The Appalachia Energy Law Conference is held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conference focuses on legal issues related to onshore energy production, primarily oil and gas production in Appalachia. The conference brings together clients, attorneys, professional landmen, and other professionals to learn and discuss important cases, concepts, and trends. In addition, the conference features networking opportunities with other attendees.

Conference Co-Chairs

Jamie D. Chapman
Assistant General Counsel - Litigation
Antero Resources Corporation & Antero Midstream Corporation
Bridgeport, WV

Megan Haines
Reed Smith LLP
Pittsburgh, PA

Registration Rates

Early registration pricing is available through August 17, 2026.

$525 - Regular Registration Fee (Regular Price: $560)
$425 - IEL Advisory Board Member (Regular Price: $460)
$425 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee (Regular Price: $460)
$425 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member (Regular Price: $460)
$425 - EMLF Member (Regular Price: $460)
$425 - Government Employee (Regular Price: $460)
$425 – In-House Employee (Regular Price: $460)
$125 - Full-time Law Professor
$75 - Law Student

Schedule and Faculty

Wednesday, September 9

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. - WELCOME RECEPTION

Sofia Ballroom at Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
620 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh, PA

Thursday, September 10

7:45 a.m. - Registration

8:20 – 8:30 a.m. - Welcome, Overview and Introductions

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. - Energy Policy in Action (60 min)

This keynote panel brings together leading government affairs professionals to discuss how energy policy is shaped in real time across WV, PA, and OH. Panelists will provide an inside look at the intersection of politics, regulation, and market forces, offering practical insights into legislative strategy, stakeholder engagement, and the evolving policy landscape across Appalachia.

Moderator: Maribeth Anderson, Vice President - Government Affairs, Antero Resources, Charleston, WV

Panelists:

John Bane, Director of Government Affairs, EQT Corporation, Harrisburg, PA
Amanda Finn, Vice President External Affairs, Ascent Resources, Cambridge, OH
Andrew Ritter Jr., VP - Legislative & Regulatory Affairs, Range Resources, Harrisburg, PA

9:30 – 10:15 a.m. - Come Shale Away: A Panel on the Shifting Tides of Appalachian Oil and Gas Law (45 min)

The panel of experts will explore the latest developments in Appalachian mineral law from the courts and legislatures of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Travis L. Brannon, K&L Gates LLP, Pittsburgh, PA
Kevin Colosimo, FBT Gibbons LLP, Pittsburgh, PA
Jennifer Hicks, Babst Calland Clements Zomnir PC, Charleston, WV

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. - BREAK

10:45 – 11:45 a.m. - Ethics and AI (60 min ethics)

This session will explore the practical implications of using AI tools in litigation and transactional work, including issues such as safeguarding client data, supervising AI-generated outputs, and avoiding overreliance on automated systems. The program will also address emerging challenges such as algorithmic bias, inaccurate or “hallucinated” content, and the growing expectation that lawyers understand both the capabilities and limitations of the technologies they deploy. Drawing on recent ethics opinions, case law, and real-world examples—including sanctions arising from improper AI use—this session provides concrete guidance on best practices, risk mitigation, and client communication. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for responsibly integrating AI into their practice while maintaining professional integrity and complying with evolving regulatory expectations.

Robert Denby, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Houston, TX

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Neither Gone Nor Forgotten: Current Issues in Lower-Carbon and Renewable Project Development (45 min)

“Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The current antipathy of the federal government toward most renewable power development is well-known, but this is only part of the story. State and international regulatory initiatives, corporate priorities, and market practicalities continue to drive the development of renewable energy, including wind, geothermal and (yes) even solar. Further, efforts to support nuclear energy and less carbon-intensive uses of traditional fossil fuels (such as carbon capture and sequestration) continue to enjoy administration support. This session will review the current status of renewable and lower-carbon energy development in the present regulatory environment, including federal and state financial incentives and other market considerations that can drive or discourage renewable or lower-carbon-intensity energy development.

Kara Herrnstein, Bricker Graydon Wyatt LLP, Columbus, OH
Paul Stockman, Kazmarek Mowrey Cloud Laseter LLP, Pittsburgh, PA
Peter C. Trimarchi, White & Case LLP, New York, NY

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. - NETWORKING LUNCH

1:30 – 1:40 p.m. - BREAK

1:40 – 2:25 p.m. - The Insiders View (45 min)

This session offers a mix of strategic, operational, and practical questions directed to a panel of in-house counsel who will address the realities facing natural gas operators and midstream companies that attendees can apply in their own practices.

Moderator: Victoria B. Kush, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Pittsburgh, PA

Panelists:

Whitney Donley, Assistant General Counsel – Upstream, Expand Energy Corporation, Oklahoma City, OK
Christina Hinton, Senior Counsel, EQT Corporation, Canonsburg, PA
Ben Verney, Senior Counsel, CNX Resources Corporation, Canonsburg, PA

2:25 – 3:10 p.m. - Hot Topics and Data Center Development: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (45 min)

The panel will discuss the status of current permitted projects, growing opposition to data center development, the legislative response, and emerging permit litigation.

Jeffrey G. Wilhelm, Reed Smith LLP, Pittsburgh, PA
Additional Panelists Invited

3:10 – 3:25 p.m. - BREAK

3:25 – 4:10 p.m. - Appalachian Title Trends: What’s Hot in Ohio, West Virginia & Pennsylvania (45 min)

This session provides an overview of trending issues in Appalachian energy title law, including recent interpretations of Ohio’s Dormant Mineral and Marketable Title Acts, evolving guidance on the construction of historic deed reservations, and subsurface trespass liability arising from horizontal drilling. The discussion will also highlight the current status of title washing in Pennsylvania and recent challenges to tax-delinquent mineral titles in West Virginia.

Ilya Batikov, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, Columbus, OH
Brooke Kamicker, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Morgantown, WV
Kenneth J. Witzel, Ozdinec & Witzel, LLC, Cranberry Township, PA

4:10 – 5:10 p.m. - Technology is a Lawyer’s Friend: How to Leverage Digital Forensics and Emerging Technologies to Satisfy Discovery Obligations (60 min ethics)

As data within corporations continues to expand due to the use of workplace collaboration tools, mobile devices, and other online repositories, the need to leverage technology as a means to identify what is most important during pretrial discovery is certainly heightened. Utilizing algorithms that “learn” from the reviewers’ coding decisions, “active learning” technology within document review software programs, when structured the right way, can lead to more accurate review results compared to manual review, with less overall cost. Courts, too, have declared that attorneys can utilize this technology, obviating the need for attorneys’ eyes to be laid on every document in a review set. When utilizing these tools, lawyers must continue to meet ethical obligations under the Model Rules that include the duties of technical competence, confidentiality and supervision of subordinate attorneys and nonlawyer assistants, including AI systems. Join this interactive session where we’ll explain different forms of analytics (including agentic AI), provide examples of how the technology has been used to optimize review and fact development, overview judicial opinions addressing litigants’ use of such technology and discuss potential ethical responsibilities that may arise. The session will equip attendees with frameworks for integrating these technologies into practice in a manner that satisfies both discovery obligations and the profession's core ethical duties.

John Unice, CEO, bit-x-bit, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA
Amber Whipkey, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Washington, D.C.

5:10 p.m. - ADJOURN

MCLE Credit

The program is approved in the following Jurisdictions, Pennsylvania for a total of 6.75 hours, including 2 hour of ethics; West Virginia for a total of 8.1 hours, including 2.4 hour of ethics; State Bar of Texas for a total of 6.75 hours, including 2 hour of ethics. TX Course ID Number: 174331880.

IEL as registrar for the conference will directly apply for course accreditation in the following additional states: CA, LA, KY, NM, OH, OK, and VA. 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.

AAPL Credit

AAPL pending approval.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Welcome Reception (Exclusive) - $5,000 - SOLD

September 9th
Sofia Ballroom at Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
620 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh, PA

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
Recognition via signage at the reception
3 complimentary registrants at the conference
2 additional complimentary guests at welcome reception
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Wi-Fi Sponsor (Exclusive) - $5,000 - SOLD

Name Reflected in Wi-Fi Access Code
Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
3 complimentary registrants at the conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference

Breakfast (Exclusive) - $4,000 - SOLD

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
2 complimentary registrants at the conference · An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Morning Break (Exclusive) - $4,000 - SOLD

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
2 complimentary registrants at the conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Afternoon Break (Exclusive) - $4,000 - SOLD

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
2 complimentary registrants at the conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Lanyard Sponsor (Exclusive) - $4,000 - SOLD

Sponsor Provides Lanyards

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
2 complimentary registrants at conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the event or at the conference

Hosted Luncheon - $2,750 each

Recognition in all marketing material
Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
Recognition on the conference website
Recognition at luncheon
1 complimentary registrant at the conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Exhibitor (Non-law firms) - $2,500 each

Recognition in all marketing material
Recognition on the conference website
1 complimentary registrant at the conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Licia Maria Hogarth, Sponsorship Director, at 972.244.3424 or lhogarth@cailaw.org.

Hotel Information

Fairmont Pittsburgh
510 Market Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Room rate is $259++/night for Standard Fairmont room

Cutoff is August 19, 2026.

Book Hotel

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.

17th Appalachia Energy Law Conference

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