Scott Gaille

VS028281

SCOTT GAILLE

Managing Partner

scott@gaillelaw.com

Scott’s legal practice focuses on representing clients in domestic and international energy transactions and serving as outside general counsel to energy companies. His scope of representation includes pipeline and facilities procurement & construction, domestic and international exploration and production, gathering, and pipeline matters, acquisitions, project development transactions, private equity investments, joint ventures, and startups. Scott also serves as a certified mediator in disputes involving energy projects.

Mr. Gaille has been a Lecturer in Law at The University of Chicago Law School since 2013, where he teaches the Energy Law Seminar and the Energy Transactions Seminar. He also was an Adjunct Professor of Management at Rice University from 2008-2022, where he taught International Energy Development and Energy Infrastructure courses to MBA students. Scott is routinely retained by leading energy companies around the world to teach versions of his energy courses to private audiences. As a thought leader on matters of energy law, Scott has authored three energy textbooks and eight peer-reviewed articles in the Energy Law Journal.

Prior to starting GAILLE PLLC, Mr. Gaille served as the Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for a NASDAQ-listed exploration and production company focused on developing shale formations in Texas and Europe. As its chief legal officer, he was responsible for the corporation’s transactional, litigation, securities, and regulatory matters. Scott also acted as the lead negotiator of the corporation’s many transactions, including its joint ventures with EOG Resources, Hess Corporation, and Michael Dell’s family office, MSD Capital.

Mr. Gaille’s international experience includes: (i) running a private equity-backed energy company in Africa and (ii) six years at Occidental Oil & Gas Corporation’s international business development unit, where (as Director – Business Development) he originated transactions in Africa, the Middle East, and South America.

Prior to joining Oxy’s legal department in 2001, Scott practiced law with the Energy Section of Vinson & Elkins and was a judicial clerk to the Honorable Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, III of the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Mr. Gaille was an Olin Fellow in Law and Economics at The University of Chicago Law School, where he received his Doctor of Law Degree with High Honors in 1995. He was elected to Order of the Coif and to The University of Chicago Law Review and served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy (Vol. 18, No. 2). Through various economic workshops at The University of Chicago, Scott participated in the analysis of certain issues with Nobel Laureates Ronald Coase and Gary Becker, and worked as a research assistant to The Honorable Judge Richard Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Mr. Gaille attended undergraduate college at The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government with High Honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Gaille also is a certified mediator, receiving his mediator certification from the South Texas College of Law Houston.

Scott serves on the Board of Trustees for the Houston Grand Opera and is a Life Member of the National Eagle Scout Association. Having traveled to more than 150 countries (Traveler’s Century Club) and lived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for three years, Mr. Gaille has built business relationships with a culturally diverse range of partners from around the globe.

EDUCATION:

University of Chicago Law School, Doctor of Law with High Honors, 1995
University of Texas at Austin, B.A., Government with High Honors, 1992

BAR, MEDIATION, AND COURT ADMISSIONS:

Texas Bar
Certified Mediator, South Texas College of Law Houston
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

SELECTED HONORS:

Olin Fellowship in Law & Economics
Order of the Coif
The University of Chicago Law Review
Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Executive Editor
Phi Beta Kappa
Tony Patino Fellowship in Public Service
Bradley Fellowship in Constitutional History

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:

Energy Bar Association
Association of International Petroleum Negotiators
National Association of Corporate Directors
National Eagle Scout Association
Travelers’ Century Club (Visiting More Than 100 Nations)

SELECTED BOOKS:

Strange Tales of World Travel (Travel Stories, 2019) (Bronze Medalist, IPPY Awards for Best 2019 Travel Essay; ForeWord Magazine Finalist for Best Travel Book of 2019; North American Travel Journalists’ Honorable Mention for Best Travel Book of 2019)
Construction Energy Development (Textbook, 2017)
Shale Energy Development (Textbook, 2014)
International Energy Development (Textbook, 2011)

SELECTED ARTICLES:

Control, Fault, and Knock-for-Knock: A Guide to Selecting Indemnities in Energy Construction and Services Agreements (Energy Law Journal 2023; The Foundation Journal for Natural Resources and Energy Law 2023; Issues in Construction and Technology 2024)
Reducing Conflict and Risk: Why Parties Benefit from Using Enumerated Adjustment Clauses in Energy Construction and Services Agreements (Energy Law Journal 2021; Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Journal 2021)
How Political Risk Associated with Climate Change Is Impacting Pipeline Construction Agreements (Energy Law Journal 2019)
How Can Governments Accelerate International Shale Development (Energy Law Journal 2015)
The ABA Task Force Report on the Future of Legal Education: The Role of Adjunct Professors and Practical Education in the Energy Sector (Energy Law Journal 2014)
Mitigating the Resource Curse: A Proposal for a Microfinance and Educational Lending Royalty (Energy Law Journal 2011)
The Allocation of International Petroleum Licenses to National Oil Companies: Insights from the Coase Theorem (Energy Law Journal 2010)
The Use of Quantity Terms to Improve Efficiency and Stability in International Gas Sales & Purchase Agreements (Energy Law Journal 2008)
Publishing by U.S. Court of Appeals Judges: Before and After the Bork Hearings, 26 Journal of Legal Studies 371 (University of Chicago 1997)

SELECTED TEACHING AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2009 Houston)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2010 Houston)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2011 Houston)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2012 Houston)
Vinson & Elkins Young Lawyer Training Program, Approaches to Business Development (2012 Houston)
Namibia Oil & Gas Conference, Upstream Petroleum Development Financing Challenges (2012 Namibia)
Institute for Energy Law, General Counsel Forum (2012 Houston)
Marathon Oil Executive Training, Two-Day Negotiation Skills Workshop (2012 Houston)
University of Texas at Austin Energy Symposium, Natural Resources Curse (2013 Austin)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2013 Houston)
University of Chicago Law School, Oil and Gas Law Course – Guest Lecturer (2013 Chicago)
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Emerging Markets Summit Fireside Chat (2013 Chicago)
Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, Natural Resources Curse (2013 Houston)
Marathon Oil Executive Training, Two-Day Negotiation Skills Workshop (2013 Houston)
Institute for Energy Law, International Business Development Webinar (2013 Internet)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2014 Houston)
University of Chicago Law School, Energy Law Seminar (2014 Chicago)
Upstream Oil & Gas Conference, International Oil and Gas Contracts (2014 Houston)
State Bar of Texas Annual Meetings, Natural Resources Curse (2014 Houston)
Marathon Oil Executive Training, Negotiation Skills Workshop (2014 Equatorial Guinea)
Hart Publishing: A&D Strategies and Opportunities, Tips, Tricks and Traps in Dealmaking (2014 Dallas)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2015 Houston)
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Booth Energy Forward Conference Energy Policy Panel (2015 Chicago)
University of Chicago Law School, Energy Law Seminar (2015 Chicago)
University of Houston Law Center, Law and Business in the Context of Startup Companies (2015 Houston)
Institute for Energy Law, General Counsel Forum (2015 Houston)
5th Asia Shale Gas Forum, Incentivizing Small Companies to Pursue Global Shale (2015 China)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2016 Houston)
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Booth Energy Forward Conference Energy Policy Panel (2016 Chicago)
University of Chicago Law School, Energy Law Seminar (2016 Chicago)
Houston Bar Association, Reimagine Energy Policy (2016 Houston)
World Affairs Council, Energy Economics Workshop (2016 Houston)
Chevron Corporation, International Bid Round Simulation (2016 San Ramon)
GLG Roundtable, Distressed Energy Investments (2016 New York)
CBS Director Roundtable Series, Consequences of Inaction in the Board Room (2016 Houston)
Pipeline and Compressor Station Construction Agreement Training (2016 Corpus Christi)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2017 Houston)
Energy Construction Agreement Training (2017 Houston)
Houston Young Lawyer’s Association, Dynamic Transitions: How to Manage Your Career in Today’s Unstable Legal Market (2018 Houston)
Traveler’s Century Club, Strangest Tales Around the World (2018 Houston)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2018 Houston)
University of Chicago Law School, Energy Law Seminar (2018 Chicago)
Houston Young Lawyer’s Association, Leadership Academy Career Panel (2019 Houston)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2019 Houston)
World Affairs Council of Houston, Strange Tales of World Travel (2019 Houston)
Travel Writing Convention, Strange Tales of World Travel (2019 San Francisco)
Various Book Stores and Airports Around the Country, Strange Tales of World Travel (2019 San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Houston)
University of Chicago Law School, Lessons for Young Lawyers (2019 Chicago)
Pipeline Construction and Services Agreements (2019 Edmonton)
Pipeline Construction and Services Agreements (2019 Calgary)
Pipeline Construction and Services Agreements (2019 Minnesota)
Pipeline Construction and Services Agreements (2019 Houston)
Texas A&M University, How a Liberal Arts Education Prepared Me for a 21st Century Legal Career (2019 College Station)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2020 Houston)
Houston Young Lawyer’s Association, Dynamic Transitions: How to Manage Your Career (2020 Houston)
Energy Executive COVID-19 Panel Discussion (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Energy Construction Agreements (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Energy Services Agreements (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Overview of Issues in Construction & Services Agreements (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Services Agreement Training Part 1: Terms & Conditions (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Services Agreement Training Part 2: Exhibits (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Construction and Services Agreement Training Part 1: Terms & Conditions (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Construction and Services Agreement Training Part 2: Master Agreements (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Construction and Services Agreement Training Part 3: Exhibits
SparkCon 2020: Contractual Completeness in Energy Contracts (2020 Zoom Presentation)
Houston Young Lawyer’s Association, Dynamic Transitions: How to Manage Your Career (2021 Houston)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, International Energy Development Course (2021 Houston)
University of Chicago Law School, Energy Transactions Seminar (2021 Chicago)
Rice University Graduate School of Business, Infrastructure Development in the Energy Transition Course (2022 Houston)
Libya, Construction and Services Agreement Course (2022)
University of Chicago Law School, Energy Transactions Seminar (2023 Chicago)