Michael Cline

Consultant

Michael has over 40 years of experience providing advisory support to clients around the world, including advice to governments and private investors on legal and business issues associated with privatizations and foreign investment, cross-border activities, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships and strategic alliances and investments. Until recently he has served as Director at Gaffney, Cline & Associates Limited, an international energy consultancy with offices in the United Kingdom, North and South America and the Asia Pacific.

Key Areas of Expertise

  • Energy laws and regulations and regulatory organizations
  • Contract development and negotiation support
  • Structuring and support for licensing and other competitive bidding processes
  • Oversight of integrated technical / commercial teams in complex energy projects

Professional Experience

2025 - Current: Consultant - Cline Energy Advisors, LLC

  • Advisory services to law firms; financial institutions; private, public, National and service companies and institutions involved in oil, gas and energy.

1999 - June 2025: Director of Corporate Strategy – Gaffney, Cline & Associates Limited

A Director in the Corporate Strategy Group providing legal and business advice to governments, national companies, international energy companies, lenders and others on energy laws and regulations, contract development and negotiations, transactions and operations, legal compliance and corporate counseling.

Experience includes:
  • Acting as lead advisor to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and Kuwait Oil Company on the opening of Kuwait’s upstream sector to participation by international oil and gas companies,
  • Providing legal and commercial advice to the Government of Iraq in connection with licensing tenders to engage international oil companies in the development of major oil and gas fields throughout Iraq.
  • Leading technical and commercial teams evaluating complex energy projects.
  • Working with ministries and regulators on the development of regulations and regulatory and administrative systems and organizations.
  • Advising legal and restructuring experts on development and valuation matters in the E&P bankruptcy/administration context.

March 1997 - 1999: Deputy General Counsel – AMRESCO, Inc.

  • Deputy General Counsel for AMRESCO, INC., a publicly held financial services company with offices throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Thailand.
  • Reported to the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and the Members of the Executive Committee on Corporate Governance matters and served on the Risk Management Committee.
Responsible for:
  • Corporate and securities matters, including public offerings of equity and subordinated debt, securitizations and other asset-based financing transactions.
  • Mergers and acquisitions associated with strategic programs to build lines of business, including multiple acquisitions of commercial real estate and small business lending entities.
  • Securities compliance.

1985 - 1997: Shareholder – Winstead PC

Shareholder in the Corporate Finance Group of a law firm with offices in Dallas, Houston, Austin, Washington D.C. and Mexico City. Engaged in a broad based corporate finance practice, including:

  • Public and private offerings of equity and debt securities,
  • Mergers and acquisitions (including stock and asset transactions, mergers, exchange offers and tender offers).
  • Venture capital financings.
  • Partnership, joint venture and licensing arrangements.

Professional Societies

  • Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas
  • American Bar and Dallas Bar Associations
  • Association of International Energy Negotiators

Education

  • 1981 B.S. Foreign Service, Georgetown University
  • 1985 Juris Doctor, S. Methodist University School of Law