Business Lawyer

As a business Lawyer you must have the skill and knowledge of drafting legal advice and legal opinion relating to the business of your Client.From my experiencing as an Independent Lawyer for more then 10 Years, I realize that we have to concentrate on a certain field of business that you are mastering and that types of Client that are being referred to you.

Most of the Clients that are being forwarded to my firm, are Oil and Gas Contractors, Mining Companies, Coal Trader Companies who intend to purchase coal but at the same time is willing to financing the Coal Mining License owner who needs some financing back up to support their infrastructure such as their Coal Plan Facilities, in order to produce their Coal products.

Occasionally I had also been requested to assist Hotels who wishes to enter into a Management Agreement with other Hotel who has international interchange contacts, which includes the Technical Assistance Agreements.

During my previous experience of Lawyering, I was also experiencing drafting Financing arrangements such as Loan Agreements including its collaterals agreements, which involve the financing of Vessels operations and Aircraft Operations.

Thus, it was really quite a wide range of experience, and when I was in the Oil and Gas Lawyer as in-house Lawyers, I usually handle explorations and productions sides of the operations, in which we are also requested by the end-users to assist them in reviewing and drafting the Vessels Charter Agreement as well as the Helicopter Agreements.

Since I was frequently involve in the Vessel and Aircraft business operations, which includes from the registration of the flags and nationality and numbers of the Vessel and the Aircraft in the respective Directorate General Office, which for Vessels are in the Directorate General of Sea Communications and the Aircraft with the Directorate General Of Air Communication, it really helps me, conducting such supporting activities which are needed in the Oil and Gas Operations as well as in the General Mining Operations.

On the upfront side within the Oil and gas Operations, we as Lawyers are requested to advise on the Production Sharing Contracts Agreements (PSC), starting from reviewing and advising the management upon the meanings or interpretation of such PSC.

We are also frequently requested to contact the Directorate of Oil and Gas, which is now the Directorate of Mineral and Energy, to discuss about issues which needs some clarifications. When I was experiencing as In House Legal Counsel in the Mining Copper Contractor, we also were usually requested to make contacts with the Legal Bureau of Legal Divisions within the Directorate General Of General Mining, to obtain or clarify certain significant informations relating to the COW (Contract of Work) as well as the rules and regulations relating to the General Mining Activities.

Based on the above range of experience, as a business lawyer I am attached and is most interested in the progress and development of the legal aspects occurring in Indonesia, in particular related to the Oil and Gas, General Mining Operations, Coal Mining and other related legal aspects surroundings such operations activities. Jakarta, October 13 , 2008

Agung Supomo Suleiman

Partner of the Law Firm of Suleiman Agung & Co http://www.sacolaw.blogspot.com

Email : agungsacolaw@telkom.net

Mobile Phone : 0816830647

The Skill and Art of Drafting Oil/Gas and General Mining Contracts

Well as a Lawyer it is really fun for me to prepare, draft or review Contracts.

Maybe, it is like a geologies, when they see rocks or stones whether it still at the ground or at the mountain, or even after it had been polished, placed in a building at the walls or as titles, such geologies can tell many stories about such stone or rocks, the history of it where does it originated and came from and many other interesting stories related to such rocks.

It is also like painters, when they painted something either it is nature, abstract, or whatever imaginations they have captured and visualized it with their paintbrush, such painter seems to be deeply involved and is having fun in drawing such painting.

In my personal experience, this kind of fun, enjoyment and excitement can also happen to us as lawyers when we are drafting, preparing and reviewing legal documents or legal transactions.

The surroundings of their day-to-day place or field of work will shape their perception on what they are drafting. So if we focus drafting contracts related to oil and gas and general mining operations activities, the skill of preparing such legal documents to support the management, the end users, the operations person in the field, is to open widely your imagination but focusing and concentrating on the core of the business operations in the oil and gas, or general mining operations.

For instance, as the business lawyer, we have to be fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the operations person, where they are shaped to be persons who are always rushing to get the operation start without delay, if possible to be done yesterday. In the Oil /Gas as well as in the General Mining operations, the stages of the operations are usually processed through the same pattern of stages starting from general survey, exploration, appraising whether there are deposits which are commercially ready to be developed, or un commercial, or in the oil and gas operations dry hole.

If commercial production is being agreed upon, then development of production, will commence and ready to be stored either in the station gathering if it is oil/gas, or production stock for mining products and after that ready to be sold to the market and make profit.

Well, it sounds very interesting isn’t.

Yes, but please make sure that the risk are high, where there will be sinking fund situation borne by the oil/gas or general mining investors, if they have spent lost of monies for starting up the operation from general survey and exploration stages, but after being appraised in the appraisal stage it is determined, that such location is as non commercial for production.

Accordingly, having said the above, then you or us as a business Oil and Gas Lawyer and General Mining Lawyers, must have full consciousness and awareness from the operations/technical side, the business/ economics / commercial side, as well as the legal aspects, and safety, environmental, local culture perspective must be in such a manner, to maintain balance upon all such significant aspects.

Agung Supomo Suleiman

Senior Partner

Of the Law Firm Suleiman Agung & Co

Blog: http://www.sacolaw.blogspot.com

Email : agungsacolaw@telkom.net

Mobile Phone : 0816830647