HOUSTON – West Virginia’s Steptoe & Johnson, which has 14 offices in six states, will be participating in the Summer North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) in Texas today and tomorrow.
NAPE is the world’s largest oil and gas expo, Susan Brewer, chief executive officer of Steptoe & Johnson, told The West Virginia Record.
It “serves as a gathering place of sorts where buyers and sellers of energy assets meet face-to-face in the hopes of making deals,” she said.
At the expo, a team of attorneys and lobbyists from Steptoe & Johnson will connect with individuals across the country who are seeking help from energy attorneys who can help with such tasks as transactions and mineral titles, litigation and government relations.
“We regularly handle multi-million-dollar land deals, defend clients faced with diverse needs in the courtroom, prepare accurate title opinions and work with legislators to help influence policy," Brewer said. "Plus, we work closely with clients in the aftermath of a crisis to help them properly respond to administrative agencies, customers, employees and the general public. Our environmental and regulatory attorneys help clients in dealing with state, federal and local regulators. They also help clients with compliance by helping them shape policy in advance of new regulations.”
A team from Steptoe & Johnson has regularly attended NAPE for several years, and always walks away with “valuable contacts and new opportunities to meet people’s needs.”
“At Summer NAPE, we hope to continue that trend, as well as raise the profile of our firm to show the energy industry’s biggest players what we can accomplish for them," Brewer said. "NAPE is a great opportunity to meet with dealmakers throughout the energy sector, and learn about their needs and what we can do to meet them. Forming relationships is crucial in the legal field, and NAPE can often serve as the catalyst for long-lasting relationships with some of the nation’s largest energy producers."
In addition to the connections made, Steptoe & Johnson also can “put a finger on the pulse” of the energy industry, Brewer said.
“We have chances to speak with producers across every region of the nation to learn more about what’s happening, the issues occurring there, what their regulatory environment is like and what we can do to help,” Brewer said.