Ryan Purpura

Ryan T. Purpura, a partner in the Pittsburgh office, is the chair of the firm’s energy practice. Ryan represents oil and gas companies, private equity and hedge funds and other financial institutions in mergers and acquisitions, project finance and development and other transactions related to the energy industry.

Ryan also frequently lectures on topics related to oil and gas, and has served as an adjunct professor teaching Energy Law at Duquesne University’s School of Law. Ryan’s experience includes :

• Joint ventures and other strategic combinations in connection with the development of oil and gas assets primarily in domestic shale areas
• Financing transactions including volumetric production payments, net profits interests and mineral royalty funds
• Acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas assets, midstream and master limited partnership assets, and oilfield service businesses

He also has served as in-house counsel to two publicly-traded natural gas companies, where he advised on a range of commercial and operations issues, including oil and gas marketing arrangements, land acquisition and development, employment matters, and litigation.

Ryan also serves as outside general counsel to several E&P and midstream companies, advising them on all aspects of their operations. Ryan is an advisory board member for Pennsylvania State University’s energy land management program and for the Institute for Energy Law.

He also serves as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation. As an active member of his community, Ryan co-founded and provided legal oversight to Operation Troop Appreciation, a Pittsburgh nonprofit corporation supporting U.S. military personnel overseas.

EXPERIENCE :

• Representation of Reliance Industries Limited, an India-based industrial enterprise in its joint $1.7 billion joint venture with one of the largest independent natural gas producers in the Appalachian Basin.
• Representation of CNX Resources Corporation (NYSE: CNX),  in its $3.4 billion joint venture with Noble Energy Inc., a petroleum and natural gas company.
• Representation of CNX Resources Corporation (NYSE: CNX), in its $593 million joint venture with Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES), a global independent energy company.
• Representation of one of the world’s largest independent asset management firms with over $45 billion in assets under management, as co-investor, in connection with the acquisition of a crude oil refinery, pipeline and retail gas station operations.
• Representation of a publicly traded global fuel logistics company in its acquisition of a provider of electricity supply solutions.
• Representation of a UK-based multinational power and commodities company in its sale of an onshore oil and gas subsidiary to a private U.S. – based oil and gas company.
• Representation of American Natural Supply, Cleopatra Resource’s wholesale distribution subsidiary, in its acquisition of W.G. Satterlee and Sons, a leading wholesale fuel distributor.
• Representation of multiple mineral assets, royalties and overriding royalties companies in multiple acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas assets across the U.S.

Education :

• University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, MBA, Finance, 2004
• University of Pittsburgh School of Law, JD, Member, Journal of Law and Commerce, 2004
• The Pennsylvania State University, BS, Economics, Dean’s List, 2001

Admissions :

• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Affiliations :

• Member, Marcellus Shale Coalition
• Member, Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
• Advisory Board Member, Penn State University Energy Land Management Program
• Member, Ohio Oil & Gas Association