John Bowman
Serves as an expert witness on international petroleum contracts and as an arbitrator in international energy disputes.
Experience
During his 40-year career as an advocate, Mr. Bowman represented energy companies in arbitration and litigation, including in disputes concerning expropriation of facilities and contract rights, production sharing contract disputes (renegotiation demands, windfall profits taxes, cost recovery, gas migration, failure of state oil company to pay costs, and gas marketing rights), AMI and confidentiality agreement disputes, joint operating agreement disputes (removal of operator, joint interest billings, preferential purchase rights, voting rights, sole risk operations, failure to develop), seismic licensing disputes, drilling contract disputes (existence of contract, MOB delay, indemnification for pollution), natural gas and LNG contract disputes (price reopeners, destination clauses, take or pay, ratable take, minimum takes, reserve substitution, contract extension, gas quality and measurement), gas marketing disputes (failure to deliver, imbalances), royalty owner disputes (drainage, failure to market, affiliate sales, calculation and payment of royalties, lease termination), and property valuation disputes (including look-backs), as well as in contested proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Texas Railroad Commission, Oil & Gas Division.
Work History
Expert witness and Arbitrator (2020 to present) Partner, King & Spalding LLC, Houston, Texas (2007 - 2020) Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Houston, Texas (1991-2007) Associate, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Houston, Texas (1982-1990) Associate, Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy, Wichita, Kansas (1980-1982)
Cases
Mr. Bowman has sat as an arbitrator in a wide variety of energy cases, including JOA disputes (failures to pay cash calls, claims of Operator gross negligence and willful misconduct, drilling costs), representation/agency agreement dispute, dispute over purchase and sale agreement for oil assets, assignment of oil leases, gas pipeline v. gas processing company dispute over measurement methods, gas pipeline v. NOC dispute over long-term gas purchase obligations, disputes between LNG sellers and buyers under LNG SPAs, and a dispute between oil field service companies over terms of confidentiality and non-compete agreement.
Training
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Fellowship Program (1999) Attendance at numerous ICC, LCIA, AAA, ICDR, SIAC, and university programs for arbitrators and advocates in international arbitration from 1998 to present
License(s)
State Bar of Kansas law license (1980) State Bar of Texas law license (1983) (only licensed in Texas today)
Education
University of Kansas B.A. 1974 (Economics & Humanities); J.D. 1980; Editor-in-Chief, Kansas Law Review, 1979-1980; KU School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award 2018
Publications
Dispute Resolution Planning for the Oil & Gas Industry, 16 ICSID Rev. - Foreign Investment Law Journal 332 (2001) The Panama Convention and Its Implementation under the Federal Arbitration Act (Kluwer 2002) Compelling Arbitration in International Cases, in International Litigation (American Bar Ass’n 2003) Dispute Resolution Planning and Pitfalls for Energy and Natural Resources Disputes, 50 Rocky Mtn. Min. L. Inst. 8-1 to 8-46 (2004) In-House Lawyer’s Role in International Arbitration, 20 Am. Rev. Int’l Arb. 285 (Oct. 2010) Advocacy in International Commercial Arbitration, Texas State Bar Litigation Section Report The Advocate (Winter 2013) Lex Petrolea: Sources and Successes of International Petroleum Law, Texas State Bar Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section Report (Summer 2015) Resources on Resources: Publications and Databases Available to Help Advocates in International Oil & Gas Disputes, in The Leading Practitioner’s Guide to International Oil & Gas Arbitration (James M. Gaitis ed. 2015) Stabilization Provisions, in Upstream Government Petroleum Contracts (King & Spalding 2017) Choice of Law in International Petroleum Contracts, American Law Institute (online resources) (Jan. 2018) Risk Mitigation in International Petroleum Contracts, 50(4) Georgetown J. Int’l L. 745 (2019)
Awards
2021 Distinguished Negotiators Award, Association of International Petroleum Negitiators University of Kansas School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award 2018 Institute for Energy Law Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation 2017 Award Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Education Award for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Legacy Award for 2012-2013 and its President’s Award for 2015-2016 Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission award for contribution to education concerning Inter-American Convention on International Commercial Arbitration, Panama City, May 2015 Burton Award for Excellence in Legal Writing 2002, for article on The Panama Convention and Its Implementation under The Federal Arbitration Act
Panels
LCIA, ICDR, AAA
Associations
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, International Energy Arbitration (2016 to present) Adjunct Professor, University of Oklahoma College of Law, International Arbitration (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016) Honorary Lecturer, Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee (2016-2022) Association of International Petroleum Negotiators 1995 to present Texas State Bar Oil, Gas & Energy Law Section Fellow, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (1999) International Arbitration Institute, Paris International Arbitration Club, London Advisory Board, Institute for Transnational Arbitration, Dallas Advisory Board, Institute for Energy Law, Dallas Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Denver
Miscellaneous
President, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators 2014-2015