Over the course of the last few months, lawyers have been deluged with articles about COVID-19 and force majeure, much of them containing quite similar content and analysis. My Research Assistant at The University of Chicago Law School, Tanner Harris,... Continue Reading →
In 2003, China saw a preview of COVID-19 in the form of another coronavirus called SARS. SARS struck Hong Kong and sent a wave of change across China. Yet most Americans were oblivious to its existence. At the time, though,... Continue Reading →
For decades, consultants have sought to systematize the process of allocating work between in-house counsel and outside counsel. The largest companies even have entire “legal services” departments, which provide no “legal services” but are instead responsible for decreasing legal costs... Continue Reading →
About a month ago, Houston declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We closed our office and sent our five lawyers to work from home. The good news was that most of our practice involves drafting and... Continue Reading →
Lawyers often gain valuable experience by accident. This was the case with me and force majeure. A couple of weeks after 9/11, I joined Occidental Petroleum’s business development office in Dubai. As the youngest person on the team, I received... Continue Reading →
When I last visited the Venezuelan cities of Caracas and Puerto La Cruz in 2007, Hugo Chavez was sowing the seeds of the nation’s economic destruction: “Venezuela demanded changes to the agreements made by international oil companies that would give... Continue Reading →
Last week’s issue on Shale vs. Deepwater Returns [Issue 61] featured the below figure from Hess Corporation: Several readers questioned to what extent the figure’s economics reflected different risks, including the chance of success (during exploration) and political risk. This... Continue Reading →
More than six years after Muammar Gaddafi’s death, the violence in Libya continues. Attackers bombed a major Libyan pipeline, reducing the nation’s production by ~100,000 barrels per day: “Libya is rife with rival militias and armed groups, some in competition... Continue Reading →
The oil crash has unleashed thousands of accidental entrepreneurs on the energy industry. Many spent their previous careers safely ensconced at Fortune 500 companies. Now they are on their own, looking to leverage their experience in startups. Business incubators “help... Continue Reading →
