The Claimant was the operator of a natural gas and crude oil gathering system initiated arbitration proceedings to collect a balloon payment in excess of $200 million, even though the contract did not contain the concept of a balloon payment.
Secretariat professionals were appointed to provide expert testimony on behalf of the non-operator on industry custom and practice related to negotiation of gathering and processing fees, methodologies related to the calculation of such fees and to provide an opinion of whether the methodology described in the gathering agreement was being followed.
The client relied on our long term industry experience to educate and provide insights into the importance of having clear documentation in gathering contracts, and to follow the terms as they are written. The panel agreed with the expert testimony, quoting the expert in the award, stating “we have expert testimony indicating that the rate language of a gathering agreement is the most intensely negotiated language.” The panel rendered a unanimous “take nothing” decision on behalf of our client.
From Revenue to Reputation: What Really Drives Football Club Valuations?
By Shalabh Gupta, Amran Nawaz, and Andrew Costa This article is the second in a series on valuations of sports teams. Read the first article: Valuations of Sports Teams on the Rise: A Tale of Two Continents Introduction Over the last few years, reported values and transaction prices of European football clubs have grown at […]
The Post Office Horizon Inquiry – A Digital Forensics Masterclass
The ongoing Post Office Horizon Inquiry is a landmark case that showcases the power of modern digital forensics in answering a critical question: Who knew what, and when? In his guest post for Legal IT Insider, Jon Fowler examines the opportunities and challenges (including legal and ethical considerations) of using digital forensics within investigations.
A Reflection on the 2023/24 PSR Cases
As the new season begins, we recap and compare the PSR decisions issued during the 2023/24 season, outline the impact of these decisions on the clubs’ transfer strategy during the summer 2024 transfer window, discuss the proposed changes to the PSR for the 2025/26 season, and examine the impact of the looming IFR.