Oil & Gas/Energy Outside of Texas? Forum

[Anonymous User]

A few threads have been created on O&G, but they all seem to point to Texas.

Now, I have nothing against Texas per se but I have zero ties to that state and SO is in banking so it'll be difficult to relocate there without interrupting her career progression. Still, I'm wondering whether it's a viable field outside of TX. Mainly it's because I've spent a couple of years studying and working in the Middle East and picked up Arabic along the way, so I'm hoping I could somehow work that to my advantage. I admit this may be nothing more than a fanciful pipe dream, but what the hell, I figured it couldn't hurt to at least ask.

So my questions are:
1) Does O&G practice exist as a viable option outside of TX, or is that a leprechaun?
2) How do you break into the field, if you don't go to a TX school and have no relevant work experience?

BTW, 1L at HYS here.

[justinp]

Good start: http://www.chambersandpartners.com/1278 ... ion_290745

[BVest]

So my questions are:
1) Does O&G practice exist as a viable option outside of TX, or is that a leprechaun?
2) How do you break into the field, if you don't go to a TX school and have no relevant work experience?

BTW, 1L at HYS here.

1) It does. Generally in smaller (relative to Houston/Dallas) southern cities, plus a good bit in NYC (relative to other cities, but they're small depts relative to other NYC depts), and some regulatory stuff in DC.

2) Take classes. (I don't know what HYS have to offer, but I'm sure they have something relevant. I know NYU has the same O&G Tax offering as Texas, SMU, and UH; it's taught by an adjunct from ExxonMobil, which has probably the biggest tax law dept in the state of Texas, firms included.) Summer in Texas. Seek Texas employment (they do like you HYS folk down here, you know).

ETA: BTW, many of the big oil firms (e.g. ExxonMobil, Shell, Statoil, Valero, Tesoro) (and a lot of the smaller firms, for that matter (e.g. Hunt Oil, Denbury), but they'll be less prestigious and probably have exposure to fewer attorneys) offer summer programs in their very large legal departments. Certainly something worth looking for 1L summer if you don't feel like you have the ties or the experience to seek out O&G biglaw at this point.

[threecharacters]

What type of law do you want to practice (lit v. transactional v. regulatory)? I think DC is viable option. Between the relevant government agencies and large law firms that have a presence in DC, I think there are some solid options. If your SO is banking, he/she will also have a ton of opportunities.