4th Oilfield Services Law Conference

Overview

Highlights

• MSA and Contract Issues
• Sanctions Compliance
• Litigation and Regulatory Trends
• International Focus on Latin America

Featuring Luncheon Speaker
Mark Stubbe, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Trading, Cheniere Energy, Inc., Houston, Texas

Download the Brochure (pdf)

For more details, download the online brochure.

Conference Co-Chairs

Michael Bennett
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Houston, TX 

Tuition

Registration includes the Conference, course materials on USB and online and all meals.

• $435 / $495 - Regular registration fee
• $345 / $395 - IEL Advisory Board Member
• $345 / $395 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee
• $345 / $395 - CAIL Member or Member Employee
• $345 / $395 - Government Employee
• $145 - Materials Only

Schedule and Faculty

7:45 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:25 am

Welcome and Introduction to the Conference

Conference Co-Chairs

• Michael B. Bennett, Baker Botts L.L.P., Houston, Texas
• J. Kevin Blodgett, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Rockwater Energy Solutions, Inc., Houston, Texas

8:30 am

Litigation Trends and Avoiding Liability Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

The common pay practices of the oilfield services industry have been the target of sustained scrutiny from the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor and the subject of an increasing number of lawsuits filed by private litigants under the FLSA. This session will provide a useful guide to identifying common mistakes in how employees within the oilfield services industry are compensated and will provide sound solutions for how to remediate such mistakes in order to avoid or limit potential liability under the FLSA.

Stefanie Moll, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, Houston, Texas

9:30 am

Transactional Trends in Oilfield Services

From a deal lawyer’s perspective, the oilfield services space remains fertile ground. North American drilling and production activity is increasing service and technology demands, leading to shifts in capital markets and M&A transactions. This session will discuss these shifts, including the proliferation of MLPs and the use of spin-offs to unlock shareholder value.

Ryan J. Maierson, Latham & Watkins LLP, Houston, Texas

10:15 am

Break

10:30 am

MSA and Contract Issues: Indemnities Update, Safety Issues, ISNet

This presentation will address practical contracting issues impacting oilfield services companies, including:

An update on the Ranger Insurance case, soon to be decided by the Supreme Court of Texas, concerning whether the scope of insurance coverage for an “additional insured” in the contractor-subcontractor context is limited to the scope of indemnities set forth in the parties’ contract or defined instead by the provisions of the insurance policy, as well as other important contract and policy interpretation principles, and the practical issues likely to confront legal departments in the wake of the decision.

An overview of common issues relating to enforceability of standard “terms and conditions” accompanying job-specific work orders and job tickets as well as a summary of recent court decisions and recommendations of best practices for achieving desired limitation of liability.

A discussion of issues associated with applications of ISNetworld® by operators and expanded and novel use of the database in the contracting process and concerns this may pose for oilfield services companies. 

Terms and Conditions
David A. Baay, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, Houston, Texas

Indemnities and Risk Allocation
Jeffrey S. Davis, Gardere, Houston, Texas

Safety Issues/ISNet
Lonnie Hobbs, Associate General Counsel, Key Energy Services, Inc., Houston, Texas

12:00 pm

Hosted Luncheon

Mark Stubbe, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Trading, Cheniere Energy, Inc.

1:30 pm

International Focus: Latin America

An overview of the evolving landscape for oil and gas production in Latin America, including a discussion of legal and political developments in Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. This panel of in-house and outside experts will analyze the emerging issues affecting oilfield services company operations in this important region.

Moderator:

José Luis Vittor, Hogan Lovells, Houston, Texas

Panelists:

• Veronica H. Foley, Associate General Counsel, Americas, Precision Drilling (US) Corporation, Houston, Texas
• Francisco Balduzzi, Senior Counsel - Latin America, Wood Group, Houston, Texas
• Olga A. Zorrilla Ruvalcaba, Counsel, International Legal Department, PEMEX, Mexico City, Mexico
  

2:30 pm

Hydraulic Fracturing: Regulatory and Litigation Update

Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques have revolutionized oil and gas production in the United States. This panel presentation will discuss the latest political and regulatory developments affecting hydraulic fracturing, including ongoing activities at the federal, state and local levels. Additionally, it will provide an E&P operator’s perspective on key litigation trends impacting America’s shale plays.

Moderator:
Salo Zelermyer, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Washington, D.C.

Panelists:

• David Poole, Range Resources, Fort Worth, Texas
• Michael Weller, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Washington, D.C.

3:30 pm

Break

3:45 pm

Sanctions Compliance in the Oilfield Services Sector

The rapidly evolving and expanding nature of U.S. sanctions as well as increased U.S. Government scrutiny and worldwide criminal and civil enforcement of sanctions laws mean that global compliance monitoring and risk mitigation are more important than ever. This discussion will focus on recent developments in sanctions laws relevant to the oil and gas sector, case studies concerning sanctions issues and practical considerations regarding the development or enhancement of systems to detect and respond to potential sanctions compliance problems.

Paul T. Luther, Baker Botts L.L.P., Washington, D.C.

4:30 pm

Ediscovery Issues for Oilfield Services Companies

Oilfield services companies by their very nature maintain large and sometimes complex repositories of electronically stored information (ESI) and will likely be called upon to search for and produce specific information from those repositories in a variety of litigation. This session will provide an update on the current case law regarding this evolving area as well as a concise summary of the pending proposals to amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure dealing with ESI, and how those proposed amendments will impact your interactions with your clients and opponents.

Carolyn Southerland, Huron Consulting Group, Houston, Texas

5:30 pm

Closing Remarks

5:35 pm

Adjourn

5:35 pm

Networking Reception

CLE Credits

MCLE Credit

This program is approved by the State Bar of Texas for 7.0 hours (no ethics). Course ID Number: 901299218. 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. ILT conferences are typically accredited by all mandatory CLE states.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Networking Luncheon - $2,500 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 web announcements.
• Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference brochure and final program.
• Recognition on the Conference website
• Recognition at the Luncheon
• 1 complimentary registrant at the Conference
• Up to 2 complimentary guests for the luncheon
• An opportunity to display company/firm materials

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 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
• An opportunity to display company/firm materials

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

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

Canvas Bag - $2,500 each
(ONLY 3 ALLOWED) 

• Name/Logo on one side of canvas bag
• 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.
• An opportunity to display company/firm materials

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Licia Maria (Lilly) Hogarth, Project Manager at lhogarth@cailaw.org or +1.972.244.3224.

Hotel Information

The cost of housing is not included in tuition. However, rooms (in limited number) have been reserved at the JW Marriott Hotel, 5150 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056. Registrants should call 1.800.228.9290 and advise them they are attending the "Oilfield Services Conference" to receive a reduced room rate of $239 + occupancy tax. The last day to obtain this special rate is September 21, 2014.

BOOK HOTEL ONLINE

Other Information

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