Energy Industry Litigation & Investigations

Our attorneys regularly represent energy clients in breach of contract and contract interpretation disputes arising from supply and transportation contracts, as well as asset purchase, power purchase, project development, and partnership agreements. We also represent energy companies in class actions, other commercial litigation, and lawsuits brought by third parties on the back of enforcement proceedings.

We routinely represent large and mid-size energy companies in investigations and audits undertaken by FERC enforcement personnel. We further counsel our clients on compliance issues and effective compliance plans that can avoid or minimize adverse findings from an audit or investigation. With the same goal in mind, we also have drafted self-reports that accurately describe potential violations but explain mitigating factors. Our representation includes undertaking independent investigations to determine whether company personnel violated the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, Energy Policy Act of 2005, relevant tariffs, or market rules.

As a leader in the energy sector, we regularly put our experience to work for the world’s top energy companies, responding to their most important intellectual property needs in patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets matters.

Nearly half of our IP attorneys have technical degrees—including mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and petroleum engineering—and our litigation and trial experience is enhanced by our command of complex technical and legal issues inherent to intellectual property matters. Our IP litigators regularly handle patent infringement matters involving a wide range of oil and gas technologies. We also have handled significant technical trade secret and copyright cases in this industry.

We have substantial experience in the prosecution of commercial arbitrations throughout the world, managing cases with lawyers and experts in various jurisdictions, while cooperating closely with clients’ in-house counsel. We have handled virtually all types of commercial arbitrations in a wide variety of energy industry segments, including utility projects, infrastructure and construction, oil and gas, and power.

Armed with a deep bench of experienced lawyers and a unique combination of industry experience, extensive trial practice, and expansive technical knowledge, our product liability team regularly defends multinational energy companies, their products, and their reputations in high-stakes litigation. We have successfully defended alleged toxic tort claims, as well as claims for property damage and personal injury related to oilfield operations, waste management claims, and alleged failure of equipment used in the energy sector and related industrial operations. We vigorously defend these and other claims, including those related to the purported impact of chemical compounds such as microplastics, take cases to trial, and win, which gives our clients confidence in a successful outcome, as well as tremendous settlement leverage.