People
Peter Hays is a commercial oil and gas lawyer. He represents companies and entrepreneurs in upstream, midstream, and downstream hydrocarbons transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and project development.
Pete practices both domestically and internationally, onshore and offshore. He is board certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
In addition to his M&A and joint ventures practice, Pete regularly advises clients in certain specialty areas, including:
- advanced due diligence / valuation strategies
- midstream contracts (all types of gas, oil and liquids marketing / takeaway arrangements)
- gas sales agreements (incl. netback pricing arrangements - against power, LNG prices)
- unitization agreements
- accounting procedures (COPAS and AIPN forms)
Pete has been focused on oil and gas for his entire legal career. Before entering private practice, he clerked for Chief Judge Hayden Head of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and in law school at the University of Texas he was a research clerk for Professor Ernest E. Smith, Rex G. Baker Centennial Chair in Natural Resources Law. Mid-way through his private practice, he worked as the sole lawyer at a start-up oil and gas company, where he experienced the types of issues that often face oil and gas entrepreneurs, like financing, systems and compliance.
J.D., The University of Texas School of Law, with honors
B.A., The University of Texas at Austin
Texas
Law Clerk, Judge Hayden Head, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Board Certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law, by Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Editor, Chambers Global Practice Guide – Energy: Oil and Gas
Member and Advisory Board, Institute for Energy Law (IEL)
Member, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN)
Member, Independent Petroleum Association of America
Member, Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico
Member, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF)
Member, State Bar of Texas
June 8, 2023
King & Spalding Earns Top-Tier Rankings in Legal 500 United States 2023 Guide
June 1, 2023
Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes 186 K&S Lawyers and 84 K&S Practice Groups as Leaders in Their Fields
February 16, 2023
King & Spalding Earns Strong Rankings in Chambers Global 2023 Results
Acquisition of upstream and midstream assets in the Fayetteville Shale for $4.75 billion.
Unitization of the St. John’s Dome helium and CO2 field in Apache County, Arizona, the first unitization in Arizona (represented operator/developer).
Sale of oil and gas fields in the Permian Basin, the Antrim Shale and the Black Warrior Basin for $4 billion.
See more
November 3, 2021
EPA’s Proposed Methane Rule to Increase Regulatory Burden on “Super Pollutant”
June 25, 2019
The New Midstream Transactions
June 8, 2023
King & Spalding Earns Top-Tier Rankings in Legal 500 United States 2023 Guide
June 1, 2023
Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes 186 K&S Lawyers and 84 K&S Practice Groups as Leaders in Their Fields
February 16, 2023
King & Spalding Earns Strong Rankings in Chambers Global 2023 Results
Acquisition of upstream and midstream assets in the Fayetteville Shale for $4.75 billion.
Unitization of the St. John’s Dome helium and CO2 field in Apache County, Arizona, the first unitization in Arizona (represented operator/developer).
Sale of oil and gas fields in the Permian Basin, the Antrim Shale and the Black Warrior Basin for $4 billion.
See more
November 3, 2021
EPA’s Proposed Methane Rule to Increase Regulatory Burden on “Super Pollutant”
June 25, 2019
The New Midstream Transactions
June 8, 2023
King & Spalding Earns Top-Tier Rankings in Legal 500 United States 2023 Guide
June 1, 2023
Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes 186 K&S Lawyers and 84 K&S Practice Groups as Leaders in Their Fields
February 16, 2023
King & Spalding Earns Strong Rankings in Chambers Global 2023 Results
J.D., The University of Texas School of Law, with honors
B.A., The University of Texas at Austin
Texas
Law Clerk, Judge Hayden Head, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Board Certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law, by Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Editor, Chambers Global Practice Guide – Energy: Oil and Gas
Member and Advisory Board, Institute for Energy Law (IEL)
Member, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN)
Member, Independent Petroleum Association of America
Member, Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico
Member, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF)
Member, State Bar of Texas