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W. John English, Jr.

John English has been involved in energy and environmental matters since 1972. He is experienced in handling matters that affect the sale and leasing of producing oil and gas properties, commercial real estate, industrial properties, refineries and manufacturing plants. Some of his recent and more significant transactions involving energy, industrial and manufacturing clients are outlined below.

Energy:

• Lead counsel for seller in $320,500,000 stock sale of company owning producing oil and gas properties in Louisiana and Texas.
• Lead energy counsel for buyer in $36,750,000 purchase of producing oil and gas properties in Texas and in negotiating loan to finance the purchase.
• Lead counsel in multifirm team representing independent producer in $165 million private placement Sukuk financing secured by volumetric production payments from properties on the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Represented independent producers in more than a billion dollars worth of purchases and sales of producing properties located in such states as Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Texas and Wyoming.
• Represented independent producers in negotiating and closing a loan secured by producing properties located in Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Texas, Wyoming and on the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Represented several independent producers in sales of net profit interests in producing properties located in Louisiana and Texas.
• Represented independent producer in purchasing exploration and production concessions from the Republic of Honduras and in structuring several joint ventures to explore for and produce oil and gas pursuant to those concessions.
• Represented several producers of oil and gas in preparing, negotiating and signing general and limited partnership agreements.
• Represented several investors in preparing joint venture agreement, reviewing and negotiating loan documents, reviewing and negotiating purchase and sale agreements and preparing closing documents, for acquisition of coalbed gas field and related pipeline in Oklahoma.
• Represented working interest owners in negotiations regarding gas production imbalances.
• Represented unit operators in preparing and negotiating drilling contracts.
• Supervised and performed due diligence in several public offerings and purchases and sales of shares of exploration and production companies.
• Member of Baker Hostetler team of lawyers representing joint venture between two international publicly traded oil companies in acquiring petroleum storage and refining facilities located in Kansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Environmental:

• Lead counsel in multifirm representation of manufacturing subsidiary of publicly traded corporation before Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in alleged violations of state and federal clean air laws.
• Represented sports authority of major Texas city in negotiations with TCEQ about alleged violations of state and federal laws regarding hazardous substances and hazardous waste at site of domed sports arena.
• Represented international laboratory before the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding liability for cleanup of Federal Superfund sites in Louisiana.
• Represented international laboratory in several matters before TCEQ regarding liability for cleanup of State Superfund sites.
• Member of Baker Hostetler’s team of lawyers representing publicly traded national waste disposal firm in planning, conducting and reviewing environmental site assessments and negotiating and preparing documents in purchase of over twenty landfills in several states, including Texas.
• Represented landowner/lessor in negotiations with lessee regarding removal of underground storage tanks and cleanup of land leased for service station operations.
• Represented regional real estate developer in review of environmental site assessment and negotiations with United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding wetlands issues.
• Represented manufacturing firm in obtaining permits required by city ordinances, state and federal laws to open and operate manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas.

Mr. English is an active member of the American, Louisiana, Texas and Houston Bar Associations. Each year from 2002 to 2008, he served as the Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s International Energy and Resources Committee. He is Chair of the American Bar Association's International Energy and Resources Transaction Committee for 2008-2009. He is a past member of the Board of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute.

Mr. English is a frequent speaker at professional seminars on environmental topics, and co-author of Environmental Law Simplified: A Practical Guide for Oil and Gas Operations, Penn Well Books, 1993.