61st Annual Oil and Gas Law Conference
Wine Tasting Reception
February 18-19, 2010
Hilton Post Oak - Houston, Texas

IEL’s Young Energy Professionals Committee (YEP) hosted a successful wine tasting event at the 61st Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference on February 19, 2010 at the Hilton Post Oak in Houston. The promise of wine and great conversation kept around 40 conference-goers after the conference on Friday afternoon.

The event began with a tasting presentation by three sommeliers - Manuel Cuevas, John Yeager and Ashley Bobbett - and was followed by a blind wine tasting. We tasted six wines, two each from three varietals: Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot/Bordeaux. Attendees used a voting card to guess the wine’s varietal and geographic origin (whether “old” or “new” world). A prize was awarded to the taster who got all the correct answers—congratulations to Andrew Torrant of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.; he will receive a free bottle of wine!

We also announced a winner from last year’s contest. At the 2009 tasting, we asked attendees to guess what the price of oil per barrel would be the day of the 2010 YEP wine tasting. Kathy Silver of Jackson Walker L.L.P. was the successful soothsayer. She will be receiving a bottle of wine.

Best of luck to all who registered predictions for a February 2011 price; we’ll announce the winner at next year’s Annual Conference YEP Event. (FYI – it seems the YEPs are a bullish group; the average of the predictions submitted is $86/bbl.)

The YEP Committee gratefully acknowledges our event sponsor: Greenburg Traurig LLP.

Click here for event photos!

60th Annual Oil and Gas Law Conference
Wine Tasting Reception
February 19-20, 2009
Hilton Post Oak - Houston, Texas

IEL’s Young Energy Professionals committee (YEP) hosted a successful wine tasting event at the 60th Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference on February 20, 2009 at the Hilton Post Oak in Houston. The promise of wine and great conversation kept about 75 conference-goers after the conference on Friday afternoon. Keeping with the educational theme of the conference, the event began with a tasting presentation by three sommeliers (Manuel Cuevas, John Yeager and Ashley Bobbett) and was followed by a blind wine tasting. While we sampled tasty cheeses and sipped wines that had their labels covered, each attendee used a voting card to guess the wine’s varietal, vintage, house and price point. For those that attended, we had Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We had multiple contestants who had perfect scores, so by a random drawing Stephanie Kinzel of Fulbright & Jaworski will receive a free bottle of wine!

The attendees also guessed what the price of oil per barrel would be at the time of the Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference in 2010! We will announce the results at next year’s conference.

The YEP Committee gratefully acknowledges our event sponsors: BP America Inc. and Gable & Gotwals.

Click here for event photos!

Institute for Energy Law's Young Energy Professionals (IEL YEP) General Counsel Forum and Holiday Party (December 2008)

In December, IEL's Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Committee hosted another wildly successful event, the General Counsel Forum and Holiday Party. The Forum, held at the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Houston, featured distinguished energy company general counsel who provided career development advice to young energy professionals.

General Counsel in attendance included:

• John E. Lynch, Jr., General Counsel - BP America Inc.
• Becky McGee, Vice President - XH, LLC (formerly Hunt Petroleum Corporation)
• Frederick J. Plaeger II, Senior Vice President and General Counsel - EOG Resources, Inc.
• Charlene A. Ripley, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary - Linn Energy, LLC
• William F. Schwind Jr., Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary - Marathon Oil Corporation; and
• Tim West, Associate General Counsel, Devon Energy Corporation (Chair, Institute for Energy Law)

Attendance at the event was limited to 60 people and there were over 25 people on the waiting list! The evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by a general counsel panel discussion, moderated by David Zott of Kirkland & Ellis, during which the general counsel shared mistakes, learnings and tips to becoming a successful energy professional (either as in-house or outside counsel). Each general counsel then joined a small group of young energy professionals at an individual table for a more intimate discussion over dinner. Attendees were rewarded with useful advice, an entertaining evening and direct access to some of the most powerful and prestigious members of our industry.

Click here for event photos.

HAPPY HOUR (June 2008)

Over 70 YEPs shared drinks, appetizers and conversation at the Flying Saucer in downtown Houston. We racked up a sizable bar tab and had a great time doing it!

Here's what people had to say about it:

"Congrats on a job well done with the happy hour. That was a great turnout, and once again seems to be a good group, and a nice mix of inside and outside counsel. You and the other leaders are really doing a fine job getting it off the ground."

"Thank you for coordinating the networking event last week. Great crowd, good food, convenient venue. Looking forward to the next one!"

Click here for event photos.

BREAKFAST (February 2008)
at The 59th Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference

To kick off the establishment of the YEP committee, the IEL hosted a Young Energy Professionals Networking Breakfast as part of the 59th Annual Oil and Gas Law Conference in February 2008. Over 60 YEPs attended the successful event (we carded at the door to keep the "seasoned" professionals out), and may YEPs stayed for the rest of the Conference for both the excellent educational sessions and the opportunities to network with the larger IEL membership.