The 25th edition of the Energy Litigation Conference will bring together some of the top in-house and private practice energy litigators to discuss new trends in energy litigation, recent case law of importance to energy litigators, and ways to improve an energy litigation practice.

Conference Co-Chairs

Tod Everage
Kean Miller LLP
New Orleans, LA

Brett R. Sheneman
Senior Operations Counsel, Baytown Area
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Spring, Texas

Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation Award Recipient

George Arceneaux III
Liskow & Lewis
Lafayette, LA

Registration Rates

Early registration pricing is available through October 16, 2026.

$495 / $570 - Regular Registration Fee
$395 / $465 - IEL Advisory Board Member
$395 / $465 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee
$395 / $465 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member
$100 - Full-time Professor
$50 - Law Student

Schedule and Faculty

7:45 a.m. - Registration

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

8:45 – 9:30 a.m. - Hard Target: Litigators as a Company’s Competitive Advantage (45 min)

Keynote: Justin Anderson, Assistant General Counsel for Litigation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, TX

Interviewer: Brett R. Sheneman, Senior Operations Counsel, Baytown Area, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, TX

9:30 – 10:15 a.m. - Case Law Update (45 min)

Speakers Invited

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. - BREAK

10:45 – 11:30 a.m. - Nuclear Verdicts Against Energy Companies: How Plaintiffs Build Them and How Defendants Stop Them (45 min)

Nuclear verdicts result when nuclear jurors meet nuclear facts. This program will equip energy defense counsel leave with the keys to prevention: deselecting nuclear jurors, precluding anchoring, defusing plaintiff’s damages, making the number yours, and arguing non-economic damages.

Lauren Brogdon, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Houston, TX

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. - Today’s Investments, Tomorrow’s Disputes (45 min)

Today’s investment decisions are laying the groundwork for the energy disputes of the next decade. Bringing together in-house counsel in LNG, renewables, and infrastructure projects, this panel will examine how capital is being deployed, how geopolitical developments and other risk factors are shaping investment decisions, and how companies are allocating and hedging those risks. Panelists will also look ahead to how these assumptions about commercial and regulatory risks are likely to be tested over time, and consider where today’s investments may give rise to tomorrow’s disputes.

Catherine Bratic, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader US LLP, Houston, TX
Frédéric Sourgens, James McCulloch Chair in Energy Law and Director of the Tulane Center for Energy Law, Tulane Law School, New Orleans, LA
Additional panelists invited

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. - Lunch – Lifetime Achievement in Energy Litigation Award Presentation and Speech

Award Recipient

George Arceneaux III
Liskow & Lewis
Lafayette, LA

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. - Built to Withstand Challenge: Permitting, Citizen and Activist Suits, and the Record (60 min)

As energy projects face continued activist litigation, permit challenges, and evolving federal environmental review requirements, litigators must be prepared long before a complaint or petition is filed. This program will examine how to build and defend a durable administrative record in key permitting contexts, including permitting pathways and judicial-review mechanisms in Gulf Coast states. The discussion will also address citizen suits under major environmental statutes, including the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act, as well as NEPA litigation and recent changes affecting environmental statement requirements for offshore projects. Panelists will offer practical guidance for in-house and outside counsel on anticipating challenges and positioning energy projects for success in an uncertain litigation environment.

Lauren Rucinski, Kean Miller LLP, Baton Rouge, LA
Michael F. Vitris, Beveridge & Diamond PC, Austin, TX

2:30 – 3:15 p.m. - Trials in Texas Business Court – A Success Story (45 min)

Although entering only its third year of existence, the Texas Business Court has already held numerous trials. This panel discussion will feature Judge Sofia Adrogué (first jury trial) and Judge Melissa Andrews (first bench trial), along with trial attorneys Roland Garcia (first jury trial) and Tim Shelby (first bench trial). The panelists will offer an inside perspective on these trials and other trials, including discussion of how the cases were streamlined for trial, logistical challenges regarding finding courtrooms for trials, and lessons learned from the trials.

Moderator: Tim Shelby, AZA Law, Houston, TX

Panelists:

Hon. Sofia Adrogué, Texas Business Court Eleventh Division, Houston, TX
Hon. Melissa Andrews, Texas Business Court Third Division, Austin, TX
Roland Garcia, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Houston, TX

3:15 – 3:30 p.m. - BREAK

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. - Shale by Region (45 min)

Andrew Glenn, Beatty & Wozniak, P.C., Denver, CO
Additional speakers invited

4:15 – 5:15 p.m. - Ethics in the Trenches: Navigating Hostile Opposing Counsel (Ethics) (60 min)

Experienced trial lawyers share real war stories from trials and depositions involving unprofessional and inappropriate conduct from opposing counsel, including how they maintained composure and effectively advocated for their clients in the face of it. Drawing from actual transcripts, this session explores ethical obligations, professionalism standards, and practical strategies for handling misconduct in real time.

Amanda Lowe, Kean Miller LLP, New Orleans, LA
Karen Shields, Kean Miller LLP, New Orleans, LA

5:15 – 6:15 p.m. - NETWORKING RECEPTION

6:15 p.m. - ADJOURN

Hotel Information

Four Seasons Hotel Houston
1300 Lamar Street
Houston, Texas 77010

Rooms are available at the discounted rate of $285/++. The deadline to book a room at the discounted rate is October 19, 2026, or when the block sells out.

Book Hotel

Sponsorship Opportunities

Wi-Fi Sponsorship (Exclusive) - $6,000 - SOLD

Name/logo reflected in Wi-Fi access code (must be at least 8 characters)
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

Lanyard Sponsor (Exclusive) - $5,000 - SOLD

Name/logo on lanyards distributed at Conference - Sponsor provides lanyards to IEL
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
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Conference Notepads (Exclusive) - $5,000 - SOLD

Name/Logo on notepads distributed to all attendees - Sponsor provides notepads to IEL
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
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Breakfast Sponsor (Exclusive) - $4,250 - 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 via signage at breakfast
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Morning Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $4,250 - 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 via signage at break
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the Conference

Afternoon Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $4,250 - 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 via signage at break
3 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Charging Station (Exclusive) - $3,750 - 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
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conferences

Hosted Luncheon and Presentation of the IEL Outstanding Achievement in Energy Litigation Award - $3,250

Honoring
TBD

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
2 complimentary registrants at the Conference
An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Networking Reception - $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 on signage at the reception
1 complimentary registrant 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
Space 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.

25th Annual Energy Litigation Conference

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