Chris McLelland is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels. Chris’ practice focuses on general corporate and commercial law and transactions with an emphasis on oil & gas and renewable energy. He has experience in domestic and cross-border asset and share transactions; commercial agreements, including upstream, midstream, and downstream contracts in the oil and gas industry; and issues affecting the renewable energy industry, including solar, geothermal, hydrogen, renewable natural gas, carbon capture, and waste sequestration and storage.
Chris acts for both operators and contractors in the procurement of oilfield services and vendor management and advises in risk management. Chris also advises on insurance claims pertaining to the oil and gas industry. Chris has advised in a joint legal/technical capacity on a variety of claims, including coverage, defence, and subrogation, involving failed drilling operations. Chris also acts for clients in the development of renewable energy projects and at all stages with respect to the entering into of power purchase agreements.
Chris’ selected representative work includes acting for:
- Acted for Corse Energy Corp. and related entity Zyzygy Resources Corp. in sale to international private-equity based entity
- Acted for Flex Leasing Power and Service ULC in its $20M sale of its Canadian subsidiary
- Acted for Ferus Natural Gas Fuels Inc. in regulatory advice pertaining to its merger with Cryopeak LNG Solutions
- Negotiated and drafted long term purchase agreement for aerospace manufacturing parts, including extensive price adjustment and escalation mechanisms
- Acted for Deep Sky Corp. in a power purchase agreement for its direct air capture facility in Innisfail, Alberta
- Acted for Caltex Trilogy Inc. in its $18.73M acquisition of oil and gas assets from Karve Energy Inc.
- Acted for Caltex Trilogy Inc. in its $19.4M acquisition of oil and gas assets from IPC Canada Ltd.
- Acted for Gibson Energy Inc. in its purchase of power and environmental attributes from Capstone Infrastructure Corporation and Sawridge First Nation’s Buffalo Atlee 2 and 4 Buffalo Atlee 26MW wind projects, located near Jenner, Alberta
- Acted for Calima Energy Ltd. in its $48.5 million plan of arrangement with Blackspur Oil Corp.
- Acted for Calima Energy Inc. in the acquisition of compression facilities, associated pipelines, and infrastructure in the Tommy Lakes field in British Columbia, Canada
- Acted for Banded Iron US Inc., Banded Iron USA Inc., and Banded Iron Canada Inc. in the sale of assets to Southern Petroleum Laboratories, Inc.
- Acted for a Calgary-based oil and gas producer in its $118 million acquisition of oil and gas assets
- Acted for the secured creditor in the receivership of a Calgary-based oil and gas producer who was successful in its credit bid
- Acted for a foreign conglomerate in its $602 million coalbed methane acquisition and joint venture
- Acted for an insurance underwriter and prepared its response to a control of well insurance claim by an international oil and gas producer
Chris completed his J.D. degree at the University of Alberta. Before joining Cassels as an associate, Chris served as legal counsel to an engineering firm and practised in the Calgary office of another national firm.
