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Bob Thomas is a partner, head of the energy section, chair of the Property and Finance Practice Group of Porter & Hedges and has served on the firm's Management Committee. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in Energy Law since 2005, and has been selected as a “Texas Super Lawyer” in Energy/Oil & Gas Law in surveys conducted by Texas Monthly each year since inception of the independent survey. His practice principally consists of the representation of domestic and international oil and gas companies in all phases of the energy business with emphasis on the upstream and midstream segments of the industry. Although Mr. Thomas is principally involved in energy transactions, his practice includes representation of energy companies involved in disputes, whether mediation, arbitration or litigation, including serving as an expert witness in complex energy cases.
Mr. Thomas's practice also includes the following:
- drop down transactions for upstream and midstream Master Limited Partnerships
- mergers and acquisitions
- acquisition, divestiture and financing of midstream and upstream assets
- acquisition and development of gas storage facilities
- underwritten debt and equity offerings
- upstream and midstream agreements including drilling agreements, marketing agreements, gas, liquids and crude oil purchase and sale agreements
- farmout and participation agreements, farmout of general and limited partnership agreements, seismic shoot agreements, data acquisitions and seismic licenses, executive compensation agreements, surface and subsurface easements and oil and gas leases
Prior to joining Porter & Hedges in 1984, Mr. Thomas was Division Attorney for Mesa Petroleum Co. in Houston, Texas (1979-1984) and in-house counsel for Gulf Oil Corporation in Midland, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana (1974-1979). Representative Experience
- Represented Board of Directors Conflicts Committee for public and private midstream and upstream Master Limited Partnerships in acquisitions from their MLP sponsors which reduced during 2007 more than $1 billion.
- Represented Texas-based exploration and production companies in the disposition of their interests in Colombian concession agreements through international auction process.
- Represented a Houston based oil and gas exploration and production company in the sale of an undivided participating interest in a Production Sharing Contract for the Exploitation of Coalbed Methane Resources in Linxian and Xingian Counties, Shanxi Province, the People's Republic of China to ChevronTexaco China Energy Company.
- Represented public oil and gas exploration and production company in $1.3 billion merger to acquire outer continental shelf assets.
- Represented the financial advisors to the U.S. Department of Energy in the sale of Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve for $3.5 billion.
- Represented master limited partnership in sale of $110 million divestiture of pipeline and gathering assets.
- Represented private oil and gas company in $265 million sale of the company involving Egyptian assets.
- Represented major independent in formation of development drilling funds involving third party investments exceeding $1billion.
- Expert witness testimony in Australian royalty arbitration.
- Represented gathering and processing company in sale of indentures.
- Represented buyer in acquisition of $120,000,000 producing oil and gas properties in Texas and Louisiana.
- Represented major independent international energy company in gas sales in Cote d'Ivoire.
- Represented a participant in an Azerbaijan joint venture arbitration.
- Represented energy utility's oil marketing subsidiary in petroleum pipeline joint venture with major international energy company.
- Represented private energy finance company in providing equity infusion to petroleum pipeline company.
Professional / Civic Affiliations
- Moderator for Houston Energy Forum, an annual energy roundtable panel of leading industry experts
- Martindale Hubbell AV Rated Attorney
- Member of the State Bar of Texas
- The State Bar of Louisiana
- The Houston Bar Association
- The American Bar Association
- Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation
News
Events
- “Issues in Royalty Litigation,” Advanced Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Course, State Bar of Texas (9/1/1996)
- “Implied Covenants, Posted Prices and Marketing Affiliates - New Challenges in Accounting to Royalty Owners,” Petroleum Landmen's Association of New Orleans (1/1/1996)
- “Royalty Valuation,” Advanced Oil and Gas Course, South Texas College of Law (8/1/1991)
- “Federal Leases,” Advanced Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Course, State Bar of Texas (10/1/1983)
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