affiliate of $1.15 Trillion Investment Fund on likely actions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court proceedings involving the Yukos oil company.
  • Provided confidential advice on legal and political issues to $14 Billion investment banking firm interested in the Russian Government’s prosecution of Yukos oil company.
  • Provided confidential advice on legal claims and political issues to $3.5 Billion Hedge Fund interested in the LUKoil and Kazakh Government’s claims against the Canadian company, PetroKazakhstan, Inc.