Energy, resources and transition disputes, from contract to recovery

Commercial, technical and cross-border at once

Energy disputes grow out of the contract, the operating records, events in the field, technical questions and regulation. We work from those facts at every stage: prevention, assessment, arbitration and enforcement.

Long-term supply and offtake

Price review, nominations, take-or-pay, quality, delivery, force majeure and change in law under long-term supply arrangements.

Upstream and joint operations

Disputes over operatorship, cash calls, work programmes, cost recovery, allocation, audit, decommissioning and partner rights.

Power and renewables

Power purchase agreements, curtailment, grid connection, availability, milestones, performance and regulatory change.

Projects and infrastructure

Claims over EPC works, commissioning, delay, defects, performance guarantees and interface risk on major projects.

Commodities and trading

Pricing, delivery, sanctions, payment, quality, title, transport and disputes linked to hedging.

States and regulators

Concessions, licences, State entities, transition policy, environmental duties and public-law issues that affect the commercial dispute.

Start with the decision you face

We match each problem to the lightest step that will work, and keep arbitration ready for when you need a binding decision.

Before You Sign

Test how your contract will hold up in a dispute while you can still change it.

Before You Arbitrate

Get a clear view of merits, evidence, quantum and commercial exposure before full proceedings.

Arbitration

A procedure built around your records, your experts, your timetable and the countries involved.

Before You Enforce

Link your award or right to assets, jurisdictions, security and recovery.

Many disputes start long before the first notice

A prevention review targets the parts of your contracts and operations most likely to cause ambiguity, weak evidence, escalation or trouble with recovery.

Pricing and price review

Set clear benchmarks, indices, review triggers, fallback methods, reopener rights and the records to support them.

Force majeure and change in law

Treat physical interruption, regulatory change, sanctions, price impact and the duty to mitigate as separate questions.

Joint operating governance

Make approvals, cash calls, budgets, operator powers, audit, information rights and deadlock routes clear.

Performance and technical evidence

Make sure testing, acceptance, metering, quality, availability and expert evidence all match the contract.

Transition and environmental risk

Decide who is responsible for decommissioning, emissions, carbon, remediation and regulatory change.

Seat, relief and recovery

Link the arbitration clause, interim measures, State-entity issues, assets and the likely places of enforcement.

The documents we work with

• Long-term energy contracts: supply, offtake, transportation, storage, processing, pricing and performance terms.
• Joint venture and upstream documents: operatorship, work programmes, budgets, cash calls, audit, allocation and decommissioning.
• Power and renewable project documents: offtake, grid connection, EPC, O&M, performance and project finance.
• Commodity and trading records: confirmations, nominations, notices, pricing sources, quality documents, shipping and payment records.
• Regulatory and State instruments: licences, concessions, permits, transition measures and dealings with State entities, where relevant.

Who we work with

Each party comes with a different commercial question. Here is where we can help you, whether or not your matter ever reaches arbitration.

IOCs, NOCs and energy companies

Upstream, midstream, LNG, power, renewables, trading and transition disputes.

Developers and sponsors

Contract structure, project performance, grid, offtake, EPC and financing.

Governments and State entities

Concession, licence, project, supply and investment disputes, within the applicable legal framework.

Lenders and investors

Project risk, security, performance, restructuring and recovery.

Traders and commodity businesses

Disputes over delivery, pricing, sanctions, payment, title, transport and market events.

Counsel, experts and neutrals

Energy-specific procedure, technical evidence, quantum, valuation and jurisdiction.

Sector Bench members bring real energy expertise

Sector Bench standing helps you find practitioners with genuine energy experience. It gives no right to arbitral, neutral, expert or other appointments.

Qualification

A relevant qualification in law, engineering, energy, economics, valuation or a related profession.

Experience

Real work on energy contracts, projects, regulation, transactions or disputes.

Sector knowledge

Proven familiarity with energy economics, project records, technical evidence or regulation.

Independence

Able to meet the independence, disclosure and conflict rules for any later role.

Procedure

Knows how to handle technical and commercial records in dispute resolution.

Geography

Cross-border awareness, while advising on domestic law only where actually qualified.

Managed centrally, with local counsel where needed

Online filing, secure document exchange, video meetings, specialist review and country-by-country guidance all work across borders. Work reserved to local lawyers stays with them.

• Remote delivery: central case management, secure exchange, virtual meetings and specialist sector review, wherever you are.
• Local counsel: advice on local law and representation in court stays with qualified local counsel. We will tell you when you need them.
• Appointment firewall: being a Fellow, sitting on a Sector Bench or the Council, or having worked with UNIONE™ before, gives no right to appointments, referrals, clients or cases.
• Enforcement planning: where assets or the shape of the dispute make recovery important, we look at recognition and enforcement early.

Where are you now?

Start with the energy decision in front of you. We fit the process to the problem, not the other way round.

Contract or project set-up

The risk can still be designed out, allocated or better documented.

Live dispute or claim

You need an independent view before choosing a process.

Binding decision needed

Your matter is ready for arbitration.

Award or recovery

Recognition, assets, security or where to enforce is now the main issue.