Global Leader in Oil & Gas Law
Bracewell has one of the world’s top oil and gas practices. For more than a half century, we have drawn on our deep industry knowledge to advise clients on leading transactions across the oil and gas value chain, including the midstream, downstream, upstream and service sectors. Chambers Global, Chambers USA and Chambers UK consistently rank our oil and gas practice, including our lawyers, in their top bands — a testament to our extensive experience and knowledge of the commercial, legal and regulatory challenges faced by our oil and gas clients.
We have one of the largest dedicated energy teams in the world. We also have one of the largest environmental practices in the United States with extensive experience in oil and gas projects; a finance team that is a market leader in oil and gas finance; a tax team with deep experience across the energy value chain; a capital markets team that works extensively with issuers and underwriters in energy company offerings; a large litigation team with a broad range of experience resolving complex disputes; an antitrust team immersed in the competitive issued faced by our oil and gas clients; and an intellectual property group experienced in defending the IP rights of energy companies across the globe.
Our team represents a diverse range of oil and gas sector participants, including Apache Corporation, Cheniere, Eni, Enterprise Products, EOG Resources, Establissements Maurel & Prom, Genel Energy, Hilcorp, Holly Energy Partners, Kinder Morgan, Neptune Energy (backed by Carlyle and other private equity investors), Pembina, Phillips 66, Pioneer Natural Resources, Savannah Energy and TC Energy. We also represent commercial banks, investment banks, trading houses, private equity funds and other investors in the oil and gas space.
Our oil and gas lawyers are located in key energy hubs throughout the world, which allows us to work seamlessly on transactions across the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. We are highly regarded for our work on cross-border transactions. As one client told Chambers Global (2020), “what Bracewell is able to do that no other equivalent firm is able to do is bring equivalent expertise from both markets [US and UK], which leads to a very seamless service.”
We Know Energy®.
Areas of Focus
- Exploration & Production
- Midstream
- Oil & Gas Trading & Marketing
- Refining & Petrochemicals
- Water Industry
Exploration & Production
Our lawyers have decades of experience representing clients in the upstream oil and gas industry in jurisdictions around the world, which earned them top rankings in Chambers and Legal 500.We represent independent upstream businesses, international oil companies, private investment funds and financial institutions in every aspect of the upstream sector, including transactions, financing, project development and commercial arrangements, environmental and other regulatory permitting, compliance and enforcement, government relations and disputes.
Meet the teamMidstream
We draw on our strengths as one of the largest dedicated energy teams in the world to provide comprehensive legal advice to midstream businesses and investors in transactions across the United States and throughout the world. Our deep experience in the midstream is consistently recognized in leading industry publications, such as Chambers and Legal 500.
We represent clients on the development, regulation, ownership, operation, acquisition and disposition of gas and liquid pipelines, gathering systems, storage and processing facilities, terminals and LNG facilities. We have experience across the complete midstream lifecycle, from project development, permitting, financing and construction, to operations and sales and purchases of midstream assets and companies, to the satisfaction of regulatory requirements.
Meet the teamOil & Gas Trading & Marketing
We are among the leading law firms in standardized and structured transactions involving physical and financial power, oil, gas and other commodities. Our team includes lawyers with hands-on experience in securities, regulatory, energy markets, tax, credit, bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring matters. Our attorneys also have significant experience with structured commodity transactions, acquisitions and divestitures involving trading portfolios and compliance with related regulations.
Meet the teamRefining & Petrochemicals
We have extensive experience in all aspects of downstream oil and gas operations, including refining, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution businesses. Our dedicated team focuses on petrochemicals and refining and has successfully worked on some of the industry’s largest and most complex projects.
We represent clients in M&A transactions, project and portfolio financing, operational agreements (including feedstock and offtake contracts), environmental and compliance issues, permitting and other regulatory matters, intellectual property issues, and defending and prosecuting litigation.
Meet the teamWater Industry
Our deep understanding of the upstream and midstream sector has made us the go-to firm for various water management stakeholders involved in unconventional shale plays. Clients turn to us for our knowledge of water law and its broad applications, including regulatory matters, real estate, finance, litigation and legislation.
We have represented upstream producers and newly formed water management companies with drafting and negotiating gathering, disposal, connection, transportation and recycling agreements; acquiring and the disposition of water-producing and disposal assets; and drafting and negotiating freshwater supply, recycling and redelivery agreements. We also engage in legislative and administrative advocacy as it relates to this burgeoning industry, at the federal and state level.
Meet the teamOur lawyers have decades of experience representing clients in the upstream oil and gas industry in jurisdictions around the world, which earned them top rankings in Chambers and Legal 500.We represent independent upstream businesses, international oil companies, private investment funds and financial institutions in every aspect of the upstream sector, including transactions, financing, project development and commercial arrangements, environmental and other regulatory permitting, compliance and enforcement, government relations and disputes.
Meet the teamWe draw on our strengths as one of the largest dedicated energy teams in the world to provide comprehensive legal advice to midstream businesses and investors in transactions across the United States and throughout the world. Our deep experience in the midstream is consistently recognized in leading industry publications, such as Chambers and Legal 500.
We represent clients on the development, regulation, ownership, operation, acquisition and disposition of gas and liquid pipelines, gathering systems, storage and processing facilities, terminals and LNG facilities. We have experience across the complete midstream lifecycle, from project development, permitting, financing and construction, to operations and sales and purchases of midstream assets and companies, to the satisfaction of regulatory requirements.
Meet the teamWe are among the leading law firms in standardized and structured transactions involving physical and financial power, oil, gas and other commodities. Our team includes lawyers with hands-on experience in securities, regulatory, energy markets, tax, credit, bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring matters. Our attorneys also have significant experience with structured commodity transactions, acquisitions and divestitures involving trading portfolios and compliance with related regulations.
Meet the teamWe have extensive experience in all aspects of downstream oil and gas operations, including refining, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution businesses. Our dedicated team focuses on petrochemicals and refining and has successfully worked on some of the industry’s largest and most complex projects.
We represent clients in M&A transactions, project and portfolio financing, operational agreements (including feedstock and offtake contracts), environmental and compliance issues, permitting and other regulatory matters, intellectual property issues, and defending and prosecuting litigation.
Meet the teamOur deep understanding of the upstream and midstream sector has made us the go-to firm for various water management stakeholders involved in unconventional shale plays. Clients turn to us for our knowledge of water law and its broad applications, including regulatory matters, real estate, finance, litigation and legislation.
We have represented upstream producers and newly formed water management companies with drafting and negotiating gathering, disposal, connection, transportation and recycling agreements; acquiring and the disposition of water-producing and disposal assets; and drafting and negotiating freshwater supply, recycling and redelivery agreements. We also engage in legislative and administrative advocacy as it relates to this burgeoning industry, at the federal and state level.
Meet the teamRecognition for Global Excellence
Our lawyers are recognized leaders in the oil and gas industry, and our oil and gas practice ranks among the top practices in the world.
- Chambers Global – UK Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas; UK Energy Sector (International & Cross-Border); USA Energy Sector (International & Cross-Border); USA Oil & Gas Regulatory & Litigation; USA Oil & Gas Transactional; USA Projects
- Chambers UK – UK-wide Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas
- Chambers USA – Nationwide Oil & Gas Regulatory & Litigation (Band 1); Nationwide Oil & Gas Transactional; Nationwide Projects: Oil & Gas
- IFLR1000 – UK Project Development: Oil & Gas (Tier 1); US Project Development: Oil & Gas
- Legal 500 UK – Emerging Markets; Oil & Gas
- Legal 500 US – Energy Litigation: Oil & Gas; Energy Regulation: Oil & Gas (Tier 1); Energy Transactions: Oil & Gas
- U.S. News – Best Lawyers – National Energy Law (Tier 1); National Oil & Gas Law (Tier 1); Austin Energy Law (Tier 1); Austin Water Law (Tier 1); Houston Energy Law (Tier 1); Houston Natural Resources Law (Tier 1); Houston Oil & Gas Law (Tier 1); New York Energy Law (Tier 1); Washington, DC Energy Law (Tier 1); Washington, DC Oil & Gas Law (Tier 1)
Bracewell is a strong firm with a deep bench. The team understand the technical aspects of transactions and are able to succinctly boil down the main points.
Chambers Global, 2023

Market-Leading Engagements
We have extensive experience on a diverse range of oil and gas matters.
- Alinda Capital Partners in the sale of NorTex Midstream Partners, LLC, a company owned by funds managed by Alinda that own Texas gas storage facilities, to a subsidiary of Castleton Commodities International LLC
- Anadarko Moçambique Area 1, Limitada in multiple aspects of the multi-train $15 billion+ Mozambique LNG export project, including on the complex unitization of straddling reservoirs and the development of common facilities
- Anglo Tunisian Oil & Gas Limited in the acquisition of Medco Tunisia, a seven asset upstream oil and gas business in Tunisia, including the associated acquisition financing
- Apache Corporation in the creation of $3.5 billion midstream company with Kayne Anderson Acquisition Corp., forming the only publicly traded, pure-play Permian Basin midstream company that is a C-corporation
- Apache Corporation in the $800 million sale of its entire Argentina business to YPF
- Apache Corporation in the $612 million asset sales in the Western Anadarko Basin and the SCOOP/STACK play
- Apache Corporation in the sale of multiple UK North Sea upstream oil and gas assets to Chrysaor Limited
- COG Operating LLC in the contribution of 13 salt water disposal wells and approximately 40 miles of large-diameter produced water gathering pipelines to Solaris Water Midstream, LLC in exchange for cash and equity in Solaris Midstream Holdings, LLC