Upstream Disputes Series Blog Post #2 In upstream oil and gas disputes, royalty litigation rarely turns on dramatic factual revelations. More often, it turns on methodology, transportation allowances, affiliate pricing, cost allocation formulas, index selection, and the application of regulatory caps. These disputes are not glamorous. They are highly technical, accounting-driven, and governed by complex federal regulations. Yet they frequently involve millions of dollars in e

This week I am in Dallas attending the American Arbitration Association’s “Arbitration Fundamentals and Best Practices” program: a two-day intensive training for new members of the AAA panel of arbitrators. For me, this is both a professional milestone and a personal honor. The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is one of the leading dispute resolution organizations in the world. The organization receives many more nominations for its arbitrator panels than it ultimately

Upstream Disputes Series Blog Post #1 Federal oil and gas royalty disputes rarely begin in a courtroom. They begin in accounting entries, transportation allowance calculations, and internal spreadsheets that, at first glance, appear technical and routine. Yet those spreadsheets often form the foundation for some of the most consequential financial disputes in the upstream oil and gas industry. Why This Matters for Royalty Dispute Resolution Disputes involving federal oil and

Over the past several weeks, Greenland has remained at the center of a geopolitical conversation that often feels unmoored from reality. Rhetoric has intensified, headlines have grown sharper, and speculation has multiplied—particularly around natural resources and military positioning. What has been largely missing from that conversation is a sober assessment of what Greenland realistically is, what it can and cannot support, and why it matters to the United States in the fi