Expert Provision
Every dispute resolution case requires a unique set of experts, skills, industry knowledge and experience. But assembling the right group can be challenging.
The biggest headache we hear from our clients is the time it takes to find the right expert—then getting them as a witness when they need them.
We convene expert teams for the specific needs of each case, often calling in leading experts in a given discipline or technology from our deep bench of multilingual advisors around the globe.
We know the level of detail and quality of work that’s required of expert witnesses, and what you and your colleagues expect. So we provide our oil and gas experts with a tailored toolkit and training to make sure you get the most from their services.
The case for early involvement
Law firms typically hire an expert only once arbitration has formally started. Most of the time, however, in-house lawyers and law firms require high-level expertise even before the proceeding begins. Forward-thinking clients, therefore, ask us to assist during the early stages of contractual issues between the parties, as this is paramount to understanding better and deeper how the potential case will evolve.
The unvarnished truth—for you and your client
When needed for disputes, we speak bluntly about the specifics of what went wrong and why. In court, we brush up nice. Our people know how to deliver their expert opinion even under the duress of cross-examination.
Finally, even if we only supply one expert from our team, you’re not only getting that person. Our expert witness provision service gives you access to the whole Epeus knowledge base and support network.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help your next case.
“Epeus is a highly regarded project management consultancy, that continues to attain and exceed my expectations.”
Fiona Bannister, Technical Services Manager, Centrica Energy Upstream
"We brought you guys in to scare us into action, and you delivered in buckets.”
Don Jacobsen, EVP, Shell
“Epeus understands the key requirements that are needed to achieve successful rig startups. Their personnel have deep experience and are knowledgeable in the areas of rig delivery.”
Brian Hay, Director, Rig Engineering, Global Wells Organization, BP
“Whenever we’ve needed Epeus personnel, they’ve always got there fast—anywhere in the world.”
Sachin Mehra, Vice-President, Asset Management, Valaris (ENSCO)
“The rigorous approach of Epeus’s project readiness review service quickly gave us a set of robust and independent insights into the state of readiness of our field development project. The findings proved to be extremely valuable.”
Leonardo Adami, Director, Petroleum Equity
“The bondholders appreciate the candour and view you guys provided. It was one of the key ingredients to getting consensus on the overall transaction.”
Ken Becker, Director, AMA Capital
"We needed knowledge and experience of a large complex project environment and leadership for our onsite technical team to get us across the finish line. Epeus stepped up to help us implement our project strategy with good discipline."
Peter Anson, Director, Projects and Sites Energy Business Unit, Valmet Technologies Oyj.
“Your expert's knowledge was outstanding, the report was professional, and his courtroom experience shone through during cross-examination. Great job.”
John Deis, Partner, Hicks Thomas LLP
“The Epeus team helped us to understand the complexities associated with a new build rig project and a new North Sea contractor startup."
Andrew Lough, Culzean Wells Project Manager, Maersk Oil
“Epeus’s approach allowed us to fully analyse our options, integrate the rig construction period into our Culzean Project and feel more confident as we progressed towards the start of our drilling campaign.”
Andrew Lough, Culzean Wells Project Manager, Maersk Oil
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $500m
- LAW FIRM Stephenson Harwood (for the defendant)
- JURISDICTION Uncitral rules
Contract cancellation due to alleged poor performance
In South America, a drillship under contract offshore was declared unfit to drill, severely compromising our client’s operations. Our team of experts was called in to survey the rig and assess the performance issues. We provided ongoing advisory and expert witness support during the case at the International Court of Arbitration, London, UK.
Read full story: A Fistful of Experts
Find out morePost-sale drilling rig delivery dispute
Costs mounted up when a semi-submersible drilling rig was delivered with damage to its drilling and safety equipment. Certain that the well control equipment and marine riser systems didn’t meet contractual or regulatory standards, the purchaser decided to go to court. We provided technical expertise regarding subsea and well-control equipment, as well as guidance on industry regulatory and compliance requirements, which contributed towards a favourable settlement before formal proceedings.
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $15m
- LAW FIRM Confidential, UK (for the plaintiff)
- JURISDICTION LCIA rules
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $200m
- LAW FIRM HFW Holman, Fenwick Willan (for the defendant)
- JURISDICTION English Law (tribunal hearing in Singapore)
Construction of a specialist rock dumper vessel
Issues were raised about the completeness and quality of the engineering in the construction of a specialist rock-dumping vessel in China. We supported our client to a successful outcome when the case was heard in Singapore.
Construction of a heavy-duty jack-up
During the purchase of a jack-up, the buyer had refused to pay stage payments to the shipyard, claiming that the shipyard had not met the contractual build specifications (North Sea standards and safety case). As a result, the shipyard cancelled their order and took ownership of the jack-up. Our expert assessed whether the jack-up had been built in compliance with the specifications, and identified compliance criteria the shipyard would have had to meet, verifying the buyer’s complaints.
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $200m
- LAW FIRM Haynes Boone, CDG (for the defendant)
- JURISDICTION English Law
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $30m
- LAW FIRM McDade, Fogler, Maines
- JURISDICTION US Federal Law, Harris County, Texas
Construction of two ultra-deepwater drillships
Engineering standards, construction progress and variations in the scope of work were the subjects of contention during the manufacture and integration of drilling topsides and vessels on two ultra-deepwater drillship construction projects. Our expert testimony helped defend the case, brought to the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston, which settled favourably for our client prior to the trial.
Deepwater conversion of a semi-submersible drilling rig
Disputes arose between parties during a complex conversion of a drilling rig to enable the vessel to work in harsh deep water environments, largely related to quality of the engineering and a perception of slow progress. We helped defend our client against the claims from the outset, and gave almost daily evidence on the stand during a ten-week hearing. The dispute concluded in their favour.
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $50m
- LAW FIRM Wikborg & Rein (for the defendant)
- JURISDICTION Norwegian Law
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $100m+
- LAW FIRM Clyde & Co (for the defendant)
- JURISDICTION LCIA rules
Drilling contract cancellation
A drilling contractor claimed to have incurred demobilization costs and lost revenue when a drilling rig charter contract was cancelled. Our expert was involved as a consultant expert on the case, which was heard at the International Court of Arbitration, London, UK.
Rig purchase agreement termination
The buyer of a rig terminated its purchase agreement after alleging that the seller had failed to meet certain conditions of sale leading. Our expert was brought in to assess the amount of work left to complete for the buyer, and other associated impacts, and evaluated the materiality of each of the seller’s alleged breaches.
SNAPSHOT
- CLAIM SIZE $5m
- LAW FIRM Clyde & Co, Dubai, and Hicks Thomas, Houston (for the plaintiff)
- JURISDICTION American Arbitration Association