On 15 July 2024, 10 days into the UK Labour Government, the North Sea Transition Authority (“NSTA”, formerly known as the Oil and Gas Authority) announced that its Directorate of Regulation is opening an investigation into...more
On 20 June 2024 the UK Supreme Court issued its long awaited decision in R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) (Appellant) v Surrey County Council and others (Respondents) [2024] UKSC 20...more
On 21 December 2023, Mr Justice Waksman handed down his judgment in the second trial of the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) saga. The judgment, along with its earlier companions, is extraordinary in many ways...more
2/19/2024
/ Bribery ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Democratic Republic of Congo ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Final Judgment ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Investigations ,
Jurisdiction ,
Kazakhstan ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
Willful Misconduct ,
Zambia
It is not uncommon for parties to agree that certain disputes should be referred to an expert for determination. However, when those disputes arise, the parties may disagree about the scope of the exercise to be carried out...more
Decommissioning. A word familiar to all of those who are involved in oil and gas exploration and production around the globe. It is defined in the Cambridge English Dictionary as “taking a factory or other industrial...more
Divisional Court split on challenge against UK Export Finance’s decision to provide finance to the Mozambique LNG Project -
In R (on the application of Friends of the Earth Limited) (the “Claimant”) v The Secretary of...more
Spot trading of oil is often done at speed and over the phone, with confirmatory written terms arriving after the sale. The practice has inherent legal risk – the terms of the deal may be uncertain and incomplete. In Addax...more
In the current climate, many exploration and production companies are looking to reduce capital expenditure and to streamline their operations. They are also reassessing their demand and price forecasts and considering the...more
In light of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, many organisations are implementing remote working policies and limiting access to offices in order to effect social distancing measures. Notwithstanding the changes to usual...more
There have been a number of recent English Court decisions concerning implied obligations of good faith. In May 2019, we considered the potential impact of those decisions on joint operating agreements in the oil & gas...more
Since 2015, three cases have gradually been making their way through the English appeal courts: Lungowe v Vedanta Resources Plc; Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell; and AAA & Ors v Unilever.
To quote the Court of Appeal in...more
In the international upstream oil and gas exploration and production industry, joint operating agreements (“JOAs”) are the key agreements which govern the terms upon which oil and gas companies regulate their upstream joint...more
5/10/2019
/ Commercial Contracts ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Interpretation ,
Contract Terms ,
Energy Sector ,
Franchise Agreements ,
Good Faith ,
Joint Operating Agreement ,
Joint Venture ,
Oil & Gas ,
UK
The UK Court of Appeal in Spirit Energy Resources Limited & Ors v Marathon Oil U.K. LLC [2019] EWCA Civ 11 has affirmed the February 2018 decision of Mr Justice Robin Knowles of the High Court. Knowles J’s decision concerned...more
Legal professional privilege (“LPP”) has been a feature of the common law for centuries, developed through the public interest in protecting confidentiality of communications between a lawyer and its client. As a concept...more
The Court of Appeal’s judgment in Bou-Simon v BGC Brokers LLP [2018] EWCA Civ 1525 reaffirms the law on implied terms. The Court also offered some interesting non-binding views on the circumstances in which words deleted from...more
With apologies to movie fans everywhere, this briefing has nothing to do with Tom Cruise’s 1983 comedy or the Harry Potter films. Rather, it actually concerns the recent English High Court decision in Seadrill Ghana...more
The UK Supreme Court opinion in Rock Advertising Limited v MWB Business Exchange Centres Limited [2018] UKSC 24 marks a step change in English law’s treatment of ‘No Oral Modification’ (“NOM”) clauses. The Court opined that...more
The recent English High Court decision in Atlas Power Ltd -v- National Transmission and Despatch Co Ltd [2018] EWHC 1052 concerns a number of power purchase agreements entered into by Pakistani independent power producers and...more