Overview
Tanner Sykes advises public and private companies, private equity funds and other financial sponsors in connection with corporate matters and strategic transactions. His practice focuses on a wide range of corporate and energy-related matters located onshore, offshore, upstream, midstream and international, including:
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Joint Development Agreements (including JOAs)
- Farmouts
- Master Service Agreements
- Drilling Contracts
- Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contracts
- Production Sharing Contracts
- Leases and Easements (including Oil and Gas, Geothermal and CCUS)
Previously, he served as VP-Land & General Counsel for Sierra Resources, LLC. While in this role, Sierra partnered with multiple private equity sponsors for the development and divestment of oil and gas developments along the Gulf Coast.
Tanner has extensive energy experience in several US basins, the Gulf of Mexico and in Latin America and has a deep understanding of all phases of oil and gas development, operations, regulatory compliance and financing. He began his career with El Paso Corporation in 2007 and is a Certified Professional Landman.
Areas of Focus
Experience
Upstream
- Represented Talos Energy LLC and certain affiliates in a stock purchase agreement in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Represented an operator in Guyana in a farmout of Participating Interests in an offshore block in Guyana.
- Represented an operator in Guyana in its offshore drilling campaign.
- Represented a Texas based operator in the acquisition of a 30,000 acre oil and gas lease in Texas.
- Represented the seller for a producing property to a private oil and gas operator in La Salle and McMullen Counties, Texas.
- Represented an operator in the formation of a Joint Venture in Louisiana.
- Represented the buyer in the acquisition producing properties from ConocoPhillips, Murphy Oil Corporation and Foundation Energy Management in La Salle and McMullen Counties, Texas.
Midstream
- Represented the management team in the formation of a private equity backed midstream company.
- Represented a midstream company in Texas and New Mexico with a gas gathering agreement with its anchor shipper.
Oilfield Service
- Represented a plugging and abandonment services company in the negotiation of key agreements.
Renewables and Energy Transition
- Represented a LNG export facility in its acquisition of carbon capture and sequestration rights in Texas.
- Represented a private company in its formation and its acquisition of geothermal rights in Texas.
- Represented Criterion Energy Partners in the acquisition of a 10,000 acre geothermal lease in Texas.
Other
- Represented the seller of a mortgage loan servicing platform to a private buyer.
- Represented a private seller in the sale of unimproved ranch real estate to a residential home developer in Texas.
- Represented the seller in an asset divestiture of a mortgage loan servicing platform.
- Represented Redwood Trust in connection with the acquisition of Riverbend Funding, LLC and its subsidiaries, a private mortgage lender to residential transitional and commercial real estate investors.
Perspectives
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July/August 2022
California “Paying Quantities” Law and Current Trends Affecting Idle Oil or Gas Wells
Landman Magazine
Events
Education
South Texas College of Law, JD
Texas Tech University, MA
Texas Tech University, BA
Admissions
- Texas
Activities
- State Bar of Texas: Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Section
- Houston Bar Association
- American Association of Professional Landmen