Serving Energy Industries Nationwide
Headshot Of James Parrot

James Parrot

  • Shareholder

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Practice Areas:

  • Onshore Development & Regulatory Group
  • Transactional & Corporate

Biography

James Parrot brings over two decades of legal expertise to Beatty & Wozniak, specializing in transactional and corporate matters within the energy sector. He is committed to delivering pragmatic, business-driven solutions that enhance operators' capabilities to execute projects and close deals with precision, speed, and security. James's extensive experience spans the upstream and midstream oil and gas sectors, where he advises clients on high-stakes transactions, including financing, credit facilities, acquisitions, divestitures, and commercial agreements. His corporate practice covers entity formation, corporate structuring and restructuring, and governance, ensuring that companies are strategically positioned for growth and compliance.

 

In addition to his transactional work, James has significant experience in energy development projects in Indian Country, where he has represented numerous Tribes in complex energy initiatives. His insight into the unique regulatory and operational challenges of these projects is invaluable to clients pursuing energy opportunities in these regions.

 

James’s passion for energy law was sparked during his international studies, where he witnessed firsthand the challenges posed by unreliable, expensive, or inaccessible energy in developing countries. This experience fueled his determination to contribute to a robust, secure, and affordable domestic energy sector. Today, he is proud to play a role in an industry that serves as the backbone of the global economy, providing reliable energy to billions of people.

 

Before his legal career, James began as a landman in the oil and gas industry. His hands-on experience negotiating leases, drafting joint operating agreements, and conducting due diligence on acquisitions and financing deals across the Rocky Mountains gives him a deep understanding of the practical needs and challenges faced by his clients in the energy sector.

 

A recognized thought leader, James is a frequent speaker and writer on industry topics and remains actively involved in professional organizations. When he's not advising clients, he enjoys spending time with his family, attending his kids' sporting events, and exploring the Rocky Mountain West through skiing, hiking, and fly fishing.

 

Select Experience

Corporate/Transactional

  • Negotiated and closed purchase and sale agreements, private equity and bank financing, joint ventures, acquisitions, and divestitures.
  • Established entities and governing structures, led corporate restructuring, and managed governance for energy companies, including insurance, bonding, reporting, and compliance.
  • Negotiated, drafted, and closed midstream transactions, including right-of-way acquisitions, master service agreements, gas purchase contracts, and asset acquisitions.
  • Handled upstream commercial agreements such as unitization, farm-outs, participation, JOAs, and leases across federal, state, and fee lands.
  • Represented renewable energy clients on CCUS, hydrogen, and helium projects, including 45Q tax credits, leasing, storage, and power supply.
  • Analyzed and rendered due authorization and enforceability opinions for financing agreements, restructurings, and mortgage amendments.

 

Other

  • Provided federal and state regulatory compliance advice to upstream and midstream companies, including UIC and measurement.
  • Represented operators and trade groups in state and local rulemakings and administrative hearings affecting oil and gas operations.
  • Successfully negotiated enhanced recovery units and obtained numerous spacing, pooling, and density orders from state commissions.
  • Served as energy counsel for the Wind River Tribes, Wyoming.


Education

  • University of Denver College of Law, Denver, Colorado
    • J.D. - 2004
    • Honors: Chancellor's Scholar
  • University of Notre Dame
    • B.S. - 1999
    • Honors: cum laude

Professional Associations

  • Colorado, North Dakota and Wyoming Bar Associations, Member
  • Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen Ethics Committee, Chair
  • Colorado Oil and Gas Association Connect Committee
  • Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen Education Committee

Classes & Seminars

  • New Mexico Legislative and Regulatory Update, presentation to the American Association of Professional Landmen, Santa Fe Land Institute and Field Landman Seminar, July, 2021
  • Cover Your Assets: Evaluating Assets and Raising Capital in a Volatile Market, Co-presenter with Jeff Becker at Colorado Bar Association’s Seminar on Oil, Gas, and Mining Law: Current Legal Issues, September 15, 2016
  • Rocky Mountain 2015-2016 Regulatory Update, Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen Summer Educational Event, June 16, 2016
  • The COGCC’s New Enforcement and Penalty Rules, EUCI Webinar, April 1, 2015
  • Send Lawyers, Guns and Money: the COGCC's New $15,000 Fines, Live Presentation for COBAR Natural Resources & Energy Section, January 13, 2015
  • Allocating Horizontal Wellbore Proceeds, Live Presentation for the Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen, January 15, 2014
  • Landmen are from Mars, NDIC Regulators are from Venus: Navigating North Dakota’s Pooling and Spacing Waters, Live Presentation for the Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen, January 16, 2013

Published Works

  • Condemnation Actions and the Mineral Estate, Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen Newsletter, May, 2021
  • Pooling for Landmen in the Rockies and Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Annual Institute, 11-66 Rocky Mt. Min. L. Inst., 2020
  • The Martinez Decision, Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen Fall Land Institute, November, 2018
  • Operator v. Operator—Determining Rights to Operate in Horizontal Plays, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Annual Institute, 2018-64 Rocky Mt. Min. L. Fdn. 29, 2018
  • Wyoming Board of State Lands Adopts New Lease Form, Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen Newsletter, December, 2012
  • Multiple Articles in the Beatty & Wozniak, P.C. Energy News Alert