Mr. Lewis has over 25 years of experience as trusted legal counsel to business clients. He represents clients in energy, international and general business transactions. He has extensive experience with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations. In 2008, he represented clients in US $1.2 billion in M&A transactions.
Mr. Lewis enjoys working closely with business clients to achieve their goals through problem-solving and creative solutions. His clients view him as a valued member of the team who brings a wide range of skills and a wealth of experience. Mr. Lewis is a highly entrepreneurial and experienced transactional attorney. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Colorado Super Lawyers.
Mr. Lewis counsels clients with respect to entity formation including corporations (both Subchapter S and C corporations), limited liability companies, SPEs, partnerships, limited partnerships and joint ventures. Also, he assists clients with capitalization, both equity and debt, including private placements, private equity, project finance and commercial loans. He has experience with management and employment agreements with complex incentive, earn-out, bonus, non-compete and confidentiality provisions. He has expertise in a wide array of commercial transactions, and is well-versed in UCC Article 2 Sales and Article 9 Secured Transactions.
Mr. Lewis has a multi-jurisdictional practice in a broad range of energy transactions. He has experience all aspects of the oil and gas industry including exploration, production, gathering, processing, pipelines, transportation, storage, refining, trading and marketing. His represents clients with respect to the purchase and sale, and financing of, oil and gas properties, seismic, drilling rigs, well service companies, gathering and pipeline systems, processing plants, natural gas storage facilities, bio-diesel plants, refineries and gas stations.
Mr. Lewis has extensive experience in acquisitions and divestitures of producing oil and gas properties. In 2008, he represented clients in a US $410 million acquisition in the Piceance Basin of Colorado, and a US $365 million sale in the Uintah Basin of Utah. In recent years, resource plays have led the way in oil and gas industry, and Mr. Lewis has assisted clients in the Barnett, Fayetteville, Haynesville, Bakken, Mancos, Mowry, New Albany and Marcellus Shale. He routinely drafts purchase and sale agreements, letters of intent, confidentiality agreements and brokerage agreements. He counsels clients with respect to data room and bidding procedures, due diligence, title review and contract negotiation. He is knowledgeable in all aspects of conveyancing, including mineral and royalty deeds, as well as override and leasehold assignments.
Mr. Lewis assists clients with oil and gas production loans including credit agreements, mortgages, deeds of trust, assignments of proceeds, security agreements and financing statements. In addition, he advises clients with regard to the marketing and sale of oil and gas, including hedging transactions and ISDA agreements. He is experienced with gathering, compression, processing, transportation and marketing agreements.
Mr. Lewis has extensive experience with oil and gas exploration, both domestically and internationally. In the United States, he represents clients from the North Slope and Columbia River Basin, across the country to the Appalachian Basin, and down to the Fort Worth Basin and the Gulf Coast. Internationally, he has represented clients with projects around the world, including Trinidad, Colombia, Peru, Thailand, Australia and the North Sea. He regularly advises clients with respect to energy transactions with Canadian companies.
Mr. Lewis counsels clients with respect to exploration, farm-out, bottom-hole, participation, development, operating, unit, pooling, AMI and joint venture agreements. He is well-versed in oil and gas leasing covering fee, federal, state, tribal and coastal lands, as well as international concessions and production sharing contracts. Advances in seismic technology, particularly 3-D seismic, have opened new oil and gas opportunities, and Mr. Lewis assists clients with data acquisition, group shoot, seismic option, data sharing, seismic license, processing, non-compete and confidentiality agreements. Also, he represents clients with regard to drilling contracts and master services agreements, and advises clients with regard to operational, bonding, insurance and indemnification issues.
Mr. Lewis’s interest in the American West inspired his collection of paintings, prints and photographs. His collection has been exhibited nationally, and a portion of the collection is on view at the offices of Ducker Montgomery. He was listed in Art & Antiques 100 Top Collectors in 2004 and 2005, and is one of the founding patrons of the Photography Department at the Denver Art Museum. Portions of this collection have been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.
Practice Areas
Energy & Natural Resources, Business & Corporate
Education
University of Denver College of Law, J.D. 1981
Natural Resources Fellowship,
Kennecott Corporation 1980
Legal Intern, Alaska Federation of
Natives 1980
Natural Resources Fellowship,
Mobil Corporation 1979
Hobart College, B.A. 1977
Bar and Court Admissions
Colorado 1981
U.S. District Court, Colorado
U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Other Professional Affiliations
American Bar Association,
Environment, Energy & Resources
Colorado Bar Association,
Natural Resources & Energy Law
Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
Independent Petroleum Association of the
Mountain States
American Association of Professional Landmen
Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen,
Chair of Ethics Committee; Past Chair of
Legal & Legislative Committee
Denver Association of Oil & Gas
Title Lawyers
Publications and Lectures
“Gas Supply Roundup: Energy in the Southwest,” Law Seminars International, Santa Fe, NM, July 2005.
“Confidential Information in the Oil and Gas Industry,” Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen, Denver, CO, February 2004.
“Issues in Multiple Party Oil and Gas Transactions,” Rocky Mountain Landman, Vol. 18, Issue 10, 2000
“Personal Business: Collecting The Old West,” Business Week, July 11, 2005
Honors and Distinctions
Best Lawyers in America
Colorado Super Lawyers
Martindale-Hubbell AV-rating