Prominent counsel to oil & gas companies and former Interior Dept. official becomes

Co-chair of firm’s energy practice and national shale team

BakerHostetler announced that eminent energy attorney L. Poe Leggette has joined the firm as a partner in its Denver office. Leggette becomes co-chair of BakerHostetler’s energy practice and its prominent national shale team. He arrives from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he was partner-in-charge of the Denver and Pittsburgh offices and regional head for the Americas energy practice.

Leggette has built an extensive practice representing leading oil and gas companies in a range of transactions, disputes, regulatory proceedings, and other matters. His active litigation and deal work focuses on three principal areas of representation within the energy sector:  onshore shale plays; oil and gas companies operating on federal and Indian lands; and companies operating under federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

Prior to his private practice, Leggette spent more than a decade at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where he served as Assistant Solicitor and advised the Bureau of Land Management and the Mineral Management Service on their onshore and offshore energy programs. He authored or co-authored numerous briefs filed in federal courts on outer continental shelf issues, two of which helped obtain Supreme Court reversals of unfavorable Ninth Circuit decisions.

Leggette is highly knowledgeable on legal issues regarding ownership of mineral rights, royalty disputes and compliance with environmental statutes. He’s litigated many cases on behalf of energy clients at the trial, appellate and Supreme Court levels. He has been involved with many cases of prime importance to the oil and gas industry, involving such statutes as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Mineral Leasing Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the National Forest Management Act, and various Indian mineral development statutes.

“In addition to spurring rapid growth and business investment among energy providers, the shale era is ushering in a raft of new regulation, legislation, tax changes, insurance risk, and especially litigation.  Having someone of Poe Leggette’s national stature and deep experience – in all aspects of energy law – join our firm adds to our bench strength in the energy sector,” said BakerHostetler Chairman Steven Kestner. “Poe’s distinguished, wide-ranging track record and his command of substantive policy and regulatory issues will be of immense benefit to our large roster of energy clients.”

“As the energy sector continues to grow in importance and shale development makes an increasing impact on America’s energy profile, the addition of someone with Poe’s deep knowledge and experience becomes a real differentiator for us,” said Ray Whitman, Chair of BakerHostetler’s Litigation practice. “Oil and gas development inevitably brings with it a host of complex litigation, regulatory challenges, and policy changes.  Poe has represented the world’s leading energy producers and trade associations before state and federal courts as well as the most powerful regulators and we look for him to make significant contributions to our entire energy practice moving forward.”

“The arrival of Poe Leggette is a boon to the Denver office and exemplifies the growing importance of the energy practice and BakerHostetler’s position as a top-tier energy counsel in the western U.S. as well as nationally,” said Raymond Sutton Jr., Managing Partner of BakerHostetler’s Denver office. “Hydraulic fracturing has been a hot-button issue in Colorado and in many other regions where the firm has offices. We are thrilled to have one of the nation’s foremost authorities on shale and offshore energy development as part of our team.”

“The production surge in shale gas promises to turn the U.S. into a net energy exporter for the first time and it’s certainly changing the landscape for energy and environmental law,” Leggette said.  “BakerHostetler has been at the forefront of this change and has built a reputation as a go-to law firm for energy-related matters.  This is a momentous time for the energy industry and I’m very happy to join such an esteemed practice and look forward to helping expand our base as the industry continues to evolve.”

BakerHostetler’s energy lawyers have successfully secured major projects for leading international and domestic energy companies and oilfield service providers involving oil, natural gas (including shale), and alternative energy matters. BakerHostetler’s energy practice offers business, litigation and regulatory expertise for transactions including financings, land acquisitions, exploration and drilling, and production distribution. BakerHostetler is one of the first national law firms to create a dedicated shale practice and also produces its own shale blog tracking the industry — www.northamericashaleblog.com.

Leggette received his J.D. from the University of Virginia and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Tufts University. He is recognized as a leading energy attorney by the top legal rankings organizations, including Chambers USA, Chambers Global, Legal 500, and The Best Lawyers in America©.