future-focused

Liskow has for decades been a leader in the oil & gas and maritime industries for contract drafting and negotiations to maximize commercial benefits and allocate and minimize commercial risk.

Overview

In our comprehensive contracts practice, Liskow lawyers serve clients throughout all stages of contract drafting and negotiation. Areas in which our lawyers have considerable skills and experience include master service agreements, bareboat and time charters, flight service agreements, construction contracts, as well as daywork, footage, and turnkey drilling contracts.

Often the primary goal of many of these projects is the application and enforceability of indemnity and insurance provisions, which in turn requires in depth knowledge of applicable maritime law or state law which can potentially invalidate indemnity and insurance rights. We believe that communicating and resolving contract and insurance complexities in advance is one of the best ways to improve our clients’ bottom lines and avoid protracted litigation. Our contract specialists often work in conjunction with the firm’s business lawyers to address favorable commercial terms and tax treatment so that a client’s complete needs are reflected in the contracts it enters.

Once a contract is finalized, we protect and support clients by providing prompt advice when disputes arise, such as force majeure events, equipment malfunctions, business interruption, blowouts, environmental incidents, and mid-project contract terminations. We also have a wealth of experience supporting litigation of contract disputes when those arise.

Notable Experience

The firm’s knowledge of the interplay of contractual rights, choice-of-law and applicable law is illustrated in recent decision from the U.S.D.C. for the Western District of Louisiana in which the firm represented an oil company against whom indemnity was sought for an accident occurring on the Outer Continental Shelf. Understanding the mandatory choice-of-law provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the application of maritime law or state law is critical in providing legal advice in the negotiation and drafting of contracts before such an incident takes place.

Client Assessments

The firm takes great pride in satisfying our clients’ needs, and the following are a few client comments that we were thankful to receive:

  • “Bill Pugh with Liskow & Lewis is the preeminent lawyer for all types of contracting in the Gulf of Mexico and is the go-to attorney for anything related to insurance and indemnity.”
  • “Liskow & Lewis is my go-to firm for admiralty and maritime matters, including litigation, contracts and regulatory issues. They are knowledgeable and greatly respected by the bench and bar. They get fantastic results in a cost-effective manner, and they never lose their focus on the client.”
  • “Liskow & Lewis is a solid firm for handling maritime issues, particularly regulatory issues, indemnity, and personal injury.
Our Team