9th National Young Energy Professionals Conference

Overview

Designed primarily for energy attorneys under 40 years of age, this conference will (1) provide young energy professionals with opportunities to network with their peers from in-house and law firm environments to build relationships that will benefit them professionally, (2) provide significant hours of energy related CLE for a low price, and (3) provide professional development training that will help attendees to be better lawyers and to reach their goals.

Conference Co-Chairs

Alex McCown
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Houston, TX

Jessica H. Mendoza
McElroy, Sullivan, Miller & Weber L.L.P
Austin, TX

Gabriella E. Oxford
Gray Reed
Houston, TX

Graham Valenta
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Houston, TX

Registration Options

Early registration pricing is available through April 3, 2026.

• $425 - Regular Registration Fee (Regular Price: $475)
• $375 - IEL Advisory Board Member (Regular Price: $425)
• $375 - IEL Young Energy Professional Member (Regular Price: $425)
• $375 - IEL Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee (Regular Price: $425)
• $375 - Full-Time In-House Attorneys (Regular Price: $425)
• $375 - Government Attorney (Regular Price: $425)
• $150 - Full-time Law Professor (Regular Price: $150)
• $150 - Full-time Law Student (Regular Price: $150)

Schedule and Faculty

Tuesday, April 21

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. - Welcome Reception

Venue TBD

Wednesday, April 22

8:00 a.m. - Registration

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

8:45 – 9:30 a.m. (45 min) - Energy Case Law Update

Courts across the United States have recently issued consequential decisions related to oil and gas and other parts of the energy sector. This presentation will discuss those major developments in energy law across the United States in 2025 and early 2026, with a focus on cases that young professionals are likely to find helpful in their practices.

• Christopher M. Hogan, Hogan Thompson Schuelke LLP, Houston, TX

9:30 – 10:00 a.m. (30 min) - Big Beautiful Bill

• Speakers Invited

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. (30 min) - Inside the Trial: What Energy Transfer’s $667 Million Verdict Against Greenpeace Means for Energy Projects and Activism Risk

This session delivers an insider’s view of the Energy Transfer-Greenpeace trial, tracing the Dakota Access Pipeline project, the opposition campaign, and how false claims about cultural sites, burial grounds, and protest activity culminated in a high-stakes jury trial resulting in a verdict exceeding $660 million for defamation, tortious interference, and related claims. We will breakdown the turning points in the trial and the evidence that resonated with jurors and will discuss what this case signals for future project finance, future developments, and activism risk across the energy sector.

• Ali Henderson, Assistant General Counsel – Litigation, Energy Transfer LP, Houston, TX
• Cody Johnson, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Dallas, TX
• Travis Jones, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Dallas, TX

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. - BREAK

11:00 – 11:30 a.m. - Produced Water: Regulators

• Seth Boettcher, Attorney, Office of General Counsel, Railroad Commission of Texas, Austin, TX
• Paul Dubois, Assistant Director, Oil & Gas Division, Railroad Commission of Texas, Austin, TX

11:30 am – 12:00 p.m. (30 min) - Produced Water: Looking Forward

• Isabel Huntsman, Oliva Gibbs, Houston, TX

12:00 – 12:55 p.m. - Networking Luncheon and Presentation of Outstanding Young Energy Professional Awards

12:55 – 1:30 p.m. - Leadership Luncheon Series

• Speaker Invited

1:30 – 1:45 p.m. - BREAK

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. (60 min) - Data Centers: Success Stories and Things that Keep our Clients up at Night

Moderator: Brett Johnson, Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer LLP, Denver, CO

Panelists:

• Courtland Morrice, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, NY
  
• Dan Summers, Assistant General Counsel, Lancium, Houston, TX
• Sean Wion, Associate General Counsel – Natural Gas, Energy Transfer LP, Houston, TX

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. (30 min) - Administrative Hearings: FERC Enforcement Actions

• Samuel Lombardo, Akin, Houston, TX

3:15 – 3:30 p.m. - BREAK

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. (45 min) - Professional Development: Views from the Inside

Moderator: Moderator Invited

Panelists:

• Rob Montgomery, Assistant General Counsel, Permian Resources, Midland, TX
• Jordan Silverman, General Counsel, SNH Capital Partners, Austin, TX
• Katherine Strange, Chief Legal Officer, Milestone Environmental, Houston, TX

4:15 – 5:15 p.m. (60 min) - Ethics

• Speaker Invited

5:15 – 6:15 p.m. - Networking Reception - AT&T Hotel & Conference Center

7:00 – 9:30 p.m. - Dine Around (Optional)

Sign up to have dinner with a small group of attendees at local restaurants. Registrants will be able to sign up for specific dinner groups closer to the date of the conference.

Thursday, April 23

9:00 – 9:45 a.m. (45 min) - Fundamentals of Carbon Capture and Sequestration and Emerging Legal Issues

This panel discussion will address the fundamentals of CCS, the evolving CCS landscape, and emerging legal and regulatory issues.

• Lauren Ford, Managing Counsel, Occidental and 1PointFive, Houston, TX
• Benjamin Glass, Senior Counsel, Occidental and 1PointFive, Houston, TX
• Thomas M. Weber, McElroy, Sullivan, Miller & Weber L.L.P, Austin, TX

9:45 – 10:30 a.m. (45 min) - Texas Oil & Gas Legislative Update

With the completion of the 89th Texas Legislative Session and two subsequent special legislative sessions in 2025, this panel will give an overview of the big picture budget items and statutory changes made by the Texas Legislature that will impact the oil and gas industry. The session will cover diverse topics ranging from plugging inactive and orphaned wells, to produced water liability protections and incentives, and oilfield theft legislation.

• Gregory S. Mathews, Senior Counsel, Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Houston, TX
• Caleb R. Troxclair, Troxclair PC, Austin, TX

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. - BREAK

10:45 – 11:15 a.m. (30 min) - Why Renewables Still Matter: The Market Reality

Despite the headwinds brought on by the changes to the U.S. regulatory framework, renewable energy continues to play a central role in U.S. power markets alongside firm power and legacy assets. In particular, demand for solar and battery storage and distributed generation is being driven by continuing rapid load growth, cost competitiveness, and an increased premium on speed-to-power and reliability—especially to serve data centers and other large loads. This session will examine the current state and near-term outlook for renewables, focusing on how commercial realities, grid constraints, capital availability, and policy are shaping development and investment decisions. Drawing on both law-firm and in-house perspectives, the discussion will offer practical insights for young energy professionals navigating an evolving power landscape.

• Rocio Guadalupe Mendoza, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, energyRe, Houston, TX
• Irina Tsveklova, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Houston, TX

11:15 – 11:45 a.m. (30 min) - Administrative Hearings at the Railroad Commission of Texas

This session will be an overview and include recent developments of administrative hearings for energy lawyers at the Railroad Commission of Texas.

• Kelli Tieken Kenney, McElroy, Sullivan, Miller & Weber L.L.P, Austin, TX

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (45 min) - Deal Flow, Divestitures & Disruption: Recent M&A and A&D Trends in Oil & Gas

Oil and gas dealmaking is evolving quickly as companies rebalance portfolios, pursue scale and efficiency, and respond to shifting commodity cycles, capital discipline, and regulatory scrutiny. This panel brings together leading practitioners to unpack the most important M&A and asset acquisition/divestiture trends shaping upstream, midstream, and energy-transition-adjacent transactions. Panelists will explore how deal structures, diligence priorities, and risk allocation terms are changing in today’s market—and what that means for sponsors, strategics, and management teams navigating acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and reorganizations.

Drawing on recent transactions and market developments, the discussion will focus on where buyers and sellers are finding value, how negotiations are adapting to heightened enforcement and stakeholder pressure, and the legal strategies that are proving most effective in getting deals signed and closed.

Moderator: Adam Whitehouse, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Houston, TX

Panelists:

• Constanza Recchini, Gray Reed, Houston, TX
• David R. Mann, Porter Hedges LLP, Houston, TX
• Denny Ng, Senior Counsel, Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Houston, TX

12:30 p.m. - Adjourn

Sponsorship Opportunities

Welcome Reception Sponsor (Exclusive) - $5,000 

April 21, 2026 (Venue TBD)

• Recognition in all marketing as Reception Sponsor and Luncheon Sponsor
• Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
• Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
• Recognition on the conference website and at conference
• 2 complimentary registrants at the conference
• An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Day 1 Breakfast Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250 - SOLD

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

Day 2 Breakfast Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250

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

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

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

Charging Station (Exclusive) - $3,000

• Signage recognizing sponsor at charging station
• Recognition in all marketing
• Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
• Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
• Recognition on the conference website and at conference
• 2 complimentary registrants at conference
• An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Day 1 Morning Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250

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

Day 1 Afternoon Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,250

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

Day 2 Morning Break Sponsor (Exclusive) - $3,000

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

Young Energy Professionals Award Luncheon Sponsor - $2,500 each

April 22, 2026

• Recognition in all marketing
• Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
• Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
• Recognition on the conference website and at conference, including during Awards Luncheon
• 1 complimentary registrant at conference
• An opportunity to display company/firm materials at the conference

Networking Reception Sponsor - $2,500 each

April 22, 2026 – AT&T Hotel & Conference Center 

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

Exhibitor (Non-law Firms only) - $2,000 each

• Space to display company/firm materials at the conference
• Company/firm logo displayed in the conference program
• Company/firm logo displayed on slides during breaks
• Recognition on the conference website
• 1 complimentary registrant at the conference

Hotel Information

AT&T Hotel & Conference Center
1900 University Ave.
Austin, Texas 78705

• Room rate is $255++/night for Standard room
• Guest room cut-off date: March 20, 2026

Book Hotel

Other Information

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