Barclay Nicholson

Barclay R. Nicholson is a partner in the Houston office of Norton Rose Fulbright, where he focuses his practice on energy and commercial disputes. Barclay has represented a broad range of clients from among the largest of the Fortune 500 Companies to entrepreneurial business owners. He has significant experience in handling energy related litigation and has represented some of the world's major oil and gas producing and refining companies as well as some of the nation's biggest drilling and E&P companies. Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business, noted Barclay for his energy practice describing him as, "absolutely wonderful," "knowledgeable, responsive and accessible," "intelligent and good natured." 

Barclay serves on the firm’s Shale and Hydraulic Fracturing Task Force and has authored numerous articles and given multiple speeches across the nation and internationally on hydraulic fracturing and on all aspects of unconventional oil and gas plays. Barclay is the author of the book Analysis of Litigation Involving Shale & Hydraulic Fracturing which details all of the litigation across the country involving shale plays. 

Barclay also serves as the Editor of www.frackingblog.com, a blog devoted to hydraulic fracturing. Barclay has assisted clients in all of North America's major shale plays, and internationally, Barclay has been chosen to assist the US State Department Bureau of Energy and the US Department of Commerce, through its Commercial Law Development Program, in advising the Countries of China, India, Vietnam, Colombia, Chile, and Afghanistan on their unconventional and shale oil and gas resources and the regulatory and legal matters associated with those resources. 

Most recently Barclay served on: the US/China Unconventional Oil & Gas Sustainable Development Workshop in Beijing, China, the Regional Unconventional Gas Technical Workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam, the US/Afghanistan Cooperation on Extractive Industries Development Program that took place in Doha, Qatar, the US/Colombia Cooperation on Coal Bed Methane Extraction and Unconventional Resources in Bogota, Colombia, the US/India Cooperation on Unconventional Natural Gas Consultations in New Delhi, India and the US/Chile Consultations on Unconventional Natural Gas in Santiago, Chile. Barclay also serves as Chair of the Houston Bar Association's Litigation Section, which has more than 1,200 members.

  He has been named among “Houston’s Top Lawyers” a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” and a “Rising Star” by various publications. He is also listed in Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Prior to private practice, Mr. Nicholson served as Briefing Attorney for Justice Alberto Gonzales of the Texas Supreme Court and as Briefing Clerk for Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips of the Texas Supreme Court. Barclay’s complete biography can be found at www.nortonrosefulbright.com/people/90049. He can be contacted at (713) 651-3662 or by email at barclay.nicholson@nortonrosefulbright.com.