Leading Energy Attorney Joins BakerHostetler
BakerHostetler announced that eminent energy attorney L. Poe Leggette has joined the firm as a partner in its Denver office. Leggette becomes co-chair of BakerHostetler’s energy practice and its prominent national shale team. He arrives from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he was partner-in-charge of the Denver and Pittsburgh offices and regional head for the Americas energy practice.
Leggette has built an extensive practice representing leading oil and gas companies in a range of transactions, disputes, regulatory proceedings and other matters. His active litigation and deal work focuses on three principal areas of representation within the energy sector: Onshore shale plays; oil and gas companies operating on federal and Indian lands; and companies operating under federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
Prior to his private practice, Leggette spent more than a decade at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where he served as Assistant Solicitor and advised the Bureau of Land Management and the Mineral Management Service on their onshore and offshore energy programs. He authored or co-authored numerous briefs filed in federal courts on outer continental shelf issues, two of which helped obtain Supreme Court reversals of unfavorable Ninth Circuit decisions.
Leggette is highly knowledgeable on legal issues regarding ownership of mineral rights, royalty disputes and compliance with environmental statutes. He’s litigated many cases on behalf of energy clients at the trial, appellate and Supreme Court levels. He has been involved with many cases of prime importance to the oil and gas industry, involving such statutes as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Mineral Leasing Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the National Forest Management Act and various Native American mineral development statutes.
“In addition to spurring rapid growth and business investment among energy providers, the shale era is ushering in a raft of new regulation, legislation, tax changes, insurance risk and especially litigation. Having someone of Poe Leggette’s national stature and deep experience, in all aspects of energy law, join our firm adds to our bench strength in the energy sector,” said BakerHostetler chairman Steven Kestner. “Poe’s distinguished, wide-ranging track record and his command of substantive policy and regulatory issues will be of immense benefit to our large roster of energy clients.”
As the energy sector continues to grow in importance and shale development makes an increasing impact on the U.S. energy landscape profile, adding of someone with Leggette’s “deep knowledge and experience” is a “real differentiator” for the firm, according to Ray Whitman, chair of BakerHostetler’s litigation practice.
“Oil and gas development inevitably brings with it a host of complex litigation, regulatory challenges and policy changes,” Whitman added. “[Leggette] has represented the world’s leading energy producers and trade associations before state and federal courts as well as the most powerful regulators and we look for him to make significant contributions to our entire energy practice moving forward.”
BakerHostetler’s energy lawyers have successfully secured major projects for leading international and domestic energy companies and oilfield service providers involving oil, natural gas (including shale) and alternative energy matters, according to a company statement. BakerHostetler’s energy practice offers business, litigation and regulatory expertise for transactions including financings, land acquisitions, exploration and drilling, and production distribution. BakerHostetler is one of the first national law firms to create a dedicated shale practice and also produces its own shale blog tracking the industry northamericashaleblog.com.
Tags: BakerHostetler, L. Poe Leggett
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