This conference has become a must-attend event for energy litigators, in particular oil and gas attorneys. The 16th edition of the Energy Litigation Conference will bring together some of the top in-house and private practice energy litigators to discuss new trends in energy litigation, recent case law of importance to energy litigators, and ways to improve an energy litigation practice.

Conference Co-Chairs

Marsha L. Montgomery
Managing Counsel, Litigation
BP America Inc.
Houston, Texas

Stan Perry
Reed Smith LLP
Houston, Texas

Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation Award Recipient

John P. Bowman
King & Spalding
Houston, TX

John P. Bowman is a Partner with King & Spalding LLP in Houston, where he is engaged in an arbitration and litigation practice representing primarily international oil companies and service companies in a wide range of commercial and investment disputes. He is leader of King & Spalding’s upstream oil & gas practice. He frequently writes and speaks on international arbitration and international oil and gas topics. He was chosen by the Institute for Energy Law to receive its Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation Award, given to one energy litigator each year whose achievements “have won the admiration of his or her peers,” at its annual energy litigation conference in November 2017. He served as President of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (2014 – 2015) and is a former member of the governing Council of the Texas State Bar Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section (2013 – 2016). Increasingly, he is called upon to assist IOCs and international NOCs design, draft, negotiate, and assess stabilization mechanisms and dispute resolution provisions in upstream and project agreements with host governments and NOCs. In 2002 Mr. Bowman received the national Burton Award for Legal Achievement for his article on The Panama Convention and Its Implementation under the Federal Arbitration Act, subsequently published as a book by Kluwer. He taught International Arbitration for four years at the University of Oklahoma College of Law and currently teaches International Energy Arbitration at Georgetown University Law Center. He is also an Honorary Lecturer at Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at The University of Dundee, Scotland, where he most recently lectured on Choice of Law in International Petroleum Agreements. He was awarded the AIPN Education Award for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, its Legacy Award for 2012-2013, and its President’s Award 2015-2016. The Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission recognized Mr. Bowman for his contribution to education concerning the Panama Convention at its conference in Panama City celebrating the Convention’s 40th Anniversary in May 2015. Mr. Bowman is a member of the Advisory Boards of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration and the Institute for Energy Law. He is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He received his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1980, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Kansas Law Review. He began his legal career with Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy in Wichita in 1980, joined Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston in 1982, and moved to King & Spalding’s Houston office in 2007.

Download the Brochure (pdf)
For more details, download the online brochure.

Tuition

$495 - Regular Registration Fee
$395 - IEL Advisory Board Member
$395 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee
$395 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member
$395 - CAIL Member or Member Employee
$395 - ABA Section of Litigation Member
$395 - Government Employee
$125 - Law Student
$125 - Full-time Professor
$150 - Materials Only (not attending)

Schedule and Faculty

7:30 am

Registration

8:20 am

Welcome, Overview and Introductions

8:30 am

Energy Litigation Update 2017

A review of recent lawsuits and case outcomes of special interest to energy litigators.

Mark D. Christiansen, McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

9:15 am

Update on Recent Pipeline Litigation

Over the past year, energy development opponents have embarked on an intensified political, cultural, legal and economic campaign to stop infrastructure development. This presentation first will provide an overview of recent pipeline permitting litigation. We then will discuss some of the legal issues raised in the Dakota Access Pipeline litigation and its status before the court. The presentation will conclude with some thoughts on this intensified campaign and share thoughts about the future.

Bill Leone, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, New York, New York
Bob Comer, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Denver, Colorado

10:15 am

Break

10:30 am

Energy Litigation: An In-House Perspective

This panel will discuss the current trends and hot issues facing in-house counsel in the oil and gas industry and how outside counsel can help them.

Moderator

Mark R. Robeck, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Washington, D.C.

Panelists

Karissa Cottom, Managing Attorney – Corporate Litigation, The Williams Companies, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma
Vanessa Garza, Senior Counsel, Litigation, Chevron U.S.A., Inc., Houston, Texas
Shane Kimzey, Vice President & Associate General Counsel – Litigation, CenterPoint Energy, Inc., Houston, Texas
Bryan D. Rohm, Assistant General Counsel, TOTAL E&P USA, Inc., Houston, Texas

11:30 am

Economic Damages in Energy Litigation: What Every Litigator Needs to Know

Winning your case on its legal merits is imperative. But winning your economic damages case quantifies that success or mitigates loss. Learn how to present a credible case on economic damages, keeping in mind your trier of fact. Topics covered will include:

Overcoming challenges to damage claims
Case results that may impact the economic damage analysis on your case
Trier of fact – how your venue may change your presentation
Common pitfalls in calculating economic damages
Karyl Van Tassel, Managing Director, Navigant Consulting, Inc., Houston, Texas

12:00 pm

Lunch - Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation Award Presentation and Speech

Award Recipient

John P. Bowman
King & Spalding
Houston, Texas

1:15 pm

Break

1:30 pm

Instructions from the Bench

This one-on-one session with an experienced federal district court judge will look at trends in federal practice, advice on prosecuting and defending cases in federal court, technological changes and challenges affecting trials, and litigation related to energy proceedings.

Interviewer

Kenneth Klemm, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, New Orleans, Louisiana

Interviewee

The Hon. S. Maurice Hicks, Jr., United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana

2:15 pm

Public Perception of Energy Companies: How to Harness the Good and Combat the Bad in Litigation

A panel of seasoned trial consultants will discuss public perception of companies in the energy industry. The panel will cover strategies to combat the unfavorable perceptions and highlight the good both in trial and the early stages of litigation. The panel also will cover the latest tactics used by plaintiffs in litigation to capitalize on these perceptions.

Moderator

Elizabeth Robertson Taber, King & Spalding, Houston, Texas

Panelists

Maithilee Pathak, Ph.D., J.D., R&D Strategic Solutions, Atlanta, Georgia
Karen Kash Redden, M.S. WitnessWork, Houston, Texas
C. K. “Pete” Rowland, Ph.D., Litigation Insights, Inc., Overland Park, Kansas

3:15 pm

Break

3:30 pm

From North to South: A Comparison of Key Oil and Gas Issues in Appalachia and Texas/Louisiana

This presentation compares and contrasts how Appalachian oil and gas states (mainly Pennsylvania and Ohio) address various oil and gas issues with how those same subjects are addressed by the courts of Texas and Louisiana. Topics to be covered will include royalty class actions – both post-production deduction claims and bad faith sales claims – dormant mineral statutes, and the intersection of state and local regulation of oil and gas development.

Lucas Liben, Reed Smith LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aimee W. Hebert, Kelly Hart & Pitre, New Orleans, Louisiana

4:30 pm

Safeguarding Client Data in a Breach-a-Day World (Ethics)

The headlines are filled with reports of data breaches – including breaches of law firms! Security is a particular concern for attorneys because of their ethical duties of competence in technology and confidentiality. This session will explore recent breaches, current threats, and attorneys’ ethical and legal duties to safeguard information. It will then review measures for compliance with these duties and with increasing client demands for security.

David G. Ries, Clark Hill PLC, Pittsburgh, PA

5:30 pm

Adjourn

5:30 - 6:30 pm

Networking Reception

Hotel Information

The cost of housing is not included in tuition. However, rooms (in limited number) have been reserved at the Hilton Houston Post Oak (2001 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston, TX 77056). Registrants should call 1.800.245.7299 and advise that they are attending the “IEL - 16th Annual Energy Litigation Conference” to receive a reduced rate of $199 + tax/night for a standard king room. The last day to obtain this special rate is October 20, 2017.

BOOK HOTEL ONLINE

CLE Credit

This program is approved by the State Bar of Texas for a total of 7 hours, including 1 hour of ethics. Course ID Number: 928008477. Credit hours for other states will vary and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.

For this conference, IEL will directly apply (if requested) for course accreditation in the following states: California, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Some of these states may not approve a program for credit hours before the program occurs. Attorneys may be eligible to receive CLE credit through reciprocity or attorney self-submission in other states. IEL conferences are typically accredited by all mandatory CLE states.

Sponsorship

Hosted Luncheon and Presentation of the IEL Outstanding Achievement in Energy Litigation Award - $3,000 each

Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be mailed and/or emailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through email and web announcements.
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
Recognition on the Conference website.
Recognition at the luncheon.
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference.
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference.

Networking Reception - $2,000 each

Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be mailed and/or emailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through email and web announcements.
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
Recognition on the Conference website.
Recognition at the Reception.
1 complimentary registrant at the Conference.
2 complimentary guests at reception
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference.

Breakfast Sponsor (Only 1 Allowed) - $3,000 - SOLD OUT

Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be mailed and/or emailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through email and web announcements.
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
Recognition on the Conference website.
Recognition at the breakfast
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference.
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference.

Wi-Fi Sponsor (Only 1 Allowed) - $3,000 - SOLD OUT

Name/Logo reflected in wifi access code
Prominent recognition on the Conference Background Slide
Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be mailed and/or emailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through web announcements.
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
2 complimentary registrant at the Conference. ♣ An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference.

Canvas Bag - $2,500 each - SOLD OUT

Name/Logo on one side of canvas bag (ONLY 3 ALLOWED)
Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be mailed and/or emailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through web announcements.
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
1 complimentary registrant at the Conference. • An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference.

Exhibitor (Non-law Firms only) - $1,500 each

Space to display company/firm materials at the conference.
Name/logo on Conference website with link to company page

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lilly Hogarth, IEL Project Manager at lhogarth@cailaw.org or +1.972.244.3424.

Other Information

Press Policy

All IEL conferences are held under the Chatham House Rule. Participants, including journalists, are free to use any information received, but comments may not be attributed to any speaker identiﬁ ed by name or affiliation.

Nondiscriminatory Policy

The Center for American and International Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status in educational activities, scholarship programs or admissions.

Privacy Policy

We do not sell or rent information to any outside parties. By providing your information, you will receive postal and electronic communications from the Institute for Energy Law (IEL) of The Center for American and International Law (CAIL) in accordance with CAIL's Privacy Policy. If we co-sponsor a program with another organization, information may be shared between the parties. All such co-sponsors will be identified on the event details and registration page. At any point, you can opt-out or unsubscribe by selecting either link at the bottom of each email or call us at 972.244.3400.

16th Annual Energy Litigation Conference