Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) offers a dedicated and experienced Oil and Gas team who form an integral part of your oil and gas projects across the value chain. Our Oil and Gas team have unique and substantial legal expertise in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. We advise major independent oil companies, national oil companies, service providers and regulatory authorities across the oil and gas value chain and in multiple jurisdictions.

Our team has a thorough understanding of the geographic and geopolitical factors that shape and impact the oil and gas industry and we offer valuable commercial insight to clients embarking on oil and gas projects, in both developed and emerging markets, worldwide. Our breadth of experience, acting for clients in both the public and private sectors, means we have a comprehensive approach to structuring transactions in order to address the complex economic and political goals of participants in the oil and gas sector. Our lawyers combine intricate knowledge of the oil and gas sector with your unique business realities in order to achieve your desired results.

By choosing our Oil and Gas team as trusted advisors, clients gain access to practical regulatory advice, advanced contract engineering and seasoned contract negotiators.

Our services include:

• Due Diligence Investigations and Reports.
• Areas of Mutual Interest Agreements, Study and Bid Group Agreements.
• Applications for petroleum permits, permissions and concessions.
• Host Government Contracts: Production Sharing Contracts/ Agreements, Hybrid Tax Royalty and License / PSC, Service Contracts - Risk Services, Pure Services Technical Assistance Contracts and /or Buy Back Services (Services/PSC).
• Acquisitions and disposals – Participating / Farm-Out Agreements.
• Joint Venture and Joint Operating Agreements.
• Seismic Acquisition, Processing and Re-Processing Agreements and Multi-Client Agreements.
• Onshore and Offshore Drilling and Drilling Support Services Agreement.
• FPSO procurement procedures and Agreements.
• Subsea Installation procurement procedures and Agreements.
• Gas Sales and Lifting Agreements.
• Non-Disclosure, Non-Circumvention and Data Viewing Agreements.
• Data Storage Agreements and VDR Agreements.
• Unitisation and Unit Operating Agreement.
• Risk Management through Contracts and Insurance.
• Establishment of internal policies and procedure for Oil and Gas Procurement.
• Establishment of internal policies and procedures on Oil and Gas Contract Management.
• Pipeline construction and transportation Agreements.
• Supply and Swap Agreements.
• Statutory and Regulatory Compliance.
• Government Procurement and Commercial Tendering Processes.
• Technical Services Agreements.

Our award winning Oil and Gas team has unique expertise in the upstream oil and gas industry across multiple jurisdictions. We act for major independent oil companies, national oil companies, and oil and gas industry service providers, advising on early stage exploration projects as well as complex production and development projects. 

This broad client base and wealth of experience translates into a competitive edge for our clients. We have a comprehensive understanding of the petroleum resources sector. We are also highly skilled in identifying the legal risks within the oil and gas space, mitigating any pitfalls by implementing risk management strategies.

Sector Rankings

• Chambers Global 2017–2018 ranked our Projects & Infrastructure practice in Band 3 for projects & energy.
• Chambers Global 2013–2016 ranked us in Band 2 for projects & energy.
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2009–2018 recommended us in Tier 2 for projects & infrastructure.
• We were awarded the inaugural Law Firm of the Year award in 2012  by the South African Wind Energy Association.
• We received the Energy Law Firm of the Year award in the 2011 and  2012 Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards.
• We were awarded the Public Procurement Law Firm of the Year – Africa in the Finance Monthly Law Awards.
• IFLR1000 2019 ranked our practice in Tier 3 for Project development: Oil & Gas.
• IFLR1000 2016–2018 ranked our practice in Tier 2 for energy and infrastructure: corporate and project finance.
• IFLR1000 2015 ranked our practice in Tier 3 for energy and infrastructure: disputes and corporate, and in Tier 2 for energy and infrastructure: project development, financial and project finance.

Ranked Practitioners

• The Legal 500 EMEA 2017–2018 recommended Megan Rodgers for projects & infrastructure.
  
  
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2018 recommended Gasant Orrie for commercial, corporate/M&A. Best Lawyers International 2010–2018 listed him for corporate law and mergers and acquisitions law.