Maximizing and protecting the value of traditional and renewable energy assets: That’s how Hinshaw helps.

Facing geopolitical crises, stricter environmental scrutiny, and ongoing demands for more energy and more diverse sources, energy companies are at an important crossroads. At Hinshaw, our energy and natural resources legal team of trusted advisors draws on decades of regulatory, transactional, and litigation experience to help clients manage challenges, solve problems, and seize opportunities in this ever-evolving industry.

We represent major, independent, and state-owned oil, gas, and renewable-energy providers — as well as trade associations and local and government entities and municipalities — at every junction in the energy value-chain, including:

• Upstream:
  • Exploration and production companies
  • Seismic companies
  • Onshore and offshore well operators
  • Drilling contractors
  • Oilfield service and supply companies
• Midstream:
  • Pipeline companies
  • Natural gas storage and distribution companies
  • Service and supply companies
  • Transportation companies
• Downstream:
  • Refineries
  • Utilities
  • Carbon capture and sequestration projects

Areas of Focus Include:

Sophisticated Regulatory Counsel

Energy industry stakeholders are in a unique period of transition. This includes working to manage the transition to renewable energy sources and comply with emerging climate change, conservation, and carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) regulations — all without turning their backs on the oil, gas, and coal that have powered progress since the Industrial Revolution.

To avoid penalties for noncompliance, we help clients understand the flow of regulatory updates, rate decisions, and oil and gas developments emerging from the U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Securities and Exchange Commission, United States Coast Guard, Bureau of Land Management, and other relevant agencies.

We also provide counsel on local laws and regulations, including matters heard before state mineral and energy boards, departments of natural resources and environmental quality, and other agencies. We have drafted a number of local ordinances and policies in relation to the following:

• Occupational and pipeline safety, including emergency response to accidents and incidents
• Wind energy, pollution control, and waste facilities
• Nuisance complaints
• Cost recoveries
• Zoning and other public hearings.

Cross-Disciplinary Transaction Support

Our team regularly handles public and private divestitures and acquisitions across the energy value chain. We conduct full-spectrum due diligence and negotiate, structure, and document complex transactions, including:

• Joint ventures
• Public-private partnerships
• Private equity investments
• Debt and equity financings
• Strategic alliances.

Extensive Dispute Resolution and Litigation Experience

Our team has particular strength in litigating all kinds of oil, gas, and renewable energy disputes, including many of the most important and precedent-setting recent cases. Among other issues, we have represented clients before federal and state trial and appellate courts in commercial and criminal disputes involving the following:

• Alleged pollution or contamination
• Well blowouts
• Joint operator disputes
• Gas flaring
• Royalty disputes
• Railcar accidents
• Title disputes
• Nuisance claims
• Environmental litigation
• Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) litigation
• Product liability, premise liability, and personal injury claims
• Local fracking bans.

Our trial and appellate lawyers also have significant experience defending and pursuing claims under federal legislation such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Jones Act, and more.

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