Posted on March 28, 2007 9:58 AM |Permalink |TrackBacks (0)

by Lisa Fields

The global energy market is changing. Attorneys who seek witnesses for oil and natural gas litigation, or consultants to help compose jargon-heavy contracts, will need access to experts with up-to-date, specialized knowledge. The Round Table Group can help locate an ideal expert for either situation.

"They're very careful when screening people," says oil and natural gas policy expert Kent Moors, PhD, director of the Energy Policy Research Group at Duquesne University, who has been involved with several Round Table Group projects during the past three years. "Giving attorneys access to experts for ongoing client support services, not just litigation, is filling a real need in particular segments that are expanding quickly."

It is difficult for attorneys unfamiliar with the industry to find advisors who have direct access to relevant energy markets and who can provide timely, accurate intelligence and analysis, according to Moors.

"The expert has to be able to say, 'Based on what happened yesterday, here's what you need to consider in the next two months,'" he says. "Don't rely on someone who gets his information from books instead of the current marketplace." Potential experts should be authorities on the following market changes, says Moors:

• The emergence of a new international oil market: In the last year and a half, there have been significant changes to the oil market, especially how fields are operated, how companies are structured and how finance is secured and packaged.
  
  The holding structures that control all aspects of the oil extraction process, from well heads to refineries and retail markets, are also going through significant changes in a number of jurisdictions worldwide.

• The rise of liquefied natural gas: Recently, in some markets, natural gas has been cooled to a liquid state and put in tankers to be shipped anywhere. Previously, the gas was limited to destinations served by pipelines.
  
  This development has the potential to transform the energy market. Right now, liquefied gas is used most frequently in Japan and South Korea, but there are 18 terminals open or in development in the U.S. In 20 years, 15 percent of our market will likely be devoted to liquefied natural gas.

• Changes to oil financing: For decades, all oil contracts worldwide have been paid in U.S. dollars, but that will soon change. Because the European Union has emerged as a strong player in the world energy market, transactions are expected to soon be paid in euros.

If oil or natural gas companies are among your clients and these changes sound overwhelming, choose the right firm to locate someone who can help: the Round Table Group.

For more of Professor Moors' insights, read his article.

Lisa Fields can be reached at Lisa.F@BeTuitive.com.

©BeTuitive Publishing

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