01
Upstream — acreage, PSCs and JOAs
Exploration and production counsel including PSC and JOA drafting and interpretation, farm-in / farm-out, unitisation issues, and the sequencing of licenses, award letters and field development obligations.
Practice
Oil & Gas Law
Counsel across the hydrocarbon value chain for operators, contractors, financiers and government counterparties.
Overview
How we assist
Oil and gas mandates sit at the intersection of regulation, commercial contracting and dispute risk. Reliefs Law Chambers advises operators, contractors, financiers and government counterparties across the hydrocarbon value chain — from acreage and licensing through production, offtake and decommissioning.
Between 2013 and 2015 we midwifed the legal transactions that led to the acquisition of OPL 2001, OPL 2003 and the Otakpate Oil Field — formerly part of a larger OML divested by Shell/BP and split into Marginal Petroleum Fields. We secured petroleum licenses, award letters and Production Sharing Contracts, defended client rights against encroachment, and negotiated Participation Agreements with foreign Technical Partners and Field Operators.
That experience still shapes how we work: clear documents, disciplined regulatory sequencing, and counsel that protects title, value and operational continuity in Nigeria while remaining fluent with UK commercial practice.
- Exploration, production and PSC / JOA advisory
- Midstream and downstream commercial contracts
- Regulatory licensing, compliance and approvals
- Energy disputes, arbitration and settlement strategy
- Cross-border transactions linking Nigeria and the UK
Clients
Who we act for
- Independent and indigenous producers, farminees and marginal-field operators
- International oil companies, technical partners and field operators
- Service contractors, EPC and midstream counterparties
- Lenders, offtakers and investors in energy assets
- Government and regulatory counterparties on licensing and compliance
Scope of work
What this practice covers
02
Midstream and downstream contracts
Commercial agreements for processing, transportation, storage, offtake and supply — allocating volume, quality, interruption and force majeure risk with operational realism.
03
Licensing, compliance and approvals
Regulatory engagement on petroleum licenses, consents, local-content and HSE interfaces — so projects do not stall for want of a permit or a poorly timed filing.
04
Disputes, arbitration and settlement
Strategy when counterparties encroach, regulators assess, or contracts break down — including arbitration, negotiation and settlement that protect producing assets and reputation.
05
Cross-border Nigeria–UK interfaces
Governing law, dispute forums and financing structures that connect Nigerian operations with UK counterparties, boards and capital — without losing local regulatory grip.
FAQ
Questions on Oil & Gas
Yes. Our dual presence in Port Harcourt and Aberdeen is built for mandates that touch Nigerian operations and UK commercial, financing or professional practice. We coordinate internally so clients are not left translating between two legal cultures.
That is core work. We advise on obtaining and defending petroleum licenses, award letters and Production Sharing Contracts, including the documentary and regulatory steps that lock in title after a bid, farm-in or divestment.
Common instructions include reviewing or negotiating a JOA or PSC, supporting a farm-in or asset acquisition, managing a licensing or compliance process, defending rights against third-party encroachment, and structuring Participation Agreements with a technical partner.
Yes. Transactional work and dispute strategy sit together. Early contractual clarity reduces later conflict; when conflict arises we advise on arbitration, settlement and enforcement with the same commercial focus.
Use the Case Enquiry form, email or telephone. Share the asset, counterparties, governing documents and the decision you need. We will discuss conflicts, engagement terms and the first practical steps before substantive work begins.
Consult this practice
Tell us about the asset, counterparties and the decision you need. We will confirm conflicts and engagement terms before substantive work begins.
