4th National Young Energy Professionals’ Law Conference
- in Austin, Texas, USA
Registration Open
Credits:MCLE Credit will be available
Overview
Designed primarily for energy attorneys under 40 years of age, this conference will (1) provide young energy professionals with opportunities to network with their peers from in-house and law firm environments to build relationships that will benefit them professionally, (2) provide significant hours of energy related CLE for a low price, and (3) provide professional development training that will help attendees to be better lawyers and to reach their goals.
More information coming soon!
Conference Co-Chairs

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Houston, Texas

Reed Smith LLP
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Counsel
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Spring, Texas

Assistant General Counsel – U.S. Major Claims & Litigation
Total American Services
Houston, Texas
Tuition
Early registration pricing is available through March 5, 2020.
- $350 - Regular Registration Fee ($320)
- $265 - IEL Advisory Board Member ($295)
- $265 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member ($295)
- $265 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee ($295)
- $265 - CAIL Member or Member Employee ($295)
- $90 - Full-time Law Professor ($90)
- $90 - Full-time Law Student ($90)
Scheduly and Faculty
March 25 - Wednesday
3:00 - 5:00 pm
YEP Committee Meeting (All Welcome)
6:00 - 9:00 pm
Welcome Reception
- Upstairs at Caroline, 621 Congress Avenue, Suite 201, Austin, Texas
March 26 - Thursday
8:30 - 8:45 am
Introductory Remarks
8:45 - 9:15 am
Keynote
- Speaker Invited
9:15 - 10:15 am
An In-House Perspective: Challenges, Improvement and Success
This panel of in-house counsel will provide advice on improving your practice skills and effectiveness in representing corporate clients, including improving communications with clients and efficiency, and on how to be an effective in-house attorney. The panel will also discuss the legal issues they are experiencing and what they expect in the near future. Finally, the panel will discuss the importance and responsibility of attorneys to treat each other and their clients with respect.
Moderator: Rachel M. Scarafia, Kean Miller LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana
Panelists:
- Kevin Clark, Managing Counsel, Total Specialties USA, Inc., Houston, Texas
- Jennifer Johnson, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Compliance Office, Rosehill Resources Inc., Houston, Texas
- Steve Ryan, Vice President, Global Litigation and Investigations, TechnipFMC plc, Houston, Texas
- Elijah Wynkoop, Senior Corporate Counsel, NOVA Chemicals Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10:15 - 10:45 am
Break
10:45 – 11:30 am
Networking Authentically
Regardless of your personality type, you can find a way to engage both internally and externally in a way that fits you best. Growing your network enables you to become an effective leader and have a more fulfilling career.
- Gindi Eckel Vincent, Senior Counsel, Major Projects, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, Texas
11:30 am - 12:20 pm
Lunch
12:20 - 1:00 pm
Luncheon Leaders Series – Fireside Chat
Kathleen Magruder Hiersche recently retired as Vice President of U.S. Regulatory Affairs for BP Energy Company after a long and successful career in the U.S. energy industry as a lawyer, lobbyist, compliance officer, and expert witness. She will share her insights on her career, challenges that she faced and that young attorneys will face, and offer advice on a successful career.
Interviewer: Kelly Ransom, Kelly Hart Pitre, New Orleans, Louisiana
Interviewee: Kathleen Magruder Hiersche, Former Vice President of US. Regulatory Affairs of BP Energy Company, Dallas, Texas
1:00 - 1:15 pm
Break
Breakout Sessions
Room One
1:15 - 2:00 pm
Update on Offshore Gulf of Mexico Disputes
This presentation will focus on recent case law in offshore commercial disputes, including those arising under joint operating agreements (such as disputes over who is responsible for decommissioning obligations and payment of royalties). The presentation will also include a discussion of application of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 3 U.S.C. §§ 1331 et seq.
- Jillian Marullo, Liskow & Lewis, Houston, Texas
2:00 – 2:05 pm
Transfer Break
2:05 - 2:50 pm
The Beginning Implies The End
This session will feature a discussion of legacy liabilities in the oil patch from a litigation and transactional perspective.
- Philip G. Eisenberg, Locke Lord LLP, Houston, Texas
- Randy Wheeler, General Manager, Marquis Resources, LLC, Lafayette, Louisiana
2:50 - 3:05 pm
Break
3:05 - 3:50 pm
Physics of Damages
The oil & gas industry is subject to various types of disputes between the upstream sector that extracts natural resources and the downstream sector that manufactures industrial and consumer products. The industry is comprised of numerous stake holders with many opportunities for disputes to arise between parties. A common remedy in these disputes is financial damages. However, estimating financial damages in the oil & gas industry requires more than just a basic understanding of accounting concepts. It also requires an understanding of how financial damage estimates are affected by the physics of energy and heat.
- David B. Lerman, Managing Director – Dispute Advisory Services, FTI Consulting, Houston, Texas
3:50 – 3:55 pm
Transfer Break
Room Two
1:15 - 2:00 pm
Whiskey is for Drinkin’ and Produced Water is for Fightin’: An Update on Produced Water in Midstream & Upstream Operations
This session will address produced water ownership, supply, reuse, recycling, disposal and the changing regulatory landscape from recent state and federal initiatives.
- Daniella D. Landers, Reed Smith LLP, Houston, Texas
- Cristina Mulcahy, Stein & Brockmann PA, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Additional Speaker Invited
2:00 – 2:05 pm
Transfer Break
2:05 - 2:50 pm
What’s the Deal with Carbon Capture and Storage?
Have you ever wondered what carbon capture and storage (“CCS”) projects entail? This session will provide a general overview of carbon capture and storage, including applicable regulatory provisions, key legal considerations, and overcoming legal uncertainties.
- Sherry Scott, Senior Counsel, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, Texas
- Blake Winburne, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Houston, Texas
2:50 - 3:05 pm
Break
3:05 - 3:50 pm
The Search for Stability: Host Governments, Developing Countries, and Investment Protection
When undertaking developments in emerging regions with nascent legal frameworks, the risks of change in law and value erosion loom large. In this session, you will learn about how stabilization clauses can help to protect the value of an investment and defend against “stealth” expropriation.
- David Bertoch, Executive Counsel, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, Texas
3:50 – 3:55 pm
Transfer Break
3:55 – 4:40 pm
Define, Recognize, Disrupt: A Practical Approach to Overcoming Implicit Bias
Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. This workshop will include an open dialogue on diversity and inclusion in the workplace and will incorporate current diversity and inclusion trends. The goal of the workshop is for attendees to identify and understand implicit bias and develop best practices for disrupting it.
- Jennifer Reddien, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Dallas, Texas
4:50 - 5:50 pm
Speednetworking
7:00 – 9:30 pm
Reception and Dinner
- Moonshine Grill, 303 Red River Street, Austin, Texas 78701
March 27 – Friday
9:00 – 9:45 am
Energy Case Law Update
This session will feature a review of recent lawsuits and case outcomes of special interest to energy attorneys.
- Miles O. Indest, McGuireWoods, Houston, Texas
9:45 – 10:30 am
Recent Trends in the Legal Consequences of Industrial Accidents
This presentation will cover the complex legal considerations around crisis management and catastrophic loss based on recent incidents on the Gulf Coast and in California – as well as actions companies can take to mitigate their liability and prevent future incidents. Taking legal and business perspectives into account, the presentation will examine how incidents can be criminalized and scrutinized in the media, and looks at approaches to responding to investigations and litigation, including how a company’s programs and policies can be crafted to protect its business.
- Benjamin H. Patton, Reed Smith LLP, Houston, Texas
- Laura Schut, Senior Legal Counsel, Hess Corporation, Houston, Texas
10:30 – 10:45 am
Break
10:45 - 11:30 am
Sustainability and Supply Chain: Managing Expanding Risks and Compliance Obligations
Sustainability initiatives are driving change in the energy industry and supply chain practices, and both legal and PR risk associated with supply chain practices are growing. Join us as we discuss related legal developments, challenges, insights, as well as best practices in managing evolving compliance risks.
- Kerry B. Contini, Baker & McKenzie LLP, Washington, D.C.
- Reagan R. Demas, Baker & McKenzie LLP, Washington, D.C.
- Whitney Eaton, Vice President, Compliance, TGS, Houston, Texas
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
The Global Privilege Pipe Dream
Understanding and maintaining some form of privilege in a global world is complex—to say the least. We know that attorneys owe their clients a duty of confidentiality and the attorney-client privilege is an important component of the practice. But, how do we maintain confidentiality and privilege for international projects and the disputes that arise from them? There is no global privilege, and the jurisdictions we operate in take different approaches to the subject. This presentation explores how those approaches influence our advice and suggests some best practices to maintain our duty of confidentiality and protect the privilege of attorney-client communications.
- Joshua L. Fuchs, Jones Day, Houston, Texas
12:30 pm
Adjourn
Hotel Information
The cost of housing is not included in tuition. However, rooms (in limited number) have been reserved at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, 700 San Jacinto at 8th St., Austin, TX 78701. Registrants should call 1-800-THE-OMNI (1-800-843–6664) and advise them they are attending the "IEL – National YEPS Conference" to receive a reduced room rate of $219 ++ per night. The last day to obtain this special rate is March 3, 2020. Room block available from March 25-26, 2020.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Platinum & Social Event Sponsor - $5,000 each (limited to four)
- Recognition as a Platinum Sponsor at all conference events
- Recognition as a sponsor of the Wednesday Night Welcome Reception and the Thursday Evening Late Night Reception
- Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be electronically mailed to thousands of interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through social media and web announcements
- Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program
- Recognition on the Conference website.
- Recognition at the luncheon.
- 6 complimentary registrants at the Conference
- 3 complimentary guests at the social events
- An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference
Breakfast Sponsor - $3,750 (Exclusive)
- Recongnition as the Breakfast Sponsor on both days of the Conference
- Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be electronically mailed to thousands of interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through social media and web announcements
- Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program
- Recognition on the Conference website.
- 4 complimentary registrants at the Conference
- An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference
Gold Sponsor - $3,500 each
- Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be electronically mailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through social media and web announcements
- Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program
- Recognition on the Conference website
- 4 complimentary registrants at the Conference
- An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference.
Silver Sponsor - $2,000 each
- Recognition in the Conference brochure, which will be electronically mailed to several thousand interested counsel and business leaders and will reach many thousands more through social media and web announcements
- Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
- Recognition on the Conference website
- 2 complimentary registrants 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 +1.972.244.3424.
Other Information
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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.
Visa Information
If you require a letter of invitation to obtain a visa for this conference, payment of the registration fee must first be made. If you apply and do not receive a visa, please send us a copy of the rejection letter from the consulate, and we will cancel your registration and issue a refund. Please email iel@cailaw.org for more details.
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Registrar: +1.972.244.3403
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Fax: +1.972.244.3401
E-Mail: iel@cailaw.org