Career Paths for Young Attorneys in the Energy Sector

Overview

Presented by the Institute for Energy Law and Louisiana State University Law Center

Note: The Friday field trip is currently full.  If you check the box to attend, you will be placed on the wait list in the event of a cancellation.

After the very successful launch of the IEL’s Hartrick Symposium Career Paths for Young Attorneys in the Energy Sector at the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2013, it has been agreed that the second symposium will be held at another IEL member law school, the Louisiana State University Law Center.

Once again following a career theme for new law graduates and young attorneys interested in working in the energy industries, symposium topics will include in-house legal work, working as a landman, becoming a negotiator, and regulatory and compliance opportunities, all addressed by senior industry professionals donating part of their weekend to helping new graduates.  A panel of employer experts will conclude the symposium by addressing key skill sets necessary for success, with particular consideration being given to the vast majority of graduates who happen not to be in the top 10% of their class.

Enhanced informal networking opportunities will be available during the symposium where attendees will be able to talk with the industry participants one-to-one or in small groups.

Conference Co-Chairs

Patrick Dunn
Associate General Counsel
EDF Trading Resources, LLC
Austin, Texas

Schedule and Faculty

Friday, April 4

Field Trip at the Entergy Gulf States Inc. Nuclear Power Plant
(limited participation: 25) (priority will be given to law students)

11:00 am

Board Bus for Field Trip

12:00 pm

Nuclear Plant Tour

3:30 pm

Arrive Back at Downtown Baton Rouge Hotel

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Saturday, April 5

8:30 am

Registration and light breakfast

LSU Law School, Foyer of McKernan Law Auditorium 

9:00 am

Welcome

9:10 am

Outlook for Oil & Gas Careers

Russell L. Schetroma, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Meadville, Pennsylvania

9:25 am

The Oil & Gas Attorney

This panel will cover a range of oil & gas legal careers including mineral examination; upstream, midstream and downstream transactions; oil & gas litigation; and procurement.

Moderator:

Larry Simon, Liskow & Lewis, Lafayette, Louisiana (Litigation)

Panelists:

• Mary Frances Edmonds, Assistant General Counsel, The Williams Companies, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Midstream)
• Mark Filer, Manager - Global Contracts, Talisman Energy USA Inc., The Woodlands, Texas (Procurement)
• Bruce Rudoy, Babst Calland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Transaction and Title)
• Paul Strickland, Hargrove Smelley Strickland & Langley, Shreveport, Louisiana (Title)

10:15 am

Break

10:30 am

The Petroleum Land Manager and Land Administrator

This panel will address mineral title review, land negotiation and transactional work of in-house landmen and the private contractor landman/broker as well as the administrative responsibilities of the land administration professional.

Moderator:

Patrick Dunn, Associate General Counsel, EDF Trading Resources, LLC, Austin, Texas

Panelists:

• Anneka Burdell, Land Team Lead, Chevron U.S.A., Inc., Houston, Texas
• Stewart Delcambre, Executive Vice President Land, ZaZa Energy Corporation, Houston, Texas
• Christopher Knop, Law Offices of Christopher D. Knop, Houston, Texas

11:15 am

Presentation of the 2014 Hartrick Scholar
Renewable Portfolio Standards Among the New England States: How About Some Good Old-Fashioned Yankee Regionalism?

• Introduction: Wendy Daboval, IEL Chair
• Hartrick Scholar: Keith P. Richard, New England Law, Boston, Massachusetts

11:30 am

Networking Luncheon

First Floor, New Building 

12:30 pm

Networking with the Presenters

2:00 pm

International Petroleum Transactions and Global Negotiations

This panel will provide a broad overview of working on international energy transactions.

Moderator:

Harry Sullivan, Senior Counsel, ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas

Panelists:

• Nadia Heffernan, Land Negotiator, Hess Corporation, Houston, Texas
• Sergio Limardo, Senior Negotiations and Contract Analyst, Repsol Exploration & Production USA Inc., The Woodlands, Texas
• Justin Stolte, Latham & Watkins, Houston, Texas
• David Sweeney, Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Lukoil, Houston, Texas

2:45 pm

Regulatory and Compliance Attorneys

The energy sector is heavily regulated.  Pervasive regulation gives rise to a need for regulatory and compliance attorneys in many areas of activity, including the environment, health and safety, export controls, corruption, conservation practice, contract compliance and many more.  This panel will address the opportunities for young lawyers in these vital areas of legal practice.

Moderator:

David Sweeney, Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Lukoil, Houston, Texas

Panelists:

• Poe Leggett, Norton Rose Fulbright, Denver, Colorado
• Blake Canfield, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Philip Asprodites, Attorney (and former Louisiania Commisioner of Conservation), Santa Fe, New Mexico
• John Sardar, Chief Compliance Officer, Noble Energy, Inc., Houston, Texas
• Shane Sandefer, Kean Miller, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

3:45 pm

Break

4:00 pm

90% of Law Graduates are not in the Top 10% of their Class. Does this Matter for an Energy Sector Career?

This panel will address key skill sets that employers are looking for as well as traditional and non-traditional entry points into the legal energy, even for those who are not at the top of the class.

• John Nesser, Manager and Co-CEO, All Coast Marine, Inc., Houston, Texas
• J. Patrick Morris, Shell Offshore Services Company, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Miriam Westmoreland, Director of Recruiting and Professional Development, Burleson LLP, Houston, Texas
• Beth Walker, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Newhouse and Noblin, Houston, Texas

4:45 pm

Concluding Remarks

Harry Sullivan, Senior Counsel, ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas, Chair, IEL Academic Outreach Committee 

4:50 pm

Adjourn

Overnight Accommodations

BOOK HOTEL ONLINE

Hilton Baton Rouge Capital Center
201 Lafayette Street
Baton Rouge LA 70801
Tel: +1.225.906.5756

When making reservations, you and your guests can call Reservations directly at 1.800.955.6962.  You’ll need to give the code of CAS or ask for the LSU Law Center Annual Symposium Room Block and give their arrival and departure dates to receive your group’s rate.

Hotel Indigo Baton Rouge Downtown Riverfront
200 Convention Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Tel: +1.877.834.3613
Rate: $119 + tax

Hotel Indigo is holding 15 rooms on a “Courtesy Block Hold” at a rate of $119.00 per room per night. 

BOOK HOTEL ONLINE

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