About

Pacific Exploration and Production Corporation, headquartered in Canada, is a global energy company concerned with oil and gas exploration and production. The company has significant operations in Colombia, many of which are jointly owned and run with Ecopetrol. Significant among these holdings are the Pirales and Rubiales oil fields, the latter of which is the largest in Colombia. As such, the company’s Colombian legal team deals with multiple large, complex operations simultaneously, which require coordination between numerous stakeholders. The team’s recent streamlining and unification of processes across departments has allowed them to provide full legal support to the entire company and subsidiaries through one centralised legal team in the most efficient manner possible. The legal team participates with other departments from the planning and formulation of projects through to final delivery and ongoing support, taking a fully strategic view of their role as business partner. Alongside this, the team has played a key role in maintaining and cementing critical business relationships at a time when the oil industry as a whole has been undergoing difficulties and many oil companies are facing a true existential threat. This is a poignant reminder of why excellent corporate counsel and their risk management and oversight roles are indispensable to a modern global business.