LEGAL AREAS OF CONCENTRATION

Energy Law
Litigation (Oil & Gas, Environmental, Class Actions, Technology, Contracts, Personal Injury, Product Liability and Patent Infringement)
Administrative Law (Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Dept. of Environmental Quality)
Unclaimed Property
School Law

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

Mr. Spiegelberg has been a Shareholder at Pray Walker since 1998. He was previously: a partner at Boesche, McDermott & Eskridge (1986-1997); Regional Counsel for Apache Corporation (1982-1986); Senior Attorney Cities Service Company (1978-1982); and Captain USAF Staff Judge Advocate (1974-1977). Since 1978, Mr. Spiegelberg has concentrated his legal services dealing with the full range of issues and litigation regarding the oil and gas industry and environmental law. Since 1978, he has been actively handling litigation in both Texas and Oklahoma. He is admitted to the Bar in Maryland, Texas and Oklahoma. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the 5th and 10th Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as most of the U.S. District Courts in Texas and Oklahoma.

Since 1983, he has built an active administrative law practice before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission; the Texas Railroad Commission; environmental, underground storage tank and water resources agencies; and unclaimed property and escheat agencies in Texas and Oklahoma.

Mr. Spiegelberg also has extensive experience representing oil and gas companies that have experienced well blowouts. This has involved hearings before the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Geological Survey for an offshore well blowout, and the Texas Railroad Commission for one of the largest on shore blowout in the continental United States. Lawsuits from these blowouts included personal injury, wrongful death, product liability and contract issues. To properly prepare for defending the well operator in the offshore blowout case when he worked for Cities Service Company, Mr. Spiegelberg attended and successfully passed the rigorous course work at a USGS approved Well Control School.

Mr. Spiegelberg’s expertise has been recognized by his peers, various organizations and governmental agencies as evidenced by the numerous requests to present papers or to speak at seminars. For example, he authored a paper for the SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) entitled “Oilfield Pollution: Can There Be Settlement Without Remediation” presented at the SPE/EPA Exploration & Production Environmental Conference, Houston, Texas March 27-29, 1995. He was the only attorney to speak at the Society of Petroleum Engineers/EPA Conference. In 2003, he was invited to speak at the prestigious Eugene Kuntz Conference on Natural Resources Law & Policy where his topic was “Environmental Damages to Land from Oil & Gas Operations.”

After Mr. Spiegelberg co-authored an article published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal entitled “Unclaimed Property: A Primer in the Law of Escheat,” he has spoken at more than a dozen seminars in five different cities. In 2003, the Treasurer of the State of Oklahoma invited Mr. Spiegelberg to be one of two instructors at the State sponsored Unclaimed Property Holder Tulsa Seminar where his topic was “Industry Specific Issues: Mineral Proceeds, Oil & Gas, Securities, and Financial Institutions. His most recent article was published in The American Oil & Gas Reporter in the June and July 2004 issues as a Special Feature. The article was entitled “States Move to Capture Unclaimed Property Mineral Proceeds”.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Kent State University
Bachelor of Arts (1970)

Duke University School of Law
Juris Doctorate (1973)

LEGAL ASSOCIATIONS

American Bar Association
• Member and Vice-Chair of ABA Section on Natural Resources

Oklahoma Bar Association

Texas Bar Association

Tulsa County Bar Association
• Member and President of Mineral Law Section

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

Mr. Spiegelberg has represented a wide variety of major and independent oil and gas companies, grocery and university clients, oilfield service companies, pipelines, manufacturers and fabricating companies, software developers, search engine providers and individuals.

CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS

Union Public Schools: Board Member and President (1989-1998)
Burning Tree Homeowners Association: President (1981-1985).