15th ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration

Overview

The Joint Conference is presented by the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), the Institute for Energy Law (IEL) and the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The 15th ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference will bring together leading practitioners, in-house counsel, arbitrators, experts and academics to examine the forces reshaping international energy arbitration. It begins with a Young Lawyers Roundtable planned by the organizations’ young lawyer groups but designed for all attendees. It will address substantive issues relating to cross-border energy transmission disputes and the limits of sovereign immunity in enforcement. The first day concludes with an evening reception at The Grove featuring drinks, outstanding food, and an informal setting for visiting with friends and colleagues.

Friday’s program will address emerging energy disputes, risks affecting contractual performance and energy infrastructure, and compensation issues involving Production Sharing Agreements. The program also features the annual Year in Review and a luncheon conversation with independent arbitrator Jean Kalicki as part of the Preserving Perspectives initiative.

Conference Co-Chairs

Lindsey Raspino
ConocoPhillips
Houston, Texas, United States

Mike Lennon
Mayer Brown
Houston, Texas, United States

Noiana Marigo
Freshfields
New York, New York, United States

Young Lawyers Roundtable Co-Chairs

Courtney Giles
IEL YEP Representative
Baker McKenzie
Houston, Texas, United States

Joy Mgbado
Young ITA Representative
Aluko & Oyebode

Julio Rivera Rios
ICC YAAF Representative
Rivera García
Ciudad de México, México

Registration Options

Early registration pricing is available through January 13, 2027.

• $795 - Regular Registration Fee (Regular Price: $860)
• $635 - ITA Advisory Board or Correspondent Member (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - ITA Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - IEL Advisory Board Member (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - ICC Member (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - Young ITA Member (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member (Regular Price: $685)
• $635 - ICC YAAF Member (Regular Price: $685)
• $450 - Corporate Counsel (Regular Price: $490)
• $450 - Government Employee (Regular Price: $490)
• $275 - Full-time Professor (Regular Price: $300)
• $175 - Full-time Student (Regular Price: $175)

Schedule and Faculty

Thursday, January 28

1:30 - 5:00 p.m. - REGISTRATION

2:30 - 2:45 p.m. - Welcome

• Charles “Chip” Brower II, ITA Chair, Of Counsel, Miller Canfield, Professor of Law, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
• Sharon O. Flanery, IEL Chair, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia
• Claudia Salomon, President, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris, France

Young Lawyers Roundtable

Presented by
ICC Young Arbitration & ADR Forum (YAAF)
IEL Young Energy Professionals (YEP)
Young ITA (YITA)

2:45 - 2:50 p.m. - Welcome to the Roundtable

2:50 - 3:45 p.m. (55 minutes) - Power Without Borders: Navigating Disputes in Cross-Border Energy Transmission

This panel will examine the unique dispute risks associated with subsea cables, interconnectors, pipelines, and other energy infrastructure spanning multiple jurisdictions. Drawing on recent developments and incidents involving large-scale cross-border transmission projects, panelists will explore how companies are navigating these challenges and managing risks involved in complex multi-state energy projects.

Moderator: Madeline R. Snider, Snider Dispute Resolution PLLC, Ciudad de México, México

Panelists:

• Chris Campbell, Baker Hughes, Florence, Italy
• Tunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, Aluko & Oyebode, Lagos, Nigeria
• Additional Panelists Invited

3:50 - 4:55 p.m. (65 minutes) - When States Go Commercial: Is Immunity from Enforcement Justified?

This Oxford-style debate will examine the limits and implications of sovereign immunity in commercial award enforcement. Following an introductory discussion, panelists will debate two propositions: (1) this house resolves that a State-owned energy enterprise’s entry into a commercial arbitration agreement constitutes a default waiver of sovereign immunity, absent an express reservation in the agreement itself; and (2) this house resolves that the law of the arbitral seat, and not the law of the enforcement forum, governs whether a State-owned enterprise has waived sovereign immunity from execution.

Moderator: Duncan Pickard, Debevoise & Plimpton, New York, New York

Panelists:

• Catherine Bratic, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, Houston, Texas
• Christina Doria, Baker McKenzie, Toronto, Canada
• Alejandro Martinez de Hoz, Paul Hastings, Washington, D.C.
• Vitor Vieira, Alston & Bird, New York, New York

4:55 - 5:00 p.m. - ROUNDTABLE CLOSING REMARKS

5:15 - 7:30 p.m. - CONFERENCE SOCIAL

Join us at The Grove for a relaxed evening reception on the restaurant’s first floor, reserved exclusively for our group. Enjoy drinks, plenty of outstanding food to make a full dinner, and an informal setting designed for visiting with friends and colleagues. Guests are free to mingle at the bar or settle in at smaller tables throughout the evening.

The Grove | 1611 Lamar St. | Houston, TX 77010

Friday, January 29

8:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 - 9:05 a.m.  - Welcome Back

9:05 - 9:35 a.m. (30 minutes) - Energy Markets, Energy Transition and Energy Security in a Time of Turmoil

Dr. Michot Foss will explore the status of the energy transition in uncertain times, including the regulatory, political and geopolitical considerations influencing the transition in the US and abroad.

• Michelle Michot Foss, Ph.D., Energy Policy Research Foundation, Houston, Texas

9:35 - 10:25 a.m. (50 minutes) - To Boldly Go Where Nobody Has Gone Before: New Frontiers of Energy Disputes

As wind and solar disputes rage on, new frontiers of energy disputes are emerging. Panelists will dive into the bold new world of building and powering data centers, storage battery failure and intermittency, repowering aging energy infrastructure, (unequal) access to transmission resources such as hydrogen pipelines, and the re-emergence of nuclear power.

Moderator: Norah Gallagher, Academic Director, Energy & Climate Change Law Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

Panelists:

• Jonathan Brierley, Akin, London, United Kingdom
• Kirsten Odynski, White & Case LLP, Houston, Texas
• Zachary Song, Steptoe LLP, New York, New York
• Additional Panelist Invited

10:25 - 10:50 a.m. - Coffee Break

10:50 - 11:45 a.m. (55 minutes) - Price Shocks, Broken Promises and Facility Disruptions: When is Performance Excused?

Geopolitics and market forces are upending the conventional wisdom about when contractual performance is excused. Panelists will discuss contractual force majeure, CISG, UCC and other statutory defenses and at-law doctrines such as impossibility and hardship, and the extent of the duty to mitigate, if any.

Moderator: Moderator Invited

Panelists:

• Alexandre de Gramont, Womble Bond Dickinson, Washington, D.C.
• Jennifer Huang, Mayer Brown, New York, New York
• Shaden Yousef Newton, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, Texas
• Additional Panelist Invited

11:50 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. (55 minutes) - The Physical Toll: Infrastructure, Supply Chain, and Shipping Disputes

Energy infrastructure projects are increasingly exposed to disruption from armed conflict, sabotage, sanctions, tariffs, changing shipping routes, and global supply-chain pressures. Panelists will discuss how owners and EPC contractors are navigating the resulting risks, disruptions, and delays to energy infrastructure projects.

Moderator: Fritha Wheeler-Ozanne, Assistant General Counsel, Fluor Corporation, Irving, Texas

Panelists:

• Jane Davies Evans KC, 3VB, London, United Kingdom
• Sami Tannous, Freshfields, Dubai, UAE
• Additional Panelist Invited

12:45 - 2:10 p.m. - LUNCHEON

A Conversation with

Jean Kalicki
Independent Arbitrator
New York, New York

Interviewed by
Prof. Dr. Crina Baltag
Queen Mary University of London and ARBITRA
London, United Kingdom

This interview is the latest in a series organized by the ITA Academic Council to record the evolution of modern international arbitration in the words of those who have led it.

2:10 - 2:20 p.m. - Coffee Break

2:20 - 3:20 p.m. (60 minutes) - Year in Review: The Top Developments in International Energy Arbitration

This presentation will survey investor-state and commercial disputes in the energy sector and highlight the biggest developments of the last year. Casting an eye over a wide range of matters, speakers will identify decisions and industry trends that are likely to influence energy arbitration in the future.

Panelists:

• Kate Brown de Vejar, DLA Piper, Ciudad de México, México
• Luke Sobota, Three Crowns, Washington, D.C.

3:25 - 4:25 p.m. (60 minutes) - Erosion of the PSA & Quantum: Compensation for Windfall Taxes and Fiscal Reinterpretations

Conflicts persist between host states wanting more revenue for government projects and operators relying on the economic rewards built into their Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs). The host state rarely outright expropriates a project anymore. Instead, profits are recouped through tax code reinterpretations, windfall profits taxes, R-factor adjustments, or environmental surcharges. True experts will provide a highly practical, technical discussion on damages and the “equilibrium of the contract” in volatile regimes.

Moderator: Laura Cózar, Accuracy, Madrid, Spain

Panelists:

• Carla Chavich, Compass Lexecon, New York, New York
• Drake Hernandez, BRG, Houston, Texas
• Julian Honowitz, Ankura, Chicago, Illinois

4:25 - 4:30 p.m. - Closing Remarks

4:30 p.m. - Adjourn

Hotel Information

Four Seasons Hotel Houston
1300 Lamar Street
Houston, Texas 77010-3017, USA

Rooms are available at the discounted rate of $285 plus taxes and fees. The deadline for booking a room at the discounted rate is January 4, 2027, or when block sells out.

Book Hotel

Sponsorship Opportunities

CANVAS BAG - $9,000 (exclusive)

• Recognition as a sponsor of the Canvas Bag on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 3 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

WIFI SPONSORSHIP - $6,000 (exclusive) - SOLD

• Company/Firm Name as WiFi code for conference
• Recognition as Wifi Sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• Sponsor name included as WIFI Password (with limitations on length and venue requirements)
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

CONFERENCE COFFEE BREAKS - $6,000 (exclusive) - SOLD

• Recognition as a sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registration
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

LANYARD SPONSORSHIP - $5,000 (exclusive) - SOLD

• Company/Firm Name on badge lanyard
• Recognition as Lanyard Sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

NOTEPAD SPONSORSHIP - $5,000 (exclusive) - SOLD

• Company/Firm logo on blank notepads distributed to participants
• Recognition as Notepad sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

CONFERENCE BREAKFAST - $5,000 (exclusive)

• Recognition as a sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

CONFERENCE LUNCHEON - $4000

Featuring Oral History Interview with Jean Kalicki

• Recognition as a sponsor of the Luncheon on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

CHARGING STATION - $4,000 (exclusive)

• Recognition as a sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

MATERIALS SPONSOR (INCLUDES FULL PAGE ADVERTISEMENT) - $4,000 (exclusive)

• Full page Company/Law Firm Advertisement on the back of the Conference Materials Binder
• Recognition as a sponsor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 2 complimentary conference registrations
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

AN EVENING AT THE GROVE - SOCIAL SPONSOR (JANUARY 28) - $3,750 (limited to 6)

(The Grove, 1611 Lamar St., Houston, TX)

• Recognition as a sponsor of the conference social at The Grove on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 1 complimentary conference registration
• 2 additional complimentary guests at the Welcome Reception
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

YOUNG LAWYERS ROUNDTABLE - $3,000 (Limited to 6)

• Recognition as a sponsor of the Roundtable on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 1 complimentary conference registration
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials
• Name/logo on the conference website with link to company page

EXHIBITOR - $3,000

• Recognition as an Exhibitor on the conference website, at the conference, and in marketing by ITA, IEL, and ICC
• 1 complimentary conference registration
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials

Other Information

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, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status in educational activities, scholarship programs or admissions.

ICC Privacy Policy

Your information will also be collected by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) for the purpose of registering you for the event. You have the right to access, rectify, erase, the right to portability of your personal data, the right to restrict and object the processing, by sending an email to dataprotection@iccwbo.org or writing to the International Chamber of Commerce, ICC DPO, 33-43 avenue du Président Wilson 75116 Paris, France. For further information about this processing, please visit this page. If you wish that ICC sends you emails on Arbitration and ADR activities including reports, guidelines, events, trainings and updates relating to ICC’s range of leading dispute resolution products and services, we invite you to sign up here by completing the form and your preferences.

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 Transnational Arbitration (ITA) 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.