Oil and gas litigation usually means document-intensive and expert-driven litigation, with a heavy involvement of mathematical models (for measurement, pricing, and damages). Holmes PLLC has experienced decades' worth of litigation, on both defense and plaintiff sides, in various upstream and midstream disputes.
James Holmes built his reputation in oil and gas litigation by working from 2000-2010 to study Amoco’s and Shell’s legacy Permian Basin properties, acquired by Occidental Permian Ltd. (OPL) in 2001. James spent many years challenging large oil companies' gas-plant accounting practices in various courts of West Texas and East New Mexico. This litigation experience involved daily work in the American oil and gas industry’s most elevated and, in ways, most clandestine gas-processing arrangements. James learned much about the interdependency of gas plants and mature oil reservoirs; cradle-to-grave marketing arrangements for gas-well gas, casinghead gas and crude oil; and many enhanced oil recovery techniques and practices.
Although he no longer engages in gas-plant litigation with large oil companies, the experience during 2000-2010 will benefit James for the remainder of his career:
he has (a) an intimate knowledge of upstream revenue and taxation accounting practices; (b) industry contacts for making markets for
oil and gas; and (c) a motivation, whenever possible, to work profitably with large
oil companies and pipeline companies rather than to carry on disputes with them
in courthouses.
