This conference focuses on the upstream oil & gas industry, looking at the lifecycle of an upstream project. It brings together in-house, government and law firm practitioners to offer insights, strategies and solutions to trends and challenges in the industry.

Conference Co-Chairs

Rachel Blair
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Spring, Texas

Amanda Howard Lowe
Kean Miller LLP
New Orleans, Louisiana

Registration Options

Early registration pricing is available through September 25, 2024.

$485 / $550 - Regular Registration Fee
$395 / $460 - IEL Advisory Board Member
$395 / $460 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee
$395 / $460 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member
$395 / $460 - In-House and Governmental Professionals
$100 - Full-time Professor
$75 - Law Student

Schedule and Faculty

8:05 a.m. - Registration

8:35 – 8:45 a.m. - Welcome, Overview and Introductions

8:45 – 9:30 a.m. - Federal Leasing Program Update

This presentation will address recent developments in the federal leasing program, both onshore and offshore. It will include an update on recent regulatory developments and litigation, touch on how the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo may impact leasing litigation going forward, and talk about what the future of the leasing program might look like in light of the upcoming election and the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 recently reported out of the Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Sarah Y. Dicharry, Jones Walker LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana
Charlie Shull, Counsel, U.S. Senate, Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, Washington, D.C.

9:30 – 10:15 a.m. - Oilfield Service Contracts: An Overview of Common but Critical Provisions

This panel will examine risk allocation, indemnity, and insurance provisions in common upstream contracts, as well as a discussion on state anti-indemnity statutes.

Lauren Guichard Hoskin, Kean Miller LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana
Kevin Mark Visentin, Contracts Attorney, Liberty Energy, Houston, Texas

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. - BREAK

10:45 – 11:30 a.m. - JOA Disputes: A Survey of Emerging and Re-Emerging Issues

Disputes between operators and non-operators are common in our industry. While Model Forms have significantly helped standardize basic JOA structures, there are many subjects that are not addressed or are inadequately addressed in base Model Forms. This presentation will explore a variety of common JOA-based disputes and practical observations, including wellbore assignments and maintenance of uniform interest provisions, exculpatory clauses, abandonment and surrender provisions, non-consent provisions, remedies for defaulting non-operators, removal of operator and successor operator provisions, COPAS issues, and the interplay between record title and Contract Area.

Austin Brister, McGinnis Lochridge, Houston, Texas

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Drilling Into the Agreements

This session will provide an overview of the oil and gas E&P and drilling process, the integral roles played by various contracting service providers, as well as the contracts involved.

Moderator: Michael Brassett, Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Panelists:

Rodney Mallams, Associate General Counsel – Operations, Valaris, Houston, Texas
Michael G. McDaniel, Senior Counsel, Operations & Marketing, Transocean, Houston, Texas
Mark Stich, Assistant General Counsel, Noble Drilling, Houston, Texas

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. - NETWORKING LUNCH

1:30 – 2:15 p.m. - Royalty Disputes After Initial Production

This presentation will cover royalty disputes that may arise after initial production, including disputes regarding post-production costs that follow changes in operators (and royalty payments). Additionally, this presentation will address recent disputes regarding a lessee’s ability to recover overpayments from a royalty owner’s successor-in-interest.

Elizabeth L. Tiblets, K&L Gates,LLP, Fort Worth, Texas

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. - Emergency Response: Navigating Regulations, Investigations, and Record Keeping

This panel will offer a crash course in legal-informed emergency response for the oil and gas sector, including state and federal regulatory reporting and investigations, and recommended practices for record keeping, internal investigations, and anticipation of litigation.

Lauren Brogdon, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Houston, Texas
Roberta Saielli Lewis, Senior Legal Counsel - LSPTIP Safety, Environment & Asset Management, Shell USA, Inc., Houston, Texas
Clarissa Howley Mills, Deputy Regional Counsel, EPA, Region 6, Dallas, Texas

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. - BREAK

3:15 – 4:00 p.m. - The Recent Public Company M&A Landscape

This session will analyze recent trends, developments, and lessons learned in public company mergers & acquisitions that are relevant to energy attorneys.

Louis Goldberg, Davis Polk, Larchmont, New York

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. - Navigating End-of-Life Liabilities and Obligations for Oil and Gas Wells

This panel will discuss the end-of-life and decommissioning obligations for both onshore and offshore oil and gas wells, including the recent rulemaking on financial assurance for decommissioning. It will consider the obligations of current and former onshore oil and gas lessees to plug, abandon, and reclaim wells, including providing an overview of Bureau of Land Management procedures.

Brad Schlotterer, Kean Miller LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana
Katie Schroder, Davis Graham, Denver, Colorado
Stephen Wiegand, Senior Counsel, Chevron Americas Exploration & Production Company, Covington, Louisiana

5:00 p.m. - Adjourn

Overnight Accommodations

Houston Marriott West Loop by the Galleria
1750 West Loop S
Houston, TX 77027

Start Date: Wednesday, October 16
End Date: Friday, October 18
Last Day to Book: Wednesday, September 25
Group Rate: $179 USD per night +taxes/fees

Book Your Hotel

MCLE Credit

Texas Course Number 174252034. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 6.5 credit hours, of which no credit hours will apply to ethics/professional responsibility credit.

IEL as registrar for the conference will directly apply for course accreditation in the following additional states: California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Some of these states may not approve a program for credit hours before the program occurs. The program Approved credit hours will vary by jurisdiction and are subject to each jurisdiction’s approval and credit rounding rules.

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 Opportunities

Wi-Fi Sponsorship (Exclusive) - $5,000

Name/logo reflected in Wi-Fi access code
Recognition in all marketing material
Prominent recognition on the Conference background slide
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Recognition from podium during the Conference
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Conference Notepads (Exclusive) - $4,000

Name/Logo on notepads distributed to all attendees
Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from podium during the Conference
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Lanyard Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,500 (SOLD)

Name on lanyards distributed at Conference
Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from the podium during the Conference
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Conference Materials Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,500 (SOLD)

Single page company/firm advertisement showing through back of packet containing Conference related material
Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from the podium during the Conference
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Breakfast Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250 (SOLD)

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from the podium during the Conference
Recognition via signage at the breakfast
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Morning Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250 (SOLD)

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from the podium during the Conference
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Afternoon Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250 (SOLD)

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from the podium during the Conference
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Charging Station (Exclusive) - $3,250 (SOLD)

Signage Recognizing Sponsor at charging stations
Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition from the podium during the Conference
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Networking Luncheon Sponsor - $2,750 each

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo on the Conference website, with link to company/firm website
Company/firm logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
Recognition at the luncheon
1 complimentary registrant at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Exhibitor (Non-law Firms only) - $2,750 each

Recognition in all marketing material
Company logo on the Conference website, with link to company website
Company logo prominently displayed in the Conference program and Conference break slides
1 complimentary registrant at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lilly Hogarth, Sponsorship Director 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.

Photo/Audio/Video Release

Registration for or attendance at this event acknowledges consent to be recorded or photographed. We reserve the right to use any photograph/video taken at our events, without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. We may use the photograph/video in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted including but not limited to: brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, annual reports, newsletters, etc. To ensure the privacy of individuals, images will not be identified using full names or personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed subject.

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.

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.

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.

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Overview