Welcome
The Center for Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental Law at The University of Texas School of Law offers an extensive and unique curriculum to students interested in these areas of the law. The Center is also a focal point for interdisciplinary analysis, debate, and discussion of the legal and policy issues relevant to energy, arbitration, and the environment.
Download PDF for list of courses: Energy, International Arbitration & Environmental Law Spring 2013 courses
The ABA Section on Dispute Resolution is seeking submissions for its James Boskey Writing Competition. This competition, described in the attached flyer, offers students a chance to achieve both fame and fortune by writing a good essay pertaining to dispute resolution. Students may submit papers prepared for their coursework. The deadline for submission is June 14, 2013. Details of the competition are set out in the attached flyer.
Each year, the Energy Center sponsors a team of law students to compete in the William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. The moot fields teams from law schools across the world. The 2013 competition is currently underway, and the University of Texas squad is particularly strong. you can read more about the Vis competition and the UT team here.
Ron Kaiser addresses students as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series; the Energy Center launched the series this semester, with an initial emphasis on Texas water law
The Distinguished Speaker Series welcomes several prominent practitioners and policy experts to the law school each semester for informal lunchtime talks about issues in energy, environmental law and international arbitration.
Because of the emphasis in this session of the Texas legislature on water supply, the Energy Center has recently brought in leading thinkers from state water policy circles, including Myron Hess of the National National Wildlife Federation, Ron Kaiser of the Texas A&M University Water Program and Mike Gershon of Lloyd Gosselink.
Arbitration expert Andrés Jana speaks about the “new paradigm” of International Arbitration in Latin America
Ending his second visit to UT Law, Andrés Jana, the Chilean delegate before the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and a member of the of the ICC’s Arbitration Committee, spoke recently about the new trend toward international arbitration in the region and the challenges ahead.
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AIPN WRITING AND SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITIONS
It is time for the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) annual Student Writing Competition and Student Scholarship Program.
The prize for the winners of the AIPN Student Writing Competition includes registration, travel and accommodations for the AIPN International Conference. Essays should be an original work of no more than 4,000 words on any specific issue of the student’s choice which is directly related to international petroleum negotiations, such as matters of contract, law, or policy. The deadline for submission is April 16, 2013.
For the AIPN Scholarship Program, AIPN will be underwriting eight scholarships in the amount of US $5,000 each, which will be awarded to up to eight students for the academic semester beginning in Fall 2012. Applicants must apply by June 1, 2012. The scholarships will be disbursed over the Fall Semester 2012 and Spring semester 2013 ($2,500 each semester). The funds will be paid directly to the recipient’s college or university to offset tuition. Previous AIPN Scholarship winners are not eligible to participate.
These are just two examples of the AIPN’s efforts to encouage student interest in the international energy industry. Students can join the AIPN for only $25 per year. The on-line application for membership in the AIPN can be found at https://www.aipn.org/StudentMembershipInfo.aspx.
FEATURED COURSE S2013
Energy Development & Policy
Professors: David E. Adelman & Monty Humble
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the legal, business, and engineering facets of energy development and entrepreneurship. The course is structured around two interconnected case studies—one based on a wind development project and the other on a high-efficiency natural gas combined-cycle plant. The key stages of project development are covered, including site selection, due diligence, permitting, contracting, and financing. The case studies are designed (1) to provide real-world conditions for understanding project development, (2) to allow students to engage in practical problem solving, and (3) to enable government policies to be evaluated in context. Course work will be complemented by regular discussions with leading experts in the utility and renewable-energy sectors.
RECENT LECTURE
The Energy Center hosted Dan Sarooshi, Professor of Public International Law in the Queen’s College, Oxford University, at the launch of their Distinguished Lectures series on October 25, 2012.
Professor Sarooshi discussed “Investment treaty arbitration and the World Trade Organization: what can they learn from each other?”
The lecture was held in honor of Ewell “Pat” Murphy, ’48. From left, Ewell “Pat” Murphy, Melinda Taylor, Ward Farnsworth, and Dan Sarooshi.
MEET JEREMY BROWN, NEW FELLOW AT THE ENERGY CENTER
Jeremy received his J.D. from UC Berkeley in 2009 and his B.A. from Brown University in 2001. He has been working as an associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in Los Angeles, focusing primarily on energy regulation. He has a background in environmental law and spent a year as a fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council in L.A. after finishing law school. He will focus mainly on environmental law during his time at the University of Texas and will co-teach Wendy Wagner’s regulatory clinic class with her next Spring.
Spring 2013 course description:
Solving Environmental Problems: Putting Theory into Practice
Taught by Energy Center Fellow Jeremy Brown and Wendy Wagner
RECENT CONFERENCE
In August the Energy Center co-sponsored a conference in Beijing with Peking University Law School, the leading law school in China.
The topic of the conference was “Oil and Gas Development Off-shore: Comparative Legal Approaches to Preventing Spills and Addressing Liability.” From the University of Texas Law School, John Dzienkowski, Owen Anderson, and Melinda Taylor gave presentations. Carol Dinkins, head of environmental practice for Vinson & Elkins, and Tracie Renfroe, a partner with King & Spalding in Houston, also gave talks.
UT Law alum Zhang Libin, who is the general counsel for mergers and acquisitions in Asia and Australia for Siemens, was a tremendous help in organizing the conference and lining up the Chinese experts who participated. The conference was simultaneously translated.
A memorandum of understanding was agreed upon and this was the first of a series of meetings to take place of the next few years. Additional projects, including faculty exchanges and training programs for energy lawyers, are being planned.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP
Brock Naeve has been awarded a prestigious scholarship by the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators for the 2012-2013 academic year. Thirteen scholarships were awarded in all.
RECENT FELLOWSHIP
Corey Lewis (UT Law class of 2013) has been awarded a prestigious summer fellowship with the Environment, Energy, and Arbitration Center at UT Law School to help expand and maintain a database of state and local laws related to chemicals policy. U-Massachusetts Lowell and NEWMOA (the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association) created the original database and approached UT Law to collaborate in the future updating of this important source of information. The summer fellow will also conduct an analysis of the most significant developments in state and local laws occurring over the last few years. NEWMOA will be funding the summer law fellow.
RECENT COMPETITION
The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
This April the UT Law Energy Center sent a team of students to compete in the The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. There were 240 law schools from 100 countries represented. Two of our students, Ji Nin Loh and Emmanuel Garcia, received Honorable Mention for their individual oratory skills.
The Vis team – Jeremy Clare, Jennifer Goodwillie, Ji Nin Loh, and Emmanuel Garcia.
The goal of the Vis Arbitral Moot is to foster the study of international commercial law and arbitration for resolution of international business disputes through its application to a concrete problem of a client and to train law leaders of tomorrow in methods of alternative dispute resolution.
Karl Bayer is the coach of the Vis team. For more information about him, visit his website at: http://www.karlbayer.com/
ONE YEAR LATER
In 2011 Mark Brasher completed the LLM Program concentration in Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental law. Now he’s practicing international arbitration and energy law as an associate at Vinson & Elkins in Houston.
Mark Brasher, LLM 2011
