Leopoldo Olavarría has 25 years of experience in oil and gas transactions, with a strong focus on cross-border oil and gas projects, assisting clients in assembling portfolios of E&P properties, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and drafting and negotiating oil and natural gas supply agreements. During this time he has participated in a myriad of projects, from complex, vertically integrated projects, to smaller exploration projects and multijurisdictional transactions.
Recently, he has assisted clients with projects and transactions in Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Argentina, and other Latin American countries. His experience includes drafting and negotiating agreements to acquire companies or equity participations in hydrocarbon producing interests in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador and other Latin American countries, and associated due diligence reviews, acquisition agreements (such as earn-in and farm-in agreements) and joint venture agreements (including joint operating agreements and production sharing contracts), project development agreements, and engineering, procurement and construction contracts. He also has significant experience in the areas of competition and commercial law, and international trade and investments.
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Venezuelan chapter of the Gas Processors’ Association (“AVPG”) since 2004 and led the chapter’s legal and tax committee from 2006 to 2012. In that capacity, he acted as coordinator of several publications, including AVPG’s 20th anniversary publication entitled “Integral Development of the Venezuelan Natural Gas Industry, a Historical and Legal Review” in November 2004.
He has also provided in-house training on the AIPN form of international JOA and accounting procedures to several oil and gas companies and has lectured on the legal regimes for the conduct of oil and gas activities in Latin America.
In Venezuela, he specializes in risk identification and mitigation analysis, regulatory issues and requirements for the conduct of oil and gas operations, governmental bidding processes and government procurement contracts.
Mr. Olavarría is the Latin American leader of our energy practice.
