Chair of the Institute`s Annual Program: BRUCE M. Kramer is a nationally recognized lawyer in the fields of oil, gas, energy and land use and was a long-time professor at Texas Tech University School of Law. Bruce has been advising companies on a variety of legal issues and energy strategies for over 40 years. His areas of experience include state and federal laws, as well as regulations and rules affecting exploration, production and upstream assets. Bruce has co-authored several important books that have become authoritative references for energy lawyers, including two multi-volume articles, The Law of Pooling and Unitization and Williams and Meyers Oil and Gas Law (since 1996). Bruce`s books and legal articles have been cited as an authority in numerous court decisions and notices of appeal, including decisions of the Supreme Court of Texas and several other states, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States. Court of Appeals for the Tenth District and numerous federal district courts, as well as testimony before legislative and administrative bodies. NIKI ROBERTS is counsel in the Houston office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. His experience spans the entire natural resource value chain, from exploration, production, processing and infrastructure to monetization. She primarily represents exploration and production companies, midstream companies, private equity clients and other financial institutions in strategic negotiations and complex transactions in the energy sector, with a particular focus on acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures with domestic upstream and midstream oil and gas assets. Niki has extensive experience related to hydrocarbon marketing and transportation agreements, farms and farms, participation and joint development agreements, joint ventures, water disposal, transportation contracts and other commercial agreements. She has over 10 years of direct legal and land experience in the oil and gas sector.
She holds a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College. SEEMA KAKADE joined the faculty of the University of Maryland`s Carey School of Law in July 2017 after 15 years of practicing environmental law. Prior to joining the Law Academy, Seema practiced law in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency`s (EPA) Office of Civil Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Energy`s Office of the General Counsel. She has received numerous awards for her work with both organizations, including several bronze and silver medals for merit, and has twice received the Administrator`s Award of Excellence. Prior to joining the federal government, she worked as a research lawyer and co-director of the India Program at the Environmental Law Institute. She has also been a litigator in private practice. Seema`s scientific research focuses on the implementation and enforcement of environmental rights, with a particular focus on air pollution, climate change and environmental justice. Seema holds a bachelor`s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a juris doctorate from George Washington University School of Law. She received the 2019 Environmental Law Institute`s Future`s Award and is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Law. She is also an active member of several organizations dedicated to serving the wider Asian-American community.
PATRICK K. JOHNSON is a key partner in Bracewell`s Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage (CCUS) team. In recent years, he has been involved in several CCUS projects, including Hilcorp Energy Company`s upstream and midstream hybrid joint venture with a subsidiary of NRG Energy to use captured CO2 for an enhanced oil recovery project and Powertech Labs Inc., a subsidiary of a Canadian Crown corporation, to evaluate the proposed sale of mobile hydrogen refuelling stations for installation and use by third parties to United States. Patrick also represents clients. across the energy sector in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures of assets and companies, joint venture agreements and project finance. He also has extensive experience in energy project development, including negotiating and drafting EPC contracts, construction management contracts, operations and maintenance contracts, and various other supply and project development agreements. Patrick returned to Bracewell after working as an in-house consultant for ExxonMobil. In this capacity, he has provided legal support to upstream and midstream projects developed in jurisdictions in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. At Hunton Andrews Kurth, McSweeney focused on environmental, health and safety (EHS) issues and related policies, particularly the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). With nearly 20 years of experience in the energy legal industry, McSweeney has advised a wide range of clients, including oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs), pipelines and utilities, manufacturers, banking institutions and other public and private institutional clients. McSweeney joined the firm`s Boston office in 2019.
ALEXANDER K. OBRECHT`s practice focuses on energy regulation and litigation, with a focus on federal, state and private oil and gas development. transportation of dangerous goods and compliance; safety and compliance with pipeline and collector regulations; and oil and gas royalties and intermediate disputes. Having grown up and studied law in Wyoming, one of the nation`s leading energy-producing states, Alex brings a practical understanding of the complex legal environment in which his clients operate. Prior to law school, Alex worked at Credit Suisse, a Swiss-based investment bank. During his tenure, he was involved in securities trading following the Macondo well explosion and several energy-focused debt issuances. Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is pleased to announce that David McSweeney, the firm`s former environmental law consultant, has joined Equinor, a leading oil and energy refining company. In his new role as Senior Counsel for Equinor, he will focus on managing environmental and regulatory matters for the company`s U.S. operations, including Equinor`s offshore wind and renewable energy projects. I`m not a tech geek, but artificial intelligence will likely fundamentally change the legal profession, both internally and in outside law firms. I anticipate that the time spent on legal research and using multiple sources or large amounts of information in litigation or investigation can be significantly reduced through the use of artificial intelligence.
PEDRO SERRANO ESPELTA has extensive experience in the areas of natural resources and compliance, anti-corruption and investigations. Until 2020, Pedro was a partner at Marval O`Farrell Mairal and head of Marval`s Compliance, Anti-Corruption and Investigations practice, where he led complex multi-jurisdictional investigations and litigation related to white-collar crime and anti-corruption laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Brazil`s Clean Company Act. Pedro was President of one of the largest petrochemical companies in Argentina and Vice President of the largest natural gas distribution company in Argentina for many years. Pedro was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley from 1993 to 1995 and received a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1997. From 1993 to 1996, Pedro was a foreign partner at Americas Law Group in San Francisco, California, where he advised U.S., Canadian and Mexican companies on North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) transactions. Pedro regularly speaks at international conferences and seminars on topics related to his expertise. He is frequently quoted in the national media to provide insight into natural resources as well as regulations and compliance cases. Ability to provide clear, concise and understandable legal advice in a short period of time, in-depth understanding of business needs and business context, efficiency and ability to prioritize and manage heavy workload.
KARA H. HERRNSTEIN is an experienced energy attorney focused on promoting renewable energy generation in Ohio. It provides developers with legal support and problem-solving at every stage of their projects, from access to land to permitting and development. His practice also includes litigation on behalf of various energy companies, including producers and midstream companies.