COMPREHENSIVE
Malcolm S. Murchison's areas of practice are energy, oil & gas, and public utility law; and corporate, commercial lending & real estate law.
Mr. Murchison is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas and enjoys a broad based commercial law practice. His variety of skills equip him to handle a wide range of legal issues for his clients, including oil and gas, real estate, corporate formations/mergers/dissolutions, commercial lending and financing arrangements, state and local tax disputes, and land-use issues. He has significant experience in handling Louisiana mineral interest issues ranging from acquisitions, title examinations, division orders, and operating agreements to Louisiana Office of Conservation ("LOC") work involving both oil and gas and lignite regulation.
From 1978 to 2001, Mr. Murchison performed all of the legal services required by the Operator of the Dolet Hill Lignite Mine. The Dolet Hills Mine is Louisiana's first commercial lignite surface mine, encompassing over 30,000 acres in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. The Mine serves as the "base load" fuel supply for the Dolet Hills Power Plant, a 640 megawatt lignite fired generating unit also located in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. The work for this project included the preparation of all of the various fuel supply agreements with the Mine's contract miner and other lignite fuel suppliers, the preliminary and supplemental lignite title opinions for the 30,000 " acres located within the Permit Area of the Dolet Hills Lignite Mine and the land where the Power Plant is located, and the provision of opinions, advice and documents with respect to the various legal and environmental issues presented by the operations of the Mine and the Plant. This work covered the development and execution of lignite leases and other mining rights agreements with major land owners, the closure and relocation of Parish roads, and the drafting and enactment of legislation to amend various provisions of the Louisiana Mineral Code to accommodate the lignite mining operations. Mr. Murchison also handled all regulatory matters for the Mine with the Louisiana Office of Conservation, including the revision of the LOC's mining regulations in 1986 and all matters related to the maintenance of lignite leases under which mining operations were conducted. Mr. Murchison also has substantial experience in Texas oil and gas exploration and development and lignite surface mining issues and in the negotiation, preparation and administration of Texas lignite contract mining agreements, western coal supply agreements and rail transportation agreements.
He is knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of the LOC regulatory scheme under which mineral operations are conducted and Louisiana Mineral law. He authored the article "Louisiana Lignite," which was published in the February 1987 issue of The Landman magazine. In 1990, he successfully negotiated an agreement with the Louisiana Department of Revenue and Taxation that resulted in the determination that lignite coal produced from the Dolet Hills Mine is not subject to the Louisiana sales and use tax, resulting in fuel cost savings in excess of $2,500,000 per year for the Dolet Hills Power Plant. The primary areas in which he practices include environmental law, energy and natural resources law and real estate. His clients include electric utilities, oil and gas producers and pipeline companies.
Recently, Mr. Murchison was honored by Louisiana Super Lawyers® 2008 and 2010 for his work in energy & natural resources, real estate, and business/corporate litigation and was named The Best Lawyers in America® from 2010-2012 for energy law, mining law, natural resources law, and oil & gas law. Best Lawyers named Mr. Murchison as "Shreveport Best Lawyers Oil & Gas Lawyer of the Year"’ for 2011.
PROFESSIONAL & CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS
- Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, Advisory Council
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- Implementation Committee - Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) (1991-1992)
- House of Delegates (1992-1995)
- Long Range Planning Committee (1993, 1996)
- Bar Governance Committee (1993-1994) Nomination Committee (1996)
- Louisiana Bar Foundation
- IOLTA Grants Committee (1997)
- Public Access and Consumer
- Protection Committee (1998-2003)
- Shreveport Lawyer Referral Service
- Board of Directors Member (1983-1984)
- President (1982-1983)
- Shreveport Bar Association
- Secretary-Treasurer (1986)
- Executive Council Member (1982-1983; 1986; 1988) (1982-1983; 1986; 1988)
- Shreveport Pro Bono Project, volunteer attorney (1988-Present)
- Louisiana State University-Shreveport -College of Business Real Estate
- Classes (1990-Present) Lecturer (volunteer)
- Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana Board of Directors (1998)
- InterTech Park Board (1998-Present)
- Caddo Parish Citizen's Study Committee on Juvenile Court and Detention Facility, member (1987-1988)
- Citizens Committee to Study City of Shreveport Charter Amendments (1990)
- City of Shreveport Housing Task Force, member (1989)
- Committee of 100, member
- First Baptist Church in Shreveport, member
- Board of Directors (1983-1985)
- Secretary Board of Directors (1984)
- Body of Deacons (1983-1986, 1988-1996, 2000-Present)
- Secretary of Body of Deacons (1985)
- Vice Chairman of Body of Deacons (1991)
- Chairman of Body of Deacons (2005)
- Finance Committee (1999)
- Nominating Committee (1985-1988)
- Young Adult III Sunday School - Director (1987-1990)
- Young Adult Sunday School Teacher (1991, 1997-present
- Single Adult Sunday School Teacher (1994-1996)
- Young Adult Sunday School
- Division Coordinator (1991)
- Young Adult Minister Search Committee (1998)
- Stewardship Campaign Chairman (1998)
- Chairman, Coordinating Council (2000) (2009)
- Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
- Vice-President - Legislative Affairs (1991)
- Vice President - Community
- Development (1990)
- Member Chamber Task Force
- Concerning First Year Report of Shreveport Biracial Commission (1990)
- Chairman Legislation Committee (1989)
- Chairman - Transportation
- Committee (1992-1996)
- Board of Directors (1997-1999)
- Chairman-Elect (1998)
- Chairman (1999)
- Executive Committee (1998-2000)
- Senior Council (2000-2004) (2009)
- Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Louisiana, Inc.
- Co-Founder (December 1989)
- Board of Directors (1990-1999)
- Secretary (1990)
- The Highland Area Partnership
- Board of Directors (1992-2003)
- Chairman (1996-1998)
- President (1998)
- I-69 Mid-Continent Highway Coalition, Inc. (1998-2008)
- Leadership Shreveport*Bossier
- Graduate (1980)
- Chairman of the Board (1990)
- Louisiana Tech University
- Alumni Association Board of Directors (1989-1991)
- College of Administration and Business Advisory Board (1998-present) (Chairman 2009)
- University Foundation Board of Directors (2002-2005)
- Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau
- Board of Directors (2002-present) Secretary (2004) Treasurer (2005) Vice-Chairman (2006) Chairman (2007)
HONORS
Order of the Coif
Louisiana Law Review, 1976-1977
Louisiana Super Lawyers® 2008 and 2010 - Energy & Natural Resources; Real Estate; Business/Corporate
AV® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell. CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflectthe confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories-legal ability and general ethical standards.
The Best Lawyers of America® 2010 - 2012 - energy law, environmental law, mining law, natural resources law, and oil & gas law.
NEWS
Named The Best Lawyers in America® in 2010
2008 and 2010 Louisiana Super Lawyers® List
Murchison to Speak at Executive Seminar Series Session Four
