new orleans lafayette baton rouge houston Lafayette about the firm, services, & Attorneys

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1 new orleans lafayette baton rouge houston Lafayette about the firm, services, & Attorneys

2 Lafayette about the firm Gordon Arata has attorneys in one Texas and three Louisiana offices. We are fiercely committed to winning, which to us means achieving the best possible results for our clients, whether we re in the courtroom or at the negotiating table. We thoroughly understand business and industry and are skilled problem solvers for our clients. We do serious work but don t take ourselves too seriously. We make it easy for our clients to talk and work with us. We believe life has enough problems. Dealing with your lawyer shouldn t be one of them. The Lafayette office of Gordon Arata has reached a milestone of 30 years in the market and has experienced steady growth and an increased range of client service offerings since its inception in the early 1980s. Our dedication to professionalism, integrity and service has made Gordon Arata the go-to group for oil and gas advice. But Gordon Arata is a full-service firm. In addition to our energy practice, we represent clients in several other practice areas, including general business, commercial litigation, real estate, trusts and estates and bankruptcy. We look forward to a new year of solidifying old relationships and creating and building new ones.

3 Lafayette practices OIL, GAS & Energy transactions Gordon Arata was founded in 1970 as an oil and gas firm, and today our capabilities in the industry are as strong as ever. We have the resources and experience to provide our clients with the highest level of representation in every type of oil, gas and other energy transaction, whether it s a specialized acquisition, divestiture or financing of producing properties or processing plants or ordinary matters such as drafting mineral leases or reviewing farm-out agreements. Our transactional services to oil, gas and other energy clients include: Negotiating and drafting purchase and sale agreements, assignments and other agreements covering properties located onshore Louisiana or Texas or on the Outer Continental Shelf Directing and participating in due diligence and related negotiation and preparation of curative documentation Negotiating, preparing and reviewing credit agreements, loan agreements, mortgages, financing statements, security agreements and related documents and instruments for both borrowers and lenders Preparing, reviewing and handling all aspects of agreements that involve oil and gas producing properties, such as mineral leases, surface or subsurface agreements, indemnity agreements, unitization or pooling agreements, joint exploration agreements, seismic survey agreements, operating agreements, farmout agreements, participation agreements, drilling contracts and overriding royalty, net profits or production payment agreements Negotiating, drafting and handling agreements that involve the midstream energy business, including oil and gas transportation, processing, storage and marketing and refinery feedstock supply Issuing title opinions, with the help of our library, accumulated over the past thirty years, which contains title opinions covering many lands throughout Louisiana, Texas and numerous blocks on the Outer Continental Shelf Rendering of third party legal opinions in various matters Assisting creditors and debtors in lien workouts Dealing with landowners and various governmental agencies for seismic and other permits, rights-of-way and servitude agreements Negotiating and preparing Deep Water Offshore Operating Agreements and related agreements concerning Deep Water operations in the Gulf of Mexico In addition to the traditional oil and gas practice, our energy lawyers have worked on a variety of matters involving renewable energy. We have negotiated agreements for the development of ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel facilities including long term land leases, technology agreements, feed stock supply agreements, off-take agreements, storage agreements, terminal agreements and joint venture agreements. Our extensive experience supports our successful transaction work. Because a number of our attorneys have many years of in-house experience and technical expertise in land, engineering and geology for various companies, Gordon Arata can draw on an unrivaled depth of experience in the industry. So we don t have to reinvent the wheel over and over and instead can focus on the unique aspects of a client s transaction.

4 In keeping with our industry leadership, several of our attorneys are frequent speakers on programs sponsored by industry groups and prestigious institutes addressing issues involved in oil, gas and energy transactions and write frequently on such issues. Members of the firm helped draft widely used model forms of offshore operating agreements.

5 Lafayette OIL, GAS & Energy Litigation We assist energy industry clients from Louisiana and Texas to the Gulf of Mexico to the North Slope of Alaska to the Bass Straits of Australia. We began, grew and prospered as one of Louisiana s premier oil and gas firms. Today, with over 500 attorney-years experience, our oil and gas practice is stronger than ever. Our energy practice encompasses all forms of dispute resolution, including litigation in state and federal courts, arbitration, mediation and administrative proceedings before local, state and federal agencies such as the Minerals Management Service, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Louisiana State Mineral Board, the Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation, the Louisiana Public Service Commission and the Railroad Commission of Texas. We have also successfully guided energy clients through trial matters ranging from bankruptcy to criminal proceedings to property damage and personal injury claims arising from oil and gas operations, including well blowouts and gas storage or pipeline leaks. We regularly litigate contractual rights and obligations under a wide range of negotiated agreements in the oil, gas and energy industry, including: Mineral leases Assignments of mineral rights Onshore and offshore joint operating agreements Gas balancing agreements Oil and gas purchase agreements Drilling contracts Seismic permits Pipeline construction, operation and transportation agreements Gas storage leases and agreements Farmout agreements Unit operating and unit agreements Oil and gas processing and production handling agreements Rights-of-way and easements Mortgages Rights-of-first refusal and other preferential rights Refinery feedstock agreements We regularly litigate statutory, tort and others rights and obligations under a similarly wide range of issues in the oil, gas and energy industry, including: Clean-up obligations Drainage Expropriation by eminent domain Well blowouts Pipeline and gas storage leaks

6 Lien workouts Royalty disputes Correlative rights among neighbors or between surface owners and servitude owners Boundary and title disputes Our clients include major and independent oil and gas producers, pipeline and storage companies, oilfield service companies and suppliers, financial institutions serving the oil and gas industry, onshore and offshore operators, seismic companies and companies involved in developing renewable energy facilities. Our oil and gas lawyers have served as expert witnesses, arbitrators, mediators and special masters. We are actively involved in industry groups such as the American and Houston Associations of Professional Landmen, the Professional Landmen s Association of New Orleans, the Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen, the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, the Southwestern Legal Foundation, the Federal Energy Bar Association and the energy section of the American Bar Association.

7 Lafayette OIL & Gas regulatory practice Since our founding in 1970, our oil and gas regulatory practice has remained a central part of our practice. We have long had the resources and experience to provide our clients with the highest level of representation in every type of oil and gas regulatory issue in or offshore Louisiana and Texas. We guide clients through each procedure or application. We help clients nail down the regulatory details before they begin drilling wells, laying pipe or building storage facilities. We have been exceptionally skilled at dealing with federal and state regulation of the oil and gas industry. Our lawyers work with and regularly appear before federal and state regulatory agencies including the Minerals Management Service, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation, the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the Louisiana State Mineral Board, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Railroad Commission of Texas. Our regulatory services to oil, gas and other energy clients include: Representing clients before the Minerals Management Service on Outer Continental Shelf issues, including over leases, record title and operating rights, pipelines, rights of way, operations, suspensions of production, incidents of non-compliance and penalties Handling spacing and unitization decisions and pursuing the entire process of forced unitization to conclusion, including subsequent follow-up to determine whether additional regulatory or drilling activity is necessary to solidify the client s acreage position Preparing and advising on oil or gas pipeline tariff filings with the Louisiana Public Service Commission or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Obtaining orders to acquire, operate or abandon gas pipelines Guiding clients in obtaining the numerous necessary permits to build and operate gas storage facilities, both in salt dome caverns and in depleted underground reservoirs Representing clients in all matters before the Louisiana State Mineral Board, such as royalty audits, development plan reviews, force majeure incidents and obtaining operating agreements Assisting clients in unclaimed property audits Submitting bids and ensuring compliance with necessary procedures to secure leases and operating agreements from the States of Texas and Louisiana and other governmental agencies Assisting landowners and producer clients in virtually all aspects of Texas oil and gas practice, both before the Railroad Commission of Texas and otherwise Our title services dovetail nicely with our regulatory work. Because a number of our attorneys have many years of in-house experience and technical expertise in land, engineering and geology for various companies, and an everyday working relationship with the expert consultants in geology and engineering who regularly appear before the Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation or the Texas Railroad Commission, Gordon Arata offers excellent title counsel and representation for lands located in Louisiana or Texas or on the Outer Continental Shelf. Accumulated over the past thirty years, our library contains title opinions covering many lands throughout Louisiana, Texas and numerous blocks on the Outer Continental Shelf.

8 In keeping with our industry leadership, members of the firm have served at various times on committees that help the Commissioner of Conservation draft revised regulations for the Office of Conservation, and we helped draft new statutes on the use of seismic data in conservation hearings and the statutes governing the expanded unitization of deep wells. Also, several of our attorneys frequently speak on oil and gas regulation at programs sponsored by industry groups and prestigious institutes.

9 Lafayette ATTORNEYS Bob J. Duplantis Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Bob Duplantis has dedicated his entire career to the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining Gordon Arata 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 has focused 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 interpretation and operational issues, joing operating agreements, oil and gas marketing and sales issues, and forced pooling issues. He regularly represents clients before the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (primarily the Office of Conservation)and the Louisiana Office of Mineral Resources, the former of which he has handled more than a thousand adjudicatory hearings. He frequently addresses industry groups such as the annual MIneral Law Institute. Prior to practicing law, Bob spent 10 years working in exploration and production in various engineering and management assignments throughout Louisiana, Texas, California, and New York. He earned his J.D. from Loyola in 1966, and his B.S. in Petroleum Chemical Engineering from LSU in Published Works & Presentations: Preferential Rights to Purchase and Consent to Assign Provisions (46th Mineral Law Institute, March 25-26, 1999) The Take-or-pay Controversy: Considerations of the Seller (32nd Mineral Law Institute, March 28-29, 1985) Unanswered Questions after Frey v. Amoco (40th Mineral Law Institute, March 25-26, 1994) Professional Affiliations: American Bar Association American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) JOA FORM 610 Revision Committee Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association Louisiana State Bar Association Louisiana State Office of Conservation Intrastate Pipelines Ad Hoc Committee Committee on Revision of Rules of Procedure, La. State Office of Conservation Advisory Committee, La. State Commissioner s Office of Conservation Lafayette Parish Bar Association Community Involvement:

10 Stone Energy Corporation - Board of Directors Holy Cross College, New Orleans Former Board Member Honors: American Bar Foundation - Fellow

11 Samuel E. Masur Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) 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 partnership and limited liability agreements. He has participated in such actions in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Sam has successfully defended several oilfield environmental claims and toxic tort claims related to ambient air quality, and has prosecuted a major oil and gas fraud case involving theft of corporate assets and breach of fiduciary duty by corporate officers. He has also successfully defended a publicly traded company in seven class action suits that sought to enjoin a board recommended take-private merger. Additionally, he has handled products liability litigation involving propane explosions. Beyond his litigation practice, Sam represents clients in the start-up phase of their new businesses and manages asset-based and stock-based acquisitions and divestitures for exploration companies, chemical companies, oil field service companies, allied health businesses and minor league sports franchises. He negotiates and drafts the complex purchase and sale agreements for those transactions, and provides advice on corporate and financing matters to those clients. Representative Matters: Represented sellers in sale of $40 million oilfield service company (June 2011) Represented exploration company in sale of $77 million of reserves (May 2010) Represented seller in $95 million sale of producing oil and gas properties (March 2008) Represented creditor in $75 million corporate refinance (April 2008) Represented buyer in purchase of $19.75 million oil field service company (April 2008) Represented buyer in purchase of $11.75 million oil field service company (January 2008) Represented company in refinance of $50 million in corporate debt (November 2007) Represented exploration company in acquisition of $110 million producing property package (2007) Representative Reported Cases: Tower Oil & Gas Co. of Texas v. Brammer Engineering, Inc., 2011 WL (E.D. La. August 26, 2011) Rozel Energy II, LLC v. Coupel, 2010 WL (La. App. 1 Cir. June 3, 2010) Gulf Explorer v. Clayton Williams Energy, 964 So.2d 1042 (La. App. 1 Cir. June 8, 2007) Credeur v. Jayco, Inc., 916 So.2d 1244 (La. App. 3 Cir. November 2, 2005) Dore Energy Corp. v. Carter-Langham, Inc., 901 So.2d 1238 (La. App. 3 Cir. May 4, 2005)

12 Wilson Industries, Inc. v. Aviva America, Inc., 185 F.3d 492 (5th Cir. (La.) August 30, 1999) Breese v. Hadson Petroleum (USA), Inc., 947 F.Supp. 242 (M.D. La. July 10, 1996) Preston Oil Co. v. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp., 594 So.2d 908 (La. App. 1 Cir. December 27, 1991) Published Works & Presentations: Due Diligence in the Acquisition of Producing Properties (LAPL Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana 2002) The Electronic Age and Oil and Gas Contracting, 48 Min. Law Inst. 244 (2001) Confidentiality Issues and Solutions for the Oil Patch (LAPL Lafayette, Louisiana -2001) Operating in the Coastal Zone What Does it Mean for the Landman (LAPL Lafayette, Louisiana -October 1998) Confidentiality Agreements: A Why, When and How Approach to Usage (HAPL Houston, Texas September 1997) The Art of Due Diligence (The Exploration and Production Company Mergers and Acquisitions Institute Houston Texas May 1997) Reflections on Seismic Permitting (DAPL Denver, Colorado November, 1997; PLANO Beaver Creek, Colorado February 1996; LAPL - Lafayette, Louisiana October 1995) The 1989 AAPL Model Form Operating Agreement (Lafayette Bar Association - Lafayette, Louisiana - The 1989 AAPL Model Form Operating Agreement, September 1990 Lafayette Bar Association - Lafayette, Louisiana) Professional Affiliations: American Bar Association (Litigation, Business Law, Environment, Energy, and Resources Sections) Louisiana State Bar Association Lafayette Parish Bar Association American Association of Professional Landmen Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen Honors: Louisiana Bar Foundation Fellow Inns of Court of Acadiana Master

13 Gregory G. Duplantis Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Greg Duplantis legal practice centers on oil and gas property title examination, with an emphasis on analyzing and rendering complex opinions concerning title that is held by production. He frequently calculates varying royalty interests, overriding royalty interests and proportionately burdened net revenue interests. Greg routinely renders stand up title opinions that require physically searching the indices of courts conveyance records and executing opinions on site. He also frequently represents clients before Louisiana state agencies governing oil and gas matters, including unitization issues, state leasing, commingling and pipelines. Beyond the scope of complex title examination, a portion of Greg s practice is dedicated to drafting agreements and contractual provisions on behalf of both operating and non-operating working interest owners, including the drafting and negotiating of provisions for joint operating agreements, drilling contracts, master services contract, unit and commingling agreements, gas sales, processing and marketing agreements, onshore and offshore facilities use agreements, mineral leases, seismic permits, right-of-ways, servitudes, surface and subsurface agreements and all other relevant forms of transactional documents and contracts. Greg earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from Louisiana State University, where he was a four-time letter winner in pole vaulting. Following his graduation, he excelled as a world-class professional pole vaulter becoming a four-time U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier. Greg, who is fluent in Swedish, met his wife Helena while both were competing on the LSU Track and Field Team. The couple and their four children currently reside in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Greg serves as a volunteer assistant track and field coach at both the collegiate and high school levels. He is a National Lead Coach and frequent lecturer at the National Pole Vault Summit and was recently inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Representative Reported Cases: Credeur v. Jayco, Inc., 916 So.2d 1244, (La.App. 3 Cir. November 02, 2005) Beck v. Jayco, Inc., 916 So.2d 1247, (La.App. 3 Cir. November 02, 2005) Thibodeaux v. Jayco, Inc., 916 So.2d 1248, (La.App. 3 Cir. November 02, 2005) Terrebonne Parish School Bd. v. Castex Energy, Inc., 893 So.2d 789, (La. January 19, 2005) Terrebonne Parish School Bd. v. Castex Energy, Inc., 878 So.2d 522, (La.App. 1 Cir. March 19, 2004) Published Works & Presentations: Presenter and Co-Author of Recent Haynesvile Shale Leasing Issues (Louisiana Mineral Law Institute 2009) Presenter and Author of Ethics for the Landman (LAPL 2002) Author of How to Find Pole Vaulting Facilities: An Attorney and Pole Vaulter s View (2004)

14 Professional Affiliations: American Association of Professional Landmen Louisiana State Bar Association Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen Lafayette Parish Bar Association Honors:

15 Armistead M. Long Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Army Long s practice focuses on bankruptcy and transactional work for corporate, oil, gas and energy clients in Louisiana and Texas. Army joined the Firm in March 2011, bringing with him knowledge and experience earned over the course of a successful entrepreneurial career involving ownership and management of small companies in the fields of agribusiness, mining, and manufacturing. Army is a skilled and diplomatic contract negotiator, facilitating the national and international supply of large quantities of goods and dedicated service commitments. His experience includes leading small businesses through corporate mergers, acquisitions and sales. Army has successfully drafted numerous mineral and equipment lease agreements, has served as a lead company contract negotiator opposite national labor unions, and has conceived and implemented comprehensive employee benefits programs. Army served as chief executive officer of JBLCo Holdings, Inc., a leading North American manufacturer of bulk materials sampling systems and mine safety equipment he co-founded in He is also the co-inventor of several U.S. patents for control and design of bulk material sampling equipment. Following graduation from law school in May 2005, Army served as law clerk to the Honorable Ronald B. King, Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas. While in law school, he interned with the Honorable Pamela A. Mathy, Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas. He also interned with the Office of the U.S. Trustee and clerked for an intellectual property law firm. Published Works & Presentations: Construction Lien Law / Construction Liens and Bankruptcy Lorman Education Services CLE Presentations, Asheville, North Carolina, February 2009 & February 2010 Automated Sampling & The Road Ahead - 8th Annual Symposium, International Center for Aggregates Research, Denver, Colorado, April 2000 The Evolution of Automatic Cross-Belt Sampling Systems & Their Application to Sampling Lignite - New Technologies for Coal Quality Control & Homogenization Workshop, Directorate General for Energy/ European THERMIE Commission, Athens, Greece, October 1999 Getting It Right From the Start - Proper Sampling & Practical Automated Solutions - 7th Annual Symposium, International Center for Aggregates Research, Austin, Texas, April 1999 Professional Affiliations: American Bankruptcy Institute American Bar Association Business Law Section American Inns of Court - Acadiana Inn

16 Federal Bar Association State Bar Associations of Louisiana, Texas and North Carolina Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration Society of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers

17 Julie D. Jardell Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Julie Deshotels Jardell s practice is concentrated on oil and gas transactions and general, commercial and oil and gas litigation. Although a significant portion of her practice is dedicated to examining abstracts and rendering drilling and division order title opinions, Julie is also experienced in drafting agreements and contractual provisions on behalf of both operating and non-operating working interest owners, including the drafting and negotiating of provisions for joint operating agreements, drilling contracts, mineral leases, right-of-ways and servitudes as well as surface and subsurface use agreements. As a litigator, Julie has gained extensive experience participating in lawsuits and drafting briefs focused on oil and gas issues, and has argued these issues before Louisiana District and Appellate Courts. During law school, Julie served as Chairman of the Moot Court Board and as a Moot Court teaching assistant. She was awarded the Law Excellence Award in Law and Poverty, and was a member of the Loyola Maritime Law Journal. Upon graduation, she was elected into the Order of Barristers. Representative Reported Cases: Petitjean v. Samson Contour Energy E & P, LLC, 51 So.3d 200 (La. App. 3 Cir., 2010) Rozel Energy II, LLC v. Coupel, 2007 WL (La. App. 1 Cir. December 21, 2007) Published Works & Presentations: Presenter and Co-Author of Louisiana Law: It Ain t All Beer, Boudin, and Gumbo! (AAPL Southwest Land Institute April 2011) Presenter and Co-Author of Louisiana Constitutions and Their Effects on Title Issues (LAPL 2011) Author of Risk Fee Act and Other Non-Consent Avenues For Operators and Consenting Parties Under Louisiana Law (LAPL/ 2009)

18 J. Michael Fussell Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Mike Fussell is an experienced litigator at both the trial and appellate court level with first chair trial experience. He has handled a diverse array of matters which include commercial disputes, products liability cases, and an assortment of oil and gas issues. Mike has also practiced extensively in the areas of health care and medical malpractice law. Mike earned his J.D. and Bachelor of Civil Law Studies from Louisiana State University Law School in 2005, and received his Bachelor of Science cum laude from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Mike is active in the community having won the prestigious Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Acadiana Big Brother of the Year Award in He currently serves as a Board Member for Children s Shelters of Acadiana Youth, Inc. Representative Reported Cases: Wofford v. Dunnick, (La. App. 3 Cir., 4/14/10), 36 So. 3d 370 Dunnehoo v. Bernauer, 2010 WL (La. App. 3 Cir., 2010) Published Works & Presentations: Presenter and author of Medical Malpractice 101 (Continuing Legal Education, Lafayette Parish Bar Association, 2009) Presenter and co-author of Two States Separated by a Common Law: A Comparison of Select Topics in Texas and Louisiana Oil & Gas Law (Gordon Arata Duck Lunch & Seminar, 2012) Professional Affiliations: American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) Louisiana State Bar Association Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen Lafayette Parish Bar Association Lafayette Young Lawyers Association - Board Member, Community Involvement: Children s Shelters of Acadiana Youth, Inc. - Board Member, current Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana - Mentor, 2007

19 Honors: Big Brother of the Year Award, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Acadiana, 2007

20 Gerald H. Schiff Member 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Jerry Schiff practices in the areas of mediation and bankruptcy/ debtor-creditor law. He joined Gordon Arata in 2006 after serving over a decade as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Louisiana. While he principally presided over cases in the Lafayette, Opelousas and Lake Charles Divisions of the Western District, he occasionally sat in the Shreveport and Alexandria Divisions, as well as the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana. It was in the latter District where he presided over the Chapter 11 case of Cajun Electric Co-operative, Inc., which, at the time, was one of the largest reorganization cases ever filed in the United States. During the latter years of his term, and after having completed the mediation course offered by the Federal Judicial Center, Jerry began to assist other Bankruptcy Judges by acting as a Mediator. In addition to mediating cases in the Western District, his mediations included cases pending in Bankruptcy Courts in New Orleans, Houston, and New Jersey. Prior to his service on the bench, Jerry collected 15 years of extensive knowledge of bankruptcy law from all perspectives debtor, creditor, trustee, and creditors committees at the law firm of Sandoz, Sandoz & Schiff in Opelousas, Louisiana. It was there that he also gained experience with Chapters 7, 11, 12 and 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. He has spoken on various aspects of bankruptcy law at numerous seminars, and is a regular participant in the Annual Bankruptcy Law Seminar sponsored by the Louisiana State University Center for Continuing Professional Development. Jerry graduated from LSU Law School in January 1967 and was inducted into the Order of the Coif upon graduation. Jerry also served two years in the U.S. Army.

21 Paul B. Simon Associate 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Paul B. Simon is an associate in Gordon Arata s Lafayette office who serves the oil & gas industry. On their behalf, he regularly handles litigation and arbitration, corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory issues before the Louisiana Natural Resources Office of Conservation and the Louisiana State Mineral Board. Prior to joining the Firm, Paul served as a law clerk to two judges on the federal bench, the Honorable W. Eugene Davis of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Honorable D. Dee Drell, Chief Judge for the United States Western District of Louisiana. Paul frequently uses this experience to assist in matters in federal court, including in bankruptcy and appellate matters. Paul earned his J.D. from the Law School of Columbia University where he was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, the two highest academic honors Columbia Law School awards. During law school, Paul conducted research in the areas of contracts and arbitration, was a President of the Columbia Society of International Law, was a Founder and President of the Columbia International Arbitration Association, and was an editor of the American Review of International Arbitration. Prior to law school, Paul worked as a strategy and management consultant for the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, in its Amsterdam office. He learned Dutch for the posting, adding to the French and Spanish he previously spoke, and to this day Paul maintains a rich network of contacts and knowledge regarding European business. Paul also earned his B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Williams College in 2005, where he was a junior-year selection and President of Phi Beta Kappa. Paul is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana. For several years he lived out of state, and he is admitted to the Louisiana and New York bars. He returned to Lafayette to practice mineral law, and to raise his two daughters with his wife, Angelica. Published Works & Presentations: Mexico Energy Reforms, Gordon Arata Drill Deeper Blog, March 2014 New Appellate Arbitration Rules, regarding the recently promulgated Optional Appellate Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, Gordon Arata Client Update, January 6, 2014 Lessons for Louisiana Landmen - Recent Developments in Jurisprudence, Presentation for the 2013 Winter Seminar of the Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen Enforeability of Forum Selection Bylaw, Gordon Arata Client Update, July 31, 2013 Professional Affiliations: Federal Bar Association

22 Louisiana State Bar Association Institute for Energy Law of the Center for American and International Law Advisory Board and Young Energy Professionals Committee member McKinsey & Company Alumni Association Community Involvement: Kiwanis Club of Lafayette Honors: Acadiana Profile Magazine Top Lawyers Commercial Litigation

23 Amy Duplantis Gautreaux Associate 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) Amy Duplantis Gautreaux focuses her practice on oil and gas title examination and oil and gas transactions. Her experience encompasses drafting numerous curative and other legal documents, examination of land, mineral and leasehold title (including abstracts of surface, mineral, royalty, executive right, overriding royalty and leasehold titles and mineral history information) and writing legal opinions including drilling, division order and leasehold title opinions. Aiding her ability to provide an insightful and logical approach to title examination, Amy also worked as an abstractor and landman in South Louisiana after law school. Through her experience, she has developed and maintains great working relationships with many members of the local legal and oil and gas community. Amy also has practiced in the areas of insurance defense, law enforcement liability defense, real estate, family and general business law. She has authored and successfully argued various motions in several courts throughout Louisiana. After graduating with honors from Catholic High School in New Iberia, Amy attended the University of Louisiana, Lafayette where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Pre-Law, magna cum laude, and was named Outstanding Graduate in Political Science in Since 2012, Amy has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Lafayette, Louisiana chapter of Love, INC, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize local churches to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ. She is also an active member in the community and regularly engages in a variety of civic and philanthropic activities. Professional Affiliations: Lafayette Parish Bar Association (LBA) Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen (LAPL) Baton Rouge Association of Professional Landmen (BRAPL) Community Involvement: Lafayette s Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Parishioner Love, INC, Board Member and Volunteer

24 David John Rogers Associate 400 East Kaliste Saloom Road Suite 4200 Lafayette, Louisiana (fax) David John Rogers is an associate in our Lafayette office who focuses his practice in the oil and gas section. He is a registered professional landman and has extensive experience as a project manager handling title opinions, abstracts, due diligence and mineral lease acquisitions in seven states, including Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and Utah. Prior to joining the firm, David managed multiple abstracting, due diligence and mineral acquisition projects in Louisiana and managed a crew of 25 landmen and abstractors. He also managed the title work of 30 field landmen for the Bradford County Marcellus Shale Play in Pennsylvania and led a curative team in Utah. David managed the mineral lease acquisition of over Eighty Thousand Acres across the Paradox Basin in Colorado. While serving as managing member of his law firm in 2010, David practiced in the areas of family, estate and real estate law in Louisiana and in that respect has represented multiple clients in legal matters with an advantageous outcome. David earned his J.D. from Southern University Law School in Baton Rouge in 2010 and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta. He received his B.A. in political sciences from Louisiana State University in While attending Louisiana State University, David was a member of The National Political Science Honor Society. Published Works & Presentations: Louisiana Legal Update: Louisiana Title Examiners, Take Note of Recent Change in the Mineral Code on Prescription, Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen Newsletter, November 2014 Louisiana Title Examiners, Take Note of Recent Change in the Mineral Code on Prescription, Gordon Arata Drill Deeper Blog, October 2014 Professional Affiliations: American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) Baton Rouge Association of Professional Landmen (BRAPL) Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen (LAPL) Young Professionals of LAGCOE