Most Highly Regarded Firms: Texas 2009 - Oil & Gas

• January 2009

• Oil and Gas

International Players With Texan Roots

Of 54 US-based practitioners, our research identifies 25 individuals in the state of Texas, all but two of whom are based in the Houston offices of the state's most prestigious home-grown firms.

The International Who's Who of Oil & Gas Lawyers - 2009 

International Players With Texan Roots

Of 54 US-based practitioners, our research identifies 25 individuals in the state of Texas, all but two of whom are based in the Houston offices of the state's most prestigious home-grown firms. With major names on their doorstep, it is no surprise that many of the southern firms also boast international expertise, to match the cross-border activities of their clients.

Texas "powerhouse" Baker Botts LLP has more practitioners in this edition than any other firm with 10 entries from five countries. Four individuals reside in Houston and are led in the nominations by the partner in charge of the firm's global oil and gas practice, David Asmus. Asmus was described to researchers as "a global leader" and his peers highlighted his work in the LNG field. He is joined in Houston by George Goolsby, James DeMent and Michael Darden. Bruce Kiely and Thomas Eastment feature in Washington, DC, where Eastment heads the firm-wide energy regulatory section and was praised for his work on behalf of oil and gas pipeline project owners by a number of sources. The firm also has impressive international credentials with Sean Korney in Dubai highlighted as one of the leading practitioners in the UAE. Steven Wardlaw is the managing partner of the Moscow office and has a great deal of experience representing Russian oil and gas companies. Antony Higginson is based in London, has a "strong energy reputation" and a great deal of experience working in Nigeria. David Renton from the Hong Kong office is an established name in the region and has worked on a number of matters for the Hong Kong and China Gas Company.

Vinson & Elkins LLP puts in a strong performance, with eight practitioners on the following pages. It is a "Texan firm with truly international capabilities" and joining two Houston-based practitioners (Joseph Dilg and Mark Kelly) and David Andril from Washington, DC, are further lawyers from London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The firm has a "fantastic reputation in Asia" with Beijing-based Paul Deemer taking his place as one of the most highly regarded practitioners in our research. James Cuclis is the managing partner of the Hong Kong office and the Asian practice coordinator, and has worked throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and West Africa. James Atkin is considered by his peers to be "a true oil and gas specialist" and is based in the firm's Tokyo office. London is home to two highly rated practitioners: Alexander Msimang and the "brilliant" Michael Doble. Msimang also attracted glowing praise during the research, with one source calling him "extremely knowledgeable and very sharp".

King & Spalding LLP garners five practitioners in Texas (the largest contingent from a single firm in the state). Kenneth Culotta is a "leader in the field" and is joined in Houston by the "excellent" John Bowman, Doak Bishop (who has represented Mobil and Sempra Energy International and has a "superb reputation" for arbitration), Daniel Rogers and Jose Valera. The "legendary" Philip Weems in the UAE brings the firm's tally to six overall.

Thompson & Knight LLP and Fulbright & Jaworski LLP also performed well. The former has three individuals, including the "outstanding" Andrew Derman based in Texas. Like its competitors the firm also has talent from international offices in this edition. Hassan Yassine in Algeria and the "very able" Alexandre Ribeiro Chequer from Brazil also make the grade. According to our sources Fulbright & Jaworski is a "major player in the oil and gas field" and the firm earns a total of six individuals in this edition. Its international capabilities are strong with "star players" David Moroney and Susan Farmer featuring from the London office. Farmer is especially well regarded in the LNG field. Stefan John Ricketts moved to the Hong Kong office from London in August 2008 and has quickly established a "wonderful reputation".

John Cogan from McDermott Will & Emery LLP in Houston is one of the most highly nominated individuals in the research with his practice attracting a great deal of praise from clients and peers alike. His oil and gas work has seen him engaged in matters across Africa, Latin America, East Asia and the Middle East.

CANADIAN KNOW-HOW

National law firms with long-standing presence in Canada's energy capital, Alberta, dominate the Canadian research. The oil and gas industry in Canada is "still very much local and with so much home-grown knowledge and experience it is hard for international firms to get a look in" according to David Glennie, Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP's managing partner of the London office. Three "highly respected" individuals from the Calgary office of Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP join the "impressive" Glennie in this edition and include the "world renowned" Craig Spurn. Bennett Jones LLP also boasts three entries from Calgary office with the "extremely able" Lawrence Smith QC leading the way in the nominations.

Kemm Yates QC flies the flag for Stikeman Elliott LLP in this edition and was described to researchers as a "fantastic regulatory litigator" who has over 30 years' experience representing pipeline, producer and consumer interests before Canada's National Energy Board.

John Cuthbertson from Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP in Calgary is one of two Canadian practitioners in our breakdown of the research's most highly regarded practitioners. The other is the "top flight" Jay Park from Macleod Dixon LLP. Park is chair of the firm's global resources practice group and is joined in the practice area's elite by Elisabeth Eljuri from Venezuela. Together with Robert Engbloom QC in Alberta and Aydin Jebrailov in Russia, they make up the four strong Macleod Dixon LLP contingent in the research.

MIDDLE EAST EXPERTISE

This edition identifies 16 practitioners from around the region, with the biggest contingent being a seven-strong group in the United Arab Emirates.

Shearman & Sterling LLP has had a presence in Abu Dhabi since 1975 and boasts three practitioners in this edition. Philip Dundas is the managing partner of the local office and is regarded by his peers as "extremely active and for very good reason". He represented the United Arab Emirates Offsets Group as sponsor of the $6 billion Dolphin gas project and has a "good knowledge of the market". Tim Pick was highlighted by one source as an "excellent lawyer" and the "strong" Mathew Kidwell is the third entry for the firm, highlighting Shearman & Sterling's reputation both in the oil and gas arena and in the Middle East in general.

There is also celebrated local talent in key oil-rich countries including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Mahmood Mukhtar from Mukhtar Kelbash & Elgharabli was described to researchers as "Libya's best oil and gas lawyer". Ali Abedi has similar standing in Saudi Arabia with The Alliance of Abbas F Ghazzawi & Co and Hammad & Al-Mehdar unrivalled for its expertise in this area.

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AMERICA LEADERS

The aforementioned Elisabeth Eljuri is managing partner of the Caracas office of Macleod Dixon and the head of the corporate department. She is the most highly nominated practitioner in Venezuela, with her practice and her firm attracting praise from sources who praised her "incredible expertise in the oil sector not only from the legal point of view but also on the business itself. The firm's responses to my inquiries are timely, global and with an extraordinary degree of quality." Eljuri is one of the "true stars in Latin America" are regularly advises major names including Chevron, BP, Petronas and Lukoil.

Jose Martinez de Hoz Jr is "a leading practitioner" and one of the founders and director of the energy department of Pérez Alati Grondona Benites Arntsen & Martinez de Hoz. He is one of eight practitioners selected for inclusion from Argentina. In Brazil, the firm Schmidt Valois Miranda Ferreira e Agel Advogados performed extremely well with three practitioners selected for inclusion. One client praised Guilherme Schmidt for going "not one, but 10 extra miles for a client and his expertise goes across the field, from energy and infrastructure consulting to arbitration".

REST OF THE WORLD

London has a total of 16 individuals on the following pages, all of whom are in demand internationally. Paul Griffin from Herbert Smith LLP is the most highly nominated individual in the research and heads the global energy practice at the firm from the London office. He advised Centrica on the long-term supply of LNG by Petronas at the Dragon terminal in the UK and Apache Corporation in the purchase of the Forties Oil Field from BP and has a "very good name" in the LNG and oil and gas sectors. Herbert Smith also has two entries in Paris thanks to head of the firm's energy and infrastructure team and Africa practice, Stéphane Brabant and partner Rebecca Major. Both practitioners are especially well known for their work in Francophone Africa. Major has recently represented Mitsubishi Corporation in relation to its potential investment in the world's first floating LNG liquefaction project off the shores of Nigeria. David Clinch in Japan completes the quintet.

Denton Wilde Sapte LLP is home to Charles Wood, one of the research's most highly nominated practitioners. He is "one of the sharpest people I have ever met", according to one source and is joined in London by Danielle Beggs. The firm also has a commanding presence in Kazakhstan and Russia thanks to Marla Valdez and Doran Doeh respectively. One source noted "no list would be complete without Geoffrey Picton-Turbervill" from Ashurst and he is the third London-based practitioner to be included in the list of the area's most highly regarded individuals. The firm features once more in this edition thanks to the "great" Ashley Wright in Singapore.

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek clains two entries in the Netherlands with Jaap de Keijzer and Vincent Aarts attracting the attention of their peers for their "strategic work for Shell". White & Case LLP has two individuals listed in Russia, a contingent which highlights the firm's "unsurpassed reputation" in the country. Alexey Kondratchik and Jennifer Josefson from Moscow are joined by Hendrik Gordenker in Tokyo.

The level of the bar in Nigeria is high, with seven practitioners from respected local firms featured in this edition. Soji Awogbade from "renowned firm" Aelex received international support during the research. Awogbade was described as "responsive and reliable" and has been involved in some of Nigeria's most high-profile oil and gas projects, including the West African Gas Pipeline Project and the Mobil OSO Field Condensate Development project. Sola Adepetun from Adepetun Caxton-Martins Agbor & Segun is regarded by one source as "foremost for upstream work".

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