Ryan T. Purpura

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. A recognized practitioner in Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as across the United States, 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 regarding the development of oil and gas assets, primarily in domestic shale areas
• Acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas assets, midstream and master limited partnership assets, and oilfield service businesses
• Financing transactions, including volumetric production payments, net profits interests and mineral royalty funds

He has served as in-house counsel to two publicly traded natural gas companies (including the first-ever exploration and production master limited partnership), 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 exploration and production and midstream companies, advising them on all aspects of their operations.

During law school, Ryan was a Member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Journal of Law and Commerce.

• Represented one of the largest natural gas producers in the United States in a $200 million innovative and first-of-its-kind asset-backed securitization and equity capital transaction.
• Successfully represented a multibillion-dollar assets under management (“AUM”) credit fund in connection with the $1.8 billion acquisition of a Wyoming-based natural gas producer by all-cash merger, and the subsequent $787 million sale of producing wellbores to affiliates of a Texas-based hedge fund manager.
• Represented a gas and oil production company in its $250 million acquisition of certain oil and gas properties and related assets in East Texas from a portfolio company.
• Represented one of the largest energy and utility companies in the United States in its $4.4 billion acquisition plus the assumption of debt for a total enterprise value of $6 billion of a natural gas-focused energy company.
• Represented an oil & energy company based out of San Antonio, Texas, in its $444 million acquisition of storage and terminalling assets in Alaska from subsidiaries of a Fortune 100 petroleum refineries company.
• Represented 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 in Hawaii.
• Represented an independent natural gas producer in its $222 million sale of its Marcellus shale oil and gas assets in Pennsylvania through its Chapter 11 363 bankruptcy sale process.
• Represented a private-equity backed independent producer in its $150 million acquisition and financing of the Marcellus shale oil and gas assets, including wells, leases, and midstream gathering system of an oil and natural gas exploration and production company.
• Represented one of the largest natural gas producers in the United States in its $72 million divestiture of certain oil and gas assets held in Texas.
• Represented a multibillion AUM family office in the $75 million acquisition of various revenue and overriding royalty interests in Texas from an affiliate of a private equity firm specializing in the energy industry.
• Represented a multibillion AUM family office in the $227 million acquisition of various oil and gas overriding royalty interests and non-operated working interests in Texas from an affiliate of a private equity firm making direct equity investments in the energy sector.
• Represented one of the largest independent producers of water infrastructure and disposal services for energy companies in the Permian Basin whose assets included 24 saltwater disposal wells with a permitted daily disposal capacity of approximately 600,000 barrels, 150 miles of pipeline gathering systems, and other supporting infrastructure in its $350 million sale to a subsidiary of a national owner and operating of tanker trucks, salt water gathering pipelines, and disposal facilities.
• Represented an independent oil and gas investment company in the acquisition and financing of oil and gas assets, including wells, leases, and midstream gathering system from a multinational oil and gas company, and the subsequent sale of the midstream assets to the subsidiary of a publicly trade natural gas utility provider.
• Represented the energy fund of a global asset manager in an equity investment in the newly formed holding company of a Texas-based oil and gas producer.
• Represented 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.
• Represented a new publicly traded coal company regarding its spin-off from a new publicly traded natural gas company.
• Represented a new publicly traded natural gas company in its $3.4 billion joint venture with a petroleum and natural gas company.
• Represented a new publicly traded natural gas company in its $593 million joint venture with a global independent energy company.
• Represented a publicly traded independent oil and gas company in numerous oil and gas asset acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
• Represented a private equity firm specializing in energy infrastructure assets, in its acquisition of the assets of a company engaged in the exploration, extraction, production, and transportation of natural gas and oil in the United States by its affiliate.
• Represented an oil and gas operator in its acquisition of upstream and midstream oil and gas assets from a multinational oil and gas company.
• Represented an oil and gas operator in its sale of midstream assets to a supplier and marketer of natural gas, liquid fuels, and electricity.
• Represented a publicly traded global fuel logistics company in its acquisition of a provider of electricity supply solutions.
• Represented a capital provider specializing in distressed investments in its investment in an oil field services company.
• Represented 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.
• Represented a publicly traded leading independent natural gas company in multiple acquisitions and divestitures of its oil and gas assets.
• Represented a convenience store and fuel distribution business a leading wholesale fuel distributor.
• Represented the management group of a newly formed energy midstream company in Texas focused exclusively on water infrastructure projects across North America in connection with securing an initial funding commitment from a Houston-based private equity firm.
• Represented multiple mineral assets, royalties and overriding royalties companies in multiple acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas assets across the United States.
• Represented a wide range of energy companies and investors in assessing, acquiring, and/or disposing of assets and/or venture interests in multiple producing basins, including the Permian and Appalachian Basins, as well as the Barnett, Marcellus, and Utica Shale formations.
• Assisted publicly traded and privately held energy companies and master limited partnerships in asset acquisitions and drop downs and debt and equity financings, as well as day-to-day business activities.
• Represented acquirers and joint venture participants in organizing and completing large-scale mineral title abstracting and diligence projects.

• Event

  Tenth Annual Energy Industry Update: Innovating | Adapting | Advancing

  Blank Rome-Hosted Event November 14, 2024

  Susan L. Bickley, Andrew P. Cross, Ryan A. Haddad, Margaret Anne Hill, Matthew D. Lea, Keith B. Letourneau

• Press Release

  Blank Rome Bolsters Energy Industry Team in Houston and Pittsburgh with Leading Transactional Group

  July 18, 2024

  Ryan T. Purpura, Matthew D. Lea, Ryan A. Haddad

See all News and Views

• 2024, Energy Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Oil and Gas Law (selected through peer review), listed in The Best Lawyers in America©
• 2019–2024, Corporate/M&A & Private Equity Law in Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh & Surrounds (Band 1 since 2022), listed in Chambers USA
• 2022–2024, Energy & Natural Resources Law in Pennsylvania, listed in Chambers USA 
• 2017–2023, “Next Generation Partner” for Energy: Energy Transactions: Oil And Gas, listed in The Legal 500 United States
• 2019–2022, “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers” in Energy and Natural Resources, listed in Super Lawyers
• 2014–2018, “Pennsylvania Rising Star” in Energy and Natural Resources, listed in Super Lawyers
• 2017–2021, “Leading Lawyer” for Energy Litigation: Oil And Gas, Energy Transactions: Oil And Gas, Pennsylvania, listed in The Legal 500 United States
• 2013–2018, “Who's Who in Energy,” listed in Pittsburgh Business Times
• 2017, Energy and Environmental “Trailblazer” for Oil and Gas Transactions, by The National Law Journal
• 2016, “Emerging Leader,” by M&A Advisor

Memberships

• Energy & Mineral Law Foundation Board of Trustees
• Institute for Energy (Plano, Texas)
• Marcellus Shale Coalition
• Ohio Oil & Gas Association

Ryan is an advisory board member for the Institute for Energy Law in Plano, Texas. 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 the U.S. military personnel overseas.

Admissions

• Pennsylvania
• Ohio
• Texas
• U.S. District Court - Western District of Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

Education

• Pennsylvania State University, BS
• University of Pittsburgh School of Law, JD
• University of Pittsburgh, MBA