Andrew B. Derman

Andy Derman is an energy attorney in Holland & Knight's Dallas office, where he concentrates his practice on oil and gas investment projects and cross-border transactions. Mr. Derman is the leader of the firm's International Energy practice. He is Board Certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mr. Derman provides strategic commercial and business advice, as well as legal and commercial support, related to acquisitions, divestments, trades and mergers; large infrastructure projects, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas to liquids (GTL) and refineries; nationalization/expropriation; anti-corruption/Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and sanctions; unitizations; onshore and offshore boundary disputes; exploration, development and production operations; production sharing contracts; negotiations; and dispute resolution, including litigation, arbitration and expert testimony.

Industry sources commend Mr. Derman on his experience and skills, saying: 

(He) is a rare individual with a comprehensive understanding of international oil and gas law and contracting and disputes. He is the 'go-to' resource for many of us in the industry.

– U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" guide, 2021

Mr. Derman has assisted clients in more than 80 countries on six continents and offers clients a comprehensive understanding of oil and gas activities through experience with a broad spectrum of countries and companies. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, he served as in-house counsel and later an executive for a large international oil and gas company for nearly 20 years. In addition to traditional legal representation, Mr. Derman also counsels clients on business development and commercial matters, including the identification and capture of oil and gas opportunities.

Mr. Derman is a frequent teacher and lecturer at conferences, seminars and universities on oil and gas-related topics. For more than 30 years, he has taught the full scope of oil and gas contracts, including host government contracts (production sharing, concession, license and service agreements) and industry contracts (joint operating agreements, accounting procedures, confidentiality agreements, study and bidding agreements, lifting agreements, farm-in and participation agreements, unitization agreements, infrastructure contracts, LNG contracts, etc.).

Representative Experience

• Represents publicly traded, private, and national oil and gas companies in their global acquisition, divestment, trade and merger activities
• Assists national oil and gas companies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, as well as public and private companies, in expansion through the identification, negotiation, and capture of oil and gas assets and companies
• Negotiates and drafts host government contracts, including production sharing, concession, license, service and joint venture contracts
• Negotiates and drafts agreements governing the relationship of investors, including operating, secondment, lifting, marketing, studying and bidding, service, consulting, farm-in and participation, and unitization agreements, as well as accounting procedures
• Represents clients in infrastructure projects, including engineering and procurement contracts (EPC), oil and gas development projects, pipelines and LNG projects
• Counsels host governments and oil and gas companies in the development and preparation of legal and contractual regimes
• Advises clients in arbitrations and litigation as an advocate and expert witness, and has served as an arbitrator
• Assists with client growth in the upstream and downstream sector