John LaMaster - Böcker

The downturn in the oil commodity price starting in 2014 had a chilling effect on oil and gas M&A. However, recent price stabilisation has improved the outlook for M&A activity, making a second edition of this book most timely.A feature of the M&A industry has always been its variety of participants, ranging from integrated energy conglomerates to entrepreneurial frontier explorers. New entrants include state-owned oil companies, financial investors, diversifying service contractors and oil traders. With the growth of specialist stock markets, junior and independent oil companies are better able to raise acquisition finance than ever before, and companies specialising in end-of-life reservoirs are filling the spaces left as oil majors go in search of new opportunities. Transaction types are also diverse and are completed using a variety of different deal structures. As well as providing chapters on each type of acquisition method, this book also includes an analysis of the underlying structuring decisions.In addition, this practical guide covers a number of ancillary areas, including valuations, financing, tax and accounting. Decommissioning liability is also considered in an M&A context. A number of new chapters are also featured, covering topics such as competition law, environmental law and dealing with material adverse changes.This comprehensive new edition will prove an essential resource to anyone involved in the upstream industry M&A process including lawyers, bankers, financiers, business executives, accountants and tax advisers.

Acquisitions and divestitures are common occurrences in the international oil and gas industry, ranging in size and complexity from transformational mergers between supermajors to transactions at an individual asset level. These transactions are used in order to manage both costs and risks. Although the recent oil price slump has somewhat reduced the level of transactional activity, that level is expected to increase again in the near term. Low oil prices are creating an increasing number of distressed sellers and an increasing number of opportunistic buyers, including some that have not traditionally participated in the upstream oil and gas industry.Sale and purchase agreements relating to oil and gas assets are highly specialised, reflecting the unique nature and characteristics of the industry itself. This book, written by experienced and well-known practitioners from within the oil and gas industry, is intended to provide a practical review of the provisions typically included in such agreements.The second edition of this title includes updated and revised chapters from the first edition, as well as new chapters on: preliminary agreements (memoranda of understanding, letters of intent); disclosure letters; private equity transactions; warranty and indemnity insurance; and material adverse changes.This new edition aims to benefit lawyers and commercial negotiators working in the industry who handle sale and purchase transactions and who want to better understand the usual terms and conditions involved in those transactions. Legal professors and their students could also benefit from using the book as a teaching aid based on real-world experience.