Best Lawyers in Louisiana, United States for Oil and Gas Law
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State and federal court litigator, trial advocate, and appellate advisor, Chuck Talley has more than four decades of experience representing clients in complex disputes. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chuck practices with Kean Miller and focuses on resolving matters involving Admiralty and Maritime Law, Oil and Gas Law , insurance coverage, and general business litigation. His work includes handling cases at every stage of litigation, from initial strategy and motion practice through trial ...
Bob Duplantis has dedicated his entire career to the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining the firm in 1982 and establishing its Lafayette office, Bob spent more than a decade serving in-house oil company legal departments, including six years as a lobbyist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bob’s law practice focuses on Louisiana oil and gas regulation and “meat-and-potato” legal issues. He routinely argues contract disputes affecting the oil and gas industry, including lease inte...
Scott O’Connor’s practice focuses on oil and gas and complex commercial litigation. He has litigated and arbitrated numerous disputes involving onshore and offshore operating agreements, royalty claims, gas balancing agreements, oil and gas purchase contracts, farmout agreements, preferential purchase rights, and purchase and sale agreements. He has defended national and state class actions involving oil and gas pricing practices including antitrust litigation, and has represented...
M. Taylor Darden is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Oil and Gas Law. M. Taylor, who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which M. Taylor is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Vic Suane is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana attorney with Kean Miller whose practice centers on Commercial Litigation , Litigation – Environmental , and Oil and Gas Law. He represents clients in complex disputes in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative and regulatory agencies. Vic is known for a practical and thoughtful approach to advocacy that remains focused on client objectives both in and out of the courtroom. He has been recognized by The National Black Lawyers and ...
Aimee Hebert helps clients in the energy business solve their challenging legal problems. Her experience includes disputes that involve mineral royalties, mineral lease termination, implied obligations, mineral servitude maintenance, operating agreements, production handling agreements, blowouts, and oilfield environmental issues. She represents both individuals and businesses and gets excellent results. Ms. Hebert has been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America® ranking every year sin...
Cynthia Nicholson’s practice is centered on oil and gas transactions with respect to lands located within the State of Louisiana as well as those located on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). She regularly documents and negotiates acquisitions and divestitures of both onshore and offshore properties, and has extensive experience with many types of transaction structures including mergers, asset and stock acquisitions and sales. She regularly counsels clients on a wide range of regulator...
Matthew J. Fantaci is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law. Matthew J., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Matthew J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Sam Masur’s practice is concentrated in the areas of oil and gas litigation, general commercial litigation, oil and gas titles, oil and gas and oil field service company acquisitions and divestitures, and general business acquisitions and divestitures. In both Louisiana state and federal courts, Sam litigates oil and gas and general business contract disputes involving oil and gas leases, overriding royalty interest agreements, joint operating agreements, and distribution agreements and...
Marion Weinstock serves as Chair of the Commercial Transactions Section for the firm. Her practice covers a wide range of commercial transactions. She has handled and closed real estate purchases and sales of apartment complexes, warehouses, shopping centers and other commercial properties and has negotiated and prepared commercial leases (for both landlords and tenants), purchase agreements, condominium documents, servitude agreements and many other types of contracts and agreements. Marion ...
Gary Russo is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He practices in areas involving oil and gas, commercial and environmental, and insurance fraud and coverage. Gary is an accomplished litigator who represents clients in a broad range of commercial, multi-district, mass tort, and class action disputes. He has extensive trial experience, having organized, handled, and argued cases before judges and juries in state, federal district, and appellate courts in more than half of the US states...
Terry Knister has more than 30 years of litigation experience in both bench and jury trials and also on appeal. His practice is concentrated on toxic tort and environmental litigation with an emphasis on class action and mass tort cases. He has served as lead trial counsel in numerous cases involving allegations of personal injury, property devaluation/damage, and remediation as a result of chemical exposure and/or contamination. These matters typically include thousands of plaintiffs seeking...
Malcolm S. Murchison is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas and enjoys a broad based commercial law practice. His variety of skills equip him to handle a wide range of legal issues for his clients, including oil and gas, real estate, corporate formations/mergers/dissolutions, commercial lending and financing arrangements, state/local tax disputes, and land-use issues. He has significant experience in handling Louisiana mineral interest issues ranging from acquisitions, title examinati...
John Reeks has worked with small independents, medium and large oil and gas companies in most phases of the energy and oil and gas industry including title work, mergers and acquisitions, litigation of landowner and royalty owner demands, matters involving gas contracts, oil, gas and mineral leases, development of oil and gas leases and title issues, disputes between operators and non-operators and lawsuits concerning environmental damages to property. He also has significant insurance defens...
Peck Hayne's practice centers on oil and gas, pipeline and other energy-related transactions and regulation and on federal appellate litigation. Peck regularly negotiates, drafts and advises clients on complex purchase and sale agreements, operating agreements, mineral leases, right-of-way agreements, transportation and interconnection agreements, gas storage agreements and settlement agreements in complex litigation and other disputes. He also frequently renders title opinions on complex pet...
Rachel M. Scarafia is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law. Rachel M., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Rachel M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.