Clients & Matters

Representative Clients
Throughout her 30+ years of practice, Susan Whalen has represented corporations, LLCs, partnerships, individuals, and sole proprietors such as publicly listed and private national and international energy companies as independent producers in the upstream sector (oil and gas production and sales), service providers in the midstream sector (crude transport via pipeline and tankers), and refiners in the downstream sector (crude refining and asphalt sales and distribution); real estate developers and construction companies; product development and marketing companies and inventors; homeowners, landowners and mineral / royalty owners; landlords and tenants; vineyards and tasting rooms; wealth management / registered investment advisors; investors and key stakeholders; and business owners, operators and entrepreneurs in various industries.

Representative Matters
Susan is particularly known for closing transactions and concluding contracts. From due diligence to post-closing guidance, she has assisted clients from beginning to end in completing many corporate formations, mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies; hundreds of real property acquisitions, divestitures, leases, easements and rights-of-way (involving real estate and minerals); over twenty secured transactions and re-financings totaling approximately $900 million; and countless contracts on various business and personal subject matter transactions.

Susan’s 20 years of full time experience in the Energy industry has made her a powerful advocate that led to her recognition as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas by the Oil and Gas Diversity Council. In addition to upstream exploration and production of oil and gas industry-specific experience, her practice includes the legalities related to midstream transportation of oil and gas via pipelines and trucking as well as downstream crude refining, sales and marketing of asphaltic products.

Susan is also recognized for her remarkable focus on decisive case details. Having been involved in hundreds of disputes, administrative proceedings, and litigation matters and testifying dozens of times as the party PMK/PMQ, Susan has been instrumental in analyzing and identifying pivotal facts and legal arguments that served as the catalyst to successfully resolving cases and saving clients hundreds of millions of dollars in potential adverse judgments. This astute perspective is driven by Susan’s acute attention to detail, whether that involves an in-depth review of contract terms, an analysis of government codes, a detection of counter parties’ illegal acts, etc.

Susan is further noted for advancing federal, state and local government relations that have proven to be an effective advantage in addressing regulatory permitting and compliance / environmental issues for her clients. Strong relationships with agency representatives often facilitate matter resolution and are a consideration when developing a strategy.