Law, Contracts and Business Structures
Controls, Ethics, Organization
Skip Maryan is a lawyer and consultant with a practice in International Energy.
He started his energy career with a law firm in South Texas in 1975. In 1979, he moved to Mobil Oil Corporation where he held a number of affiliate General Counsel positions over a 25 year career including: General Counsel, Rocky Mountain Division, Denver; General Counsel, Mobil Oil Indonesia, Jakarta; General Counsel, New Business Development, Dallas; Managing Counsel, Mobil’s Major Transaction Group, Fairfax, Virginia; Chief Attorney for ExxonMobil Development Company, Houston.
He continued his practice with the International Energy Section of the law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP until 2010 when he established his own legal and consulting practice.
His experience includes negotiating, lawyering and documenting upstream oil & gas projects in numerous countries on every continent. He has assisted governments in negotiating natural resource treaties. He has taught courses in energy law and contract subjects at Georgetown University Law School, in CLE presentations and for a number of NOC and IOC clients. He has advised corporations on legal department organizations and best practices. He currently teaches energy law courses worldwide for the consulting firm IHRDC out of Boston and is an Executive Partner in the MBA Program at William & Mary University Business School.
Mr. Maryan holds a law degree from St. Mary’s University and a Master of Laws in taxation from Southern Methodist University. He is currently a member of the Texas Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker at CLE and energy educational programs throughout the world.
Since 1997, he has served in several capacities as an officer and director of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. He is a retired Commander in the U. S. Navy Reserve where he served as both an aviator and lawyer from 1965-1987. He has three grown children and lives with his wife in Williamsburg, Virginia. oil and gas companies
1. Training of in house legal staff of an African national oil company (NOC).
2. Outside Counsel and Negotiator for US$ 2.4 B corporate divestiture for a publicly traded Asian energy company.
3. Training of in house legal staff for both large and mid size Asian, integrated energy companies.
4. Expert witness appearances in international arbitrations related to the upstream energy sector.
5. Training for senior management level seminars in petroleum courses sponsored by IHRDC. (International Energy Law, Boundary Disputes, Negotiations, Upstream Contracts, EPC Contracts.)
6. Coach and Mentor at the Mason School of Business, William & Mary University.
7. Co - Author (with IHRDC) of International Petroleum Law Workshop, a combination of lectures and computer driven exercises for middle managers in the Upstream oil & Gas Business.
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY - EXPLORATION AND PRODUCING:
1. Geology and Engineering (Basic Concepts about how Hydrocarbons are found and how to Drill a well), Issues in the International Oil & Gas Business, Relevant General Principles of Law.
2. Due Diligence when Going Outside the Home Country, Legal Issues Presented, Four Types of Host Government Energy Contracts, Checklists.
3. Introduction to AIPN Forms, History, Catalogue of Forms. AIPN Model Form Confidentiality Agreement & AIPN Model Form Joint Study and Bidding Agreement.
4. Transfers of Host Government Contract Rights, Asset Sales & Sales of Companies - AIPN Model Form Farmout Agreement, Checklists.
5. Joint Operations and the AIPN Model Joint Operating Agreement – Four Sessions.
6. AIPN Model International Unitization and Unit Operating Agreement; and, AIPN Model Service Agreements; International Taxation Considerations.
OIL LIFTING, ENERGY SALES, LNG SALES:
1. Oil storage & lifting; AIPN Model Lifting Agreement.
2. Oil and Gas Sales Agreements.
3. LNG Projects Overview, Transportation & Sales Contracts.
OTHER TOPICS:
1. Upstream Energy Industry Overview and Current Events.
2. Special Problems, Risks and Considerations when contracting with a government.
3. Doing Business Overseas: Due Diligence before you go; What to do when you get there; Negotiating and problems with Culture.
4. Business Structure Selections and International Tax Considerations.
5. Training in legal and business ethics.
1. Due diligence review of company legal compliance programs.
2. Assisting companies in adoption of internal procedures and controls.
3. Review of company risk management including: insurance programs and contract provisions related to warranties and indemnities.
4. Review of legal department organization and best practices.
International Energy Attorney