I spent Father’s Day visiting my parents in South Texas. Much of our conversation was about the state of the world and how bad things have been this 2020. But the trajectory of human progress—like the stock market—is not a... Continue Reading →
In just one decade, the energy sector has seen three dramatic busts: (1) the 2008-09 financial crisis; (2) the 2014-15 oil crash; and (3) the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic (the “Three Crashes”). The 2020 crash may be the worst yet. One of my clients... 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 →
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 →
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 rivalry between V&E and BB started in the 1870s—in the small East Texas town of Huntsville. A young couple moved next door to the forty-something Bakers. The Bakers’ new neighbors were Walker County Sheriff Elkins and his young wife,... Continue Reading →
