Benedict J. Kirchner focuses his practice on energy and natural resources law related to the acquisition and disposition of oil and gas assets, as well as the areas of commercial and international transactions, and export and foreign investor matters.
Mr. Kirchner regularly assists upstream exploration and production companies, midstream companies, and private equity firms with mineral title examinations, title curative, and land and legal due diligence associated with acquisitions and dispositions throughout the Appalachian Basin. He completed multidisciplinary graduate coursework related to Central Asia, Russia, and China, including language training in Russian, Uzbek, and Uyghur.
Mr. Kirchner has worked in the Middle East, as well as studied in Central Asia and Europe. He is a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Program in Energy Land Management at the Pennsylvania State University and the Strategic Planning Committee of the Institute for Energy Law.
He is currently serving as the Deputy Technology Officer, Co-Chair of the International Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Co-Chair of the International Investment and Development Committee for the American Bar Association Section of International Law. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
EXPERIENCE:
- Acted as local counsel at a lease signing event which aided a major oil and gas production company in the acquisition of more than 80,000 leasehold acres
- Coordinated teams of attorneys, abstractors, and landmen in the performance of pre-closing and post-closing due diligence for oil and gas transactions; reviewing title opinions; organizing defect and curative reports; and preparing closing documents
- Performed oil, gas, and coal title examinations and drafted the corresponding title opinions and related curative documents to assist a wide variety of clients in acquiring desired property rights
- Assisted Private Equity firm in the acquisition of oil and gas portfolio companies and other oil and gas assets in the Marcellus Shale
- Drafted contracts for importing and exporting goods in cross-border transactions, including the analysis of relevant customs regulations, border controls, and bilateral trade agreements
- Advised on transactions involving foreign investors and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)
Education:
- J.D. Indiana University Maurer School of Law
- B.A. The Pennsylvania State University
Memberships:
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Co-Chair, International Energy & Natural Resources Committee, ABA Section of International Law
- Co-Chair, International Investment & Development Committee, ABA Section of International Law
- Immediate Past Co-Chair & Senior Advisor, Eurasia & Russia Committee, ABA Section of International Law
- Former Chair, Subcommittee on Hydraulic Fracturing, International Energy & Natural Resources Committee, ABA Section of International Law
- Member, Customs Law Committee, Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee, International Anti-Corruption Committee, International Private Equity Committee, International Trade Committee, Islamic Finance Committee, and Middle East Committee, ABA Section of International Law
- Admitted to practice before the United States Court of International Trade
- Admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Member, Strategic Planning Committee, Institute for Energy Law
- Member, Advisory Board, Oil and Gas Committee, International Committee, and Young Energy Professionals Committee, Institute for Energy Law
- Member, The Corporate Advisory Board for the Program in Energy Land Management at Penn State
Cost
Rate : $$$