Emile J. Dreuil III is a transactional lawyer in the Energy Regulatory Practice handling onshore and offshore energy operations matters. His practice includes a range of business and industrial operations agreements, including services agreements, purchase orders, engineering, procurement, and construction project contracts , and related agreements. Emile has extensive knowledge and experience with all varieties of oil and gas exploration and production contracts and oilfield service agreements, including oil and gas leases, assignments, drilling contracts, master service agreements, time charters, production handling, storage, transmission, and related E&P support contracts.
Emile routinely counsels E&P and energy industry clients on casualty and commercial risk mitigation and allocation through select contractual provisions and insurance programs in the Gulf of Mexico, on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands, subsea, in deepwater, and on conventional shelf operations, as well as onshore and downstream.
On the litigation side, Emile has represented clients in tort, indemnity, and other contract and commercial disputes. He has prosecuted and defended mineral lien claims, maritime disputes, and bankruptcy proceedings, prosecuted claims on behalf of companies against insurers in property and liability coverage disputes, and defended companies against property damage and contamination “legacy lawsuits” claims. He has also mediated, arbitrated, and litigated matters involving key aspects of joint operating agreements and disputes between joint interest partners.
Representative Matters
- Represents industry subsea well containment response consortium on all operations contracts.
- Drafting and negotiating master service agreements, drilling contracts, and other maritime and oilfield service contracts.
- Revamped and streamlined a large energy company’s master contracts and risk management program and engaged in day-to-day negotiation and administration of contracts with vendors and contractors.
- Advisor to clients on Louisiana and Texas oilfield and construction anti-indemnity statutes.
- Represented oil and gas company in defense of maritime lien claim against companies offshore floating production facility located on the Outer Continental Shelf.
- Key due diligence review for multimillion-dollar oil and gas acquisitions.
- Representing industry clients filing amicus briefs relating to oil and gas issues before the Louisiana Supreme Court.
- Legal due diligence for the purchase of Louisiana LNG operation.
- Handled a key land acquisition agreement for construction of a hospital facility.
- Representation of oil and gas and oilfield service companies in filing, enforcing, and defending liens and claims arising under Louisiana’s Oil Well Lien Act.
- Representation of oil and gas operators in civil penalty proceedings pertaining to noncompliance violations instituted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
- Representation of companies in lawsuits involving contractual indemnity and other general contractual disputes.
Court Admissions
- U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
- U. S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana
- U. S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana
- U. S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Education
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2005
- Loyola Law Review: Member, 2003-2005
- Loyola Moot Court: Member, 2003-2005
Loyola University New Orleans, B.B.A., Economics, 2002
- Top of Class Graduate
- Loyola University Honors Curriculum
Publications
- “An Overview of the Recent Growing Opposition to Offshore Fracking.” Lafayette Association of Professional Landman, August 2017
- “I’m Not My Lessor’s Keeper! Louisiana Supreme Court Declines to Expand a Mineral Lessor’s Duty to its Lessee.” Landman Magazine, March/April 2016
- “Am I My Lessor’s Keeper? Louisiana Second Circuit Places New Duties on Mineral.” Landman Magazine, March/April 2015
- “The Expansion of OCSLA to Offshore Indemnity Agreements.” ABA Section of Energy Litigation, Vol. 11, No. 3., Summer, 2012
- “The Trade Gap: The Fallacy of Anti World-Trade Sentiment.” Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 45, pp. 269-281., 2003
Presentations
- Drilling Contracts, Legal Risk Allocation in Offshore Drilling Contracts / EUCI Seminar: Offshore Contracts
May 2014 - Offshore Liens / Emerging Louisiana Legal and Land Issues on the Outer Continental Shelf Seminar
March 2014 - Maritime Liens for Oilfield Services / PLANO Executive Night Seminar
April 2013.