Oil and Gas, Energy and Minerals

Attorneys within this practice are counsel to a wide range of interests in the energy field, including those of oil and gas producers and operators, pipeline companies, landowners and royalty owners. In addition, we provide counsel in the areas of energy lending, regulatory oversight and proceedings (Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation, Louisiana Public Service Commission and Minerals Management Service), wetlands regulation, and all related litigation matters. Our representation covers virtually every aspect of legal and regulatory matters affecting energy exploration, production, sale, transmission, refining and use.

Oil and Gas Producers and Operators
Taggart Morton represent producers and operators active in Louisiana , the Gulf states and in Gulf of Mexico waters. We counsel these clients in connection with such matters as the negotiation and drafting of asset purchase agreements, voluntary unit agreements, farmouts, joint operating agreements, gas contracts, and energy litigation. We have been active in advising independents in the acquisition of properties from major oil companies. We routinely review abstracts of title and issue title opinions on mineral properties for onshore Louisiana properties.

Landowner and Royalty Owners
Taggart Morton counsels major landowners in matters relating to the development of their properties for the production of oil, gas, sulphur and salt. Our work involves drafting mineral leases, rights-of-way, timber leases, surface leases, and other agreements relating to mineral exploration and land use. The firm also handle real estate transactions and the financing of land and improvements.

Wetlands Regulation
Wetlands regulation continues to be a growing area of the firm's practice. Taggart Morton has negotiated with the Environmental Protection Agency and Corps of Engineers on the federal side and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources on the state side, to obtain 404 permits for construction on wetlands, as well as handling the wetlands mitigation that is part of such process.

Litigation
The firm handles all manner of energy and mineral law disputes, including title and royalty actions, waterbottom disputes, deferred production claims and actions to enforce mineral liens and NORM removal.

Commercial Transactions
In commercial transactions the work of our environmental attorneys includes not only preparing transaction documents (including, for instance, indemnity and hold harmless provisions, representations and warranties and environmental opinions of counsel), but also considering and analyzing other issues, such as counseling with clients and experts regarding site assessments and investigations, insurance and interactions with regulatory agencies.

Contact:    

James R. Morton
Oil and Gas Practice Chair
(504) 599-8507
E-mail: [email protected]