GCA LITIGATION SUPPORT SERVICES

Recent large-scale events such as the 2003 Northeast blackout, the California Energy Crisis, the demise of Enron and other energy trading companies,, and natural gas shortages have reshaped the energy industry as well as having released tremendous legal, commercial, and regulatory forces. These factors have been responsible for creating much litigation concerning the energy sector.

Most law firms are not directly familiar with various critical aspects of the energy sector. GCA offers uniquely qualified expert witness and litigation support services from energy industry leading practitioners, with a special focus on energy and financial trading, energy contracting and back-office processes, energy structured finance, power purchase agreements, and energy risk management. In addition to matters concerning gas and electric power, GCA’s professional team has been retained on litigation matters regarding retail gas and electric services, concerning crude oil refining and economics, as well as all matters concerning refined products marketing, blending, transportation, and terminal storage.

Our firm has been retained in a variety of high profile and cutting edge legal assignments where we have assisted attorneys representing energy and industry clients, financial institutions, and energy end-users in energy-related litigation matters. GCA has capably assisted legal counsel in responding to and propounding discovery, reviewing documentation, opining and preparing litigation plans, the result of which has resulted in favorable settlement for GCA’s clients and legal representatives. Due the experience of our staff of experienced consultants, GCA offers cost effective solutions to many of the complexities of energy litigation.

GCA expert witness services include the following:

• Analysis of natural gas and electricity contracting, including back-office operations and audit trail
• Analysis of energy trading: gas, power, oil, refined products, residual fuel, coal, and petroleum coke
• Analysis of financial trading: swaps, forwards, futures, options, complex and structures
• Risk Management: financial and insurance products
• Transportation: power transmission, gas transport and delivery, oil products transport
• The effects of changes to Independent System Operators from the “dispatch model” such as locational marginal pricing injuries
• Power Purchase Agreements
• Denials of permits for siting and permitting
• Structured Finance: determination of financial and accounting structures for energy-related products
• Project Finance: determine suitability of financial structure
• Retail electricity and gas contract practices
• Supply, demand, and pricing studies in support of expansion of various US domestic and international facilities
• How the restructured energy industries have affected client interests and liabilities
• Projecting future losses or gains as regulatory changes are implemented