home
Photo of Mr. Goodwine

Paul J. Goodwine

SHAREHOLDER

Practice Areas

Purchase and Sale of Oil & Gas Properties
Oil & Gas Financings
Oil & Gas Title
Oil & Gas Contracts
Oil & Gas Litigation
Oil & Gas Regulatory Matters (State and Federal)
Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights
Business Formation and Maintenance
Commercial/Business Litigation

Education

J.D., Loyola University School of Law (New Orleans), 1995
B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1992

Professional Experience

Mr. Goodwine is a shareholder in the firm and practices primarily in the areas of oil and gas aquisitions and divestitures, oil and gas contracts, oil and gas title and title curative, oil and gas financings, oil and gas regulatory matters, oil and gas litigation, oil and gas bankruptcies, and general commercial litigation. He primarily represents independent oil and gas exploration and production companies and service oriented companies in a variety of matters, including Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act matters, BOEM/BSEE regulatory matters, and Louisiana Mineral and Energy Board and Office of Conservation matters. Mr. Goodwine has also been approved as special oil and gas counsel to trustees, debtors-in-possession, and official committees in several oil and gas bankruptcies.

Representative Matters

  • Representation of Taylor Energy Company, LLC in its BOEM/BSEE mandated clean up activities on Mississippi Canyon Bock 20, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
  • Representation (as local counsel) of Taylor Energy Company, LLC in its multi-million dollar lawsuit against its underwriters for coverage and reimbursement in relation to damages sustained on Mississippi Canyon Block 20 (Taylor Energy Company, LLC v. Certain Underwriters, Case No. 09-6383, USDA EDLA).
  •  Representation of Pisces Energy LLC in its 2008 acquisition of several OCS leases from El Paso E&P Company, L.P. and the financing thereof, all valued at more than $235 million.
  • Representation of Saratoga Resources, Inc. in its 2008 acquisition of Harvest Oil & Gas, LLC and The Harvest Group, LLC and the financing thereof, all valued at more than $145 million.
  • Representation of Pisces Energy, LLC and Saratoga Resources, Inc. in subsequent financings and/or high yield transactions.
  • Representation  of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc in its 2006 purchase of Remington Oil and Gas Corporation, valued at more than $1 billion, and refinancing thereof.
  • Representation of several additional oil and gas borrowers in various complex oil and gas financings, both onshore and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Such financings are both asset based and project specific.
  • Representation of several additional clients in the acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas properties.
  • Representation of various oil and gas clients in state and federal court litigation and in various administrative proceedings.
  • Representation of various oil and gas clients in the negotiation and drafting of various oil and gas contracts.
  • Representation of oil and gas companies in bonding and the posting of alternative finacial security arrangements.
  • Representation of Chapter 11 debtors-in-possession, official committees, and Chapter 7 trustees as special counsel to advise such entities and their primary bankruptcy counsel on mineral law issues and how to successfully navigate through Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 proceedings while remaining in compliance with the rules and regulations of the BOEM/BSEE, the Louisiana Office of Conservation, and the Louisiana State Mineral and Enegy Board. Representative proceedings include In re: Virgin Oil, Inc. Case No. 09-11899, USBC EDLA; In re: Probe Resources, Inc. Case No. 10-40395, USBC SDTX; In re: Pisces Energy LLC, et al; Case No: 09-36591, USBC SDTX; In  re: Harvest Oil & Gas, LLC,  et al;09-50397, USBC WDLA; In  re: Energy Partners, Ltd., et al;  Case No. 09-32957, USBC SDT; In re Tri-Union Development Corporation, Case No. 03-44908, USBC SDTX ; and In re Panaco, Inc., Case No. 02-37811, USBC SDTX. Other representative matters can be furnished upon request.
  • Representation of co-working interest owners and service companies possessing claims against Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 bankrupt debtors, successfully asserting lien rights pursuant to the Louisiana Oil Well Lien Act (La. R.S. 9:4861, et seq.), the Louisiana Operators/Non-Operators Lien Act (La. R.S. 9:4881, et seq.), and the Louisiana Private Works Act (La. R.S. 9:4801, et seq.).
  • Representation of companies in proceedings before the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board and the Louisiana Office of Conservation in a variety of matters.
  • Representation of an independent oil and gas company and certain of its employees in defending federal False Claims Act allegations and retaliatory discharge claims brought by a dismissed platform worker.
  • Representation of the corporate parent and further removed corporate parents of Jazzland, Inc. in the bankruptcy entitled In re Jazzland, Inc., Case No. 02-11257, pending in the USBC WDLA.
  • Representation of DLB Oil and Gas Company in its acquisition of WRT Energy Corporation, a bankrupt debtor in the case entitled In re WRT Energy Corporation, Case No. 96-50212, USBC WDLA. Such representation included aiding the reorganized/successor entity in consummating its plan of reorganization and prosecuting several claims objections. The reorganized/successor entity has been renamed Gulfport Energy Corporation.
  • Representation of a major oil and gas service provider to operators in the Gulf of Mexico in an arbitration proceeding against a shipyard for contractual breaches stemming from a vessel conversion.
  • Representation of several oil and gas producers/operators/non-operators in contractual disputes with their co-working interest owners and dealing primarily with operational issues, gas imbalances, unpaid joint interest billings, lease operating expense disputes, and a variety of other matters.
  • Representation of several service companies in filing, perfecting, and maintaining perfection of liens and claims arising under the Louisiana Oil Well Lien Act (La. R.S. 9:4861, et seq.), the Louisiana Operators/Non-Operators Lien Act (La. R.S. 9:4881, et seq.), and the Louisiana Private Works Act (La. R.S. 9:4801, et seq.).
  • Representation of oil and gas companies in a wide variety of insurance disputes.

Selected Publications and Speeches

Mr. Goodwine has made several speeches and prepared several presentations at numerous oil and gas related seminars and has published articles in AAPL’s Landman magazine. Some of his presentations include:

  • Recent Developments in Louisiana Oil & Gas Lien Law, Including Bankruptcy Perspectives, Presented at the PLANO Seminar on April 13, 2000.
  • A Comparison of Oil and Gas Lien Law in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, Including Bankruptcy Perspectives, Presented at the AAPL Gulf Coast Land Institute on November 8, 2001.
  • Oil and Gas Bankruptcies: A Background and Primer, Presented at the PLANO Executive Night Seminar on February 7, 2002.
  • A Comparison of Oil and Gas Lien Law in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, Including Bankruptcy Perspectives, Presented at the AAPL Gulf Coast Institute on November 7, 2002.
  • The Ins and Outs of INC’s - Responding to Incidents of Noncompliance, Presented at the PLANO “Baseball Seminar” on April 25, 2003.
  • The Ins and Outs of INC’s - Responding to Incidents of Noncompliance, Presented at the AAPL Gulf Coast Land Institute on October 16, 2003.
  • Production Handling Agreements, Presented at the PLANO Executive Night Seminar on February 23, 2006.
  • Production Handling Agreements for the Deepwater and on the OCS, a Legal Prospective, Presented at AAPL's Gulf Coast Land Institute on October 10, 2006.
  • Title Examination in Louisiana, cosponsored by the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, Presented at LSU Baton Rouge on October 26-27, 2006.
  • Commentary on Recent Legislation and Executive Action Dealing with Drilling and Royalties, Presented at the PLANO Executive Night Seminar on February 15, 2007.
  • OCS Title and Current MMS Regulatory Matters, Presented at the Fifty-Fith Mineral Law Institute on March 27 and 28, 2008.
  • Production Handling Agreements for the Deepwater and on the OCS, A Legal Perspective, Presented at the COPAS Joint Interest Quarterly Meeting, January 29, 2009.
  • Treatment of E&P Contracts in Bankruptcy, Houston Bar Association Luncheon, April 28, 2009.

Member Organizations

  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Professional Landmen’s Association of New Orleans Board Member 2000 - 2002; Treasurer 2001 - 2002
  • American Association of Professional Landmen
  • Louisiana Oil and Gas Association
  • Houston Producers' Forum