Matthew S. PatschLicensed Attorney (Texas State Bar No. 24065886)
2608 Couch St., Houston, TX 77008 (713) 835-2898 [email protected]
Overview: 14 years advanced contract negotiation experience (six as a licensed attorney) on both the
buyer and seller sides, being promoted to in-house counsel in January 2015 Negotiates as a seller with multiple clients: Atwood, BHP Billiton, British Petroleum,
Exxon, Hess, Murphy Exploration and Production – USA, Noble Drilling, Noble Energy, Petrobras, Shell, Subsea 7, and Transocean
Negotiates as a buyer with service providers: Aveon Offshore (Nigeria), Civmec (Australia), McDermott Wuchuan (China), NG Metalurgica (Brazil), Petrojet (Egypt), Petromar (Angola), and Sapura Kencana (Malaysia)
Drafts extensive, complex provisions for warranties, indemnities, intellectual property, and issues dealing with taxation, local content, and other country-specific contracting matters
Work Experience: CGG Services (U.S.) Inc. Contracts Counsel – February 2017 – present
Providing legal support for Subsurface Imaging, GeoConsulting, and GeoSoftware divisions of CGG.
Currently a contract position.
MHWirth Inc. (formerly drilling Technologies of Aker Solutions Inc.)Head of Legal and Compliance – Legal Counsel, North America January 2015 – January 2017
Promoted to Head of Legal and Compliance in September 2015. Maintains same legal counsel roles and responsibilities as Legal Counsel, with now additional responsibilities of:
o Compliance – Tasked with training, overseeing and managing compliance in such areas as data protection, third party representations in medium-risk to high-risk countries, and internal audits for certain business groups.
o Conducting of internal and managing external due diligence into medium-risk to high-risk countries.
Legal Counsel North America January 2015 – August 2015: Head legal counsel supporting multiple drilling divisions within North America, handling all legal issues including licensing, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, employment matters, and litigation, and serves as corporate secretary
Provides advice and counsel to senior management members on such matters as technology transactions, employment, trade secret protection, export regulation, trademark, copyright and patent laws
Provides legal expertise to cross-functional teams such as engineering, business development, project management and supply chain from the inception of the bid process on to contract award and post-contract award issues (e.g., change orders, dispute resolution, and contract close-out)
Negotiates all contracts, including master services agreements, license agreements, FEED agreements and complex supply chain agreements, and provides final legal approval
Educates supply chain members on appropriate contracting and procurement procedures and methodologies, as well as drafting and updating all supply chain contract templates
Manages external counsel, and obtains cost-saving arrangements (e.g., lump sum – fixed fee engagements)
Aker Solutions Inc.Manager, Contract Administration, June 2013 – December 2014
Lead negotiator and client interface for all major EPC contracts, operating under tight deadlines, complex execution models, and legacy (oftentimes unfavorable) terms and conditions
Supported two major divisions – subsea (which includes umbilical, trees, manifolds and tie-ins) and aftermarket – drafting and negotiating engineering, fabrication, and aftermarket (to include rental tooling, LARS/IWOCS (work over systems), and all time and material) contracts
Defined procedures for: Tendering (drafting and responding to commercial clarifications and exceptions), delegation of authority, and contract internal review and approval routing process
Negotiated change orders, warranty claims, and provide contractual insight to project management team for all change management
Negotiated complex agreements for internal customers in marketing and HR
Oversaw all internal and external contract audits
Cameron International CorporationGlobal Contracts Manager, January 2012 – May 2013
Direct reports included three attorneys located in Houston and Rio de Janiero
Extensive management skills to include training and performance evaluations
Lead negotiator for all major subcontracts in global manifolds group
Further contractual responsibilities included:
o Implemented procedures for “cradle to grave” contract management, i.e., from beginning of tendering process to contract closeout
o Tendering Phase Drafted and implemented contractual “flow downs” utilized by multiple subsea
work packages Drafted country-specific contract templates that focus on major, country-specific
provisions of a contract that addressed finance, tax, and import/export compliance
o Maintained own contracts docket that included major engineering, fabrication, and insulation agreements in Angola, Australia, Brazil, China, Nigeria, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States
o Negotiated employment contracts with staffing service providers and individual contractors
o Oversaw internal and external contract audits
Trained senior project managers on negotiation techniques
Drafted and submitted all letters to contractors for, e.g., response to claims, and enforcement of liquidated damages.
Developed regional-based, strategic sourcing initiative with key fabricators that included negotiation and execution of master services agreements and global framework agreements
Air Liquide: September 2008 – January 2012Air Liquide USA LLC, Houston, TXCategory Manager, Indirect Procurement, February 2010 – January 2012
Drafted requests for proposal, collaborating with subject matter experts, and serving as the liaison to various internal customers (e.g., legal, finance, information technology and HR groups) and Air Liquide entities (e.g., business unit stakeholders)
Selected suppliers based on best practices – vendor due diligence (e.g., risk analysis), ensuring maximum cost savings, and leading cradle-to-grave contract implementation process for several multimillion dollar bids culminating in contract awards, for projects that included:
o Background Screening Services (HR)o Staffing Services (HR – employment contracts)o Restricted Party Software (import/export compliance)o Telecom – Global wireline and wireless services, including voiceover IP
o Benefits Plan Administrative Services (HR) Participated directly in incorporation of two (2) Air Liquide entities in Mexico. These
responsibilities included contracts in English and Spanish:
o Accounting services between Air Liquide and Mexican subsidiary of Deloitte & Touche
o Secure Driver Services (Bodyguard)
Air Liquide Process and Construction, Houston, TX Contract Administrator, October 2008 – February 2010
Drafted and negotiated multiple subcontractor agreements, and administered all phases of contract implementation (Contractor prequalification, Invitation to Bid, RFQ, Contract Award, post-award Contract administration and compliance)
Drafted and negotiated terms and conditions for the procurement of multimillion dollar project procurement items (e.g., steam turbine generators, and compressors)
Negotiated and administered payment and performance bonds, and parent company guarantees
Negotiated Hold Harmless Agreements
Drafted letters to subcontractors in anticipation of litigation, and various settlement agreements
Conducted extensive analysis of Requests for Information (“RFI”) and change orders in assessing cumulative impact claims brought by subcontractors
Drafted language for long-form commercial contracts, and worked alongside in-house counsel and senior management
Attorney General of Texas Consumer Protection Division, Houston, TX Intern, January 2007 - June 2007; Law Clerk July 2007 - May 2008
Assisted lead counsel and attended depositions, hearings, and settlement conferences Drafted full discovery including: requests for admissions, production, interrogatories,
disclosure, deposition upon written questions and response(s) for Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“DTPA”) cases
Drafted settlement letters that constituted agreed final judgments and/or permanent injunctions
Bien Tran Law Firm, Houston, TX Summer Associate, May 2005-August 2005, May 2006-August 2006
Researched case law and drafted legal memoranda regarding landlord-tenant relationships, tort liability, and disputes with joint tenancies with right of survivorship
Handled case negotiations with opposing parties
Gulf Pacific Rice Co. Inc., Houston, TX Logistics Manager, October 2000 - June 2003
Negotiated all contracts with various over-the-road and rail carriers concerning freight rates and liability
Directed the day-to-day operations of all domestic rice shipments including transportation, warehousing, and project management
United States Air Force Security Policeman (Senior Airman E-4), Served during first Gulf War, December 1990 – September 1994
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma March 1991 - January 1993; March 1994 - September 1994 Kunsan Air Base, Republic of South Korea February 1993 - February 1994
o Undercover Policeman, Crime Suppression Team (black market deterrence) o Air Force Commendation Medal 1994, Airman of the Year Security Police Squadron
EducationSouth Texas College of Law: Houston, TX Juris Doctorate August 2007
William S. Richardson School of Law: University of Hawai’i at Manoa Visiting Student, Spring Semester 2006
The College of Wooster: Wooster, OhioBachelor of Arts June 2000: Political Science (major); German (minor)
Albert Ludwig University: Freiburg, GermanyCompleted 20 transferable semester hours 1998-1999, with classes taught entirely in German.
Languages Native speaker (English) Fluent in German (11 years formal training, plus 2 years of living abroad in Germany)
Conversant in Spanish (five years formal training – 3 in high school, 2 in University)
ComputerAdvanced Skills in Microsoft Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SAP
Other Work ExperienceOffice of the Governor of Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, OK Internship, May 1997-August 1997
Dasy Consulting GmbH, Freiburg, Germany Computer Programming Internship, February 1999-August 1999
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