76th Annual Energy Law Conference

Neely B. Agin Related Seminars and Products

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

 Neely Agin focuses her practice on antitrust and competition matters, guiding companies through merger review and clearance processes and developing creative strategies for clients contemplating M&A transactions to reduce their antitrust risk. She provides counseling and compliance training on a wide variety of antitrust issues, with particularly significant experience advising companies in the retail, energy and healthcare sectors.

Neely has steered hundreds of transactions through the US and global merger-control review process and regularly represents clients in merger and other antitrust investigations conducted by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general (AGs), as well as in Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) matters.

With decades of experience, Neely counsels clients on a variety of antitrust issues, including contracting practices, distribution restrictions, the formation and operation of joint ventures, trade association activities, information exchanges, and pricing practices. She also advises clients in developing, implementing, and enforcing global antitrust compliance programs.

Julia Arbutus Related Seminars and Products

Correspondent

The Capitol Forum

Julia Arbutus is an M&A correspondent with The Capitol Forum, an investigative news publication in Washington, D.C. Ms. Arbutus focuses on energy mergers and how those mergers could affect market competition.  

Over her three years at The Capitol Forum, Ms. Arbutus has worked on energy stories ranging from efforts to plug orphan oil and gas wells under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 to ESG index fund eligibility. She also provided daily coverage of the Google adtech trial last September.

Her work has also been seen in The Daily Record.

Ms. Arbutus holds a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park and degrees in Financial Economics and English Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Grant Armentor Related Seminars and Products

Haynes and Boone, LLP

Grant Armentor is an associate in the Energy, Power and Natural Resources Practice Group in Haynes Boone’s Houston office. His practice includes a broad variety of energy-related transactions, including crude oil, natural gas and renewable energy. He handles energy finance matters, as well as the acquisition and disposition of oil and gas properties.

Bradley Benoit Related Seminars and Products

Bracewell LLP

For over 25 years, Brad Benoit has maintained a practice that serves both plaintiffs and defendants. This balance helps him see both sides of a case more clearly and provide his clients with a broader approach to complex commercial litigation. Following along with Bracewell’s core strengths, Brad focuses on representing clients in energy-related litigation, securities/derivative litigation, and bankruptcy-related litigation.

In energy disputes, Brad has represented virtually every area of the oil and gas and power industries, including E&P companies, pipeline companies, drilling companies, refiners, chemical plants, power plant owners, private equity investors, and oilfield service and supply companies. His securities and derivative litigation experience includes defending claims to enjoin M&A transactions, defending federal securities claims, and defending claims of breach of fiduciary duty. In bankruptcy-related litigation, Brad has represented debtors and creditors in complex commercial litigation, including representing litigation trusts in claims against former equity owners, directors and officers of insolvent entities.

In addition to his client responsibilities, Brad serves as chair of the firm’s energy litigation practice group.

Rachel Blair Related Seminars and Products

Senior Counsel

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Rachel Blair is Senior Counsel, Upstream for Exxon Mobil Corporation and has served as counsel for ExxonMobil’s upstream unconventional organization since 2016.  Her current practice supports the company’s Permian Basin business unit as well as the company’s unconventional domestic divestment transactions.  Rachel supported ExxonMobil in the Pioneer and ExxonMobil merger negotiation and served as law lead for its integration planning.  Additionally, Rachel has served as counsel for ExxonMobil for its unconventional business in most major basins in the United States.  Prior to joining ExxonMobil, Rachel served as Oil and Gas Counsel with Denbury Resources, where she started her legal career.  Rachel, a native Mississippian, received a B.S. in chemical engineering and J.D., with honors, from the University of Mississippi.

Michele R. Blythe Related Seminars and Products

Senior Lead Counsel - Litigation

TotalEnergies American Services, Inc.

Michele is in-house counsel at TotalEnergies at its U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas.  She has broad based substantive knowledge and first chair expertise on high-stakes energy, environmental, and commercial matters.  Michele's practice at TotalEnergies includes energy litigation, distributed generation, environmental matters, and bankruptcy matters.

Jas Brar Related Seminars and Products

Brar Law Firm

Jas Brar represents clients across the full spectrum of the energy industry on both sides of the docket.  Clients praise Jas’s understanding of upstream, midstream, and downstream legal issues, and his ability to simplify and articulate such issues for judges and juries across Texas.  Some recent notable cases from the past year include arguing before the Eastland Court of Appeals on behalf of royalty owners in a fixed versus floating dispute; winning a trial in Harris County, Texas on behalf of an international oil trading company in a case involving a breach of terminal services agreement; and prevailing in the Texas Supreme Court on behalf of an operator in a case involving a lease agreement.

Jas has repeatedly been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer (2014-2024).  He graduated from Baylor Law School with honors, where he was the Senior Executive Editor of the Law Review and the Leon Jaworski Scholar for Outstanding Advocates.

Austin Brister Related Seminars and Products

McGinnis Lochridge

Austin Brister represents oil and gas operators, non-operators, and mineral owners in complex oil and gas disputes across the state of Texas.

Austin has successfully handled disputes concerning mineral and leasehold title, adverse possession, surface trespass and damages, royalty calculation and payment issues, issues arising out of purchase and sale transactions, operator/non-operator disputes, breach of joint operating agreement, lease termination/saving disputes, and retained acreage disputes.

Austin seeks out creative and practical business solutions before resorting to litigation. But, when necessary, Austin works hard to implement aggressive strategies in the courthouse.

Austin is an active member of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, he is also on the Advisory Board for the Institute for Energy Law. Austin frequently publishes articles and gives presentations on upstream oil and gas law for a variety of publications.

Samuel Burk Related Seminars and Products

Repsol

Samuel Burk currently serves as Associate General Counsel for Repsol, a global energy company leading the supply of sustainable energy products and services.  His responsibilities currently include providing leadership and strategic legal direction for Repsol’s US Geological Low Carbon Solutions team and Repsol’s Gulf of Mexico and Eagle Ford Business Units.  He oversees a team of attorneys handling a wide range of commercial and litigation matters.

Samuel has more than 15 years of experience in the energy industry, both in-house and in private practice.  He started his career as an associate at Baker Botts LLP, where he represented a wide-range of energy clients in complex litigation and arbitrations.   He holds a J.D. from Duke University School of law and a B.A. in Economics from Rice University and is admitted to practice law in Texas and Louisiana.

Meredith Berger Chambers Related Seminars and Products

Chief Legal Officer

EDP Renewables North America

Meredith Berger Chambers is Chief Legal Officer at EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA). She serves as an officer on the EDPR NA Executive team and leads the platform’s Legal, Regulatory Compliance, and Records & Information Management teams.

Meredith has more than two decades of experience in energy, regulatory policy, and corporate advisory roles. She joined EDPR NA in 2008 as Regulatory Counsel and then Associate General Counsel, managing a range of regulatory, corporate, litigation, and operations legal matters. She then transitioned to the position Director of Human Resources in 2014, overseeing all human resources and training functions during a period of significant growth and diversification of the company. Meredith was appointed General Counsel in 2019.

Before joining EDPR NA, Meredith was in private practice at Van Ness Feldman LLP. There, she represented investor-owned utilities and independent power producers before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and advocated for federal legislative policy initiatives on behalf of a large pharmaceutical distribution company and other health care clients before the U.S. Congress. Prior to practicing law, Meredith served in the Congressional Office of U.S. Representative Chet Edwards.

Meredith holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Baylor University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She is a member of the Texas Bar Association, Washington D.C. Bar Association, and Energy Bar Association and is a Society of Human Resources Management Certified HR Professional.

Brandy Copley Related Seminars and Products

Deputy General Counsel

JERA Americas

Brandy Copley is Deputy General Counsel for JERA Americas.  She represents JERA in its investments in the wind, solar, battery, and low carbon fuel space.

On the professional front, her accomplishments during two decades of legal practice in Houston include:

•    Developing, contracting, and managing wind, solar and battery renewable energy projects in the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean

•    Leading the $4.75 billion acquisition of a specialty chemicals company operating in 100 countries

•    Successfully negotiating a tax incentive package that saved an energy project almost $1 billion in taxes  

•    Serving as lead counsel for the auction of a multistate natural gas distribution company that sold for $1.9 billion

Brandy’s professional work has been recognized with the following honors:

•    The National Diversity Counsel’s Top 50 Houston Women Lawyers

•    Association of Women Attorneys Premier Women in the Law Award, 2023

•    Texas Lawyer’s Top Women in Energy Award

•    Houston Business Journal’s Best Corporate Counsel Awards

•    Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star

•    Member of the Pro Bono College of State Bar of Texas for 15 years

Brandy has an active pro bono practice, and has volunteered her time to Child Advocates for 15 years, protecting abused and neglected children.

Jordan Cowman Related Seminars and Products

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Jordan W. Cowman Co-Chairs the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice’s International Employment, Immigration & Workforce Strategies group. A long-time U.S. business representative to the United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Jordan is sought after by businesses when issues arise concerning international and cross-border employment matters, corporate social responsibility, international corporate campaigns and other international labor and employment matters that arise. He has assisted clients with business combinations, merger and acquisition due diligence, and has advised clients on supply chain issues and the eradication of forced labor. Jordan is sought after by clients around the world for insight on their worldwide operations and direction on matters related to managing a global workforce. Jordan has experience tackling legal issues in 50+ countries, including Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. In the U.S., Jordan handles management-side labor and employment law advice, counseling, and litigation for a broad range of organizations. During more than two decades of practice, he has gained a national reputation for his practical, strategic approach to employment law issues.

Jordan handles diverse employment matters, including employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases, wage and hour compliance, labor arbitration cases, trade secret and non-competition cases, as well as internal corporate investigations. He also counsels employers concerning day-to-day human resources issues as well as myriad legal requirements in the workplace, particularly related to significant operational changes such as mergers, acquisitions, business relocations and reductions in force.

John Deis Related Seminars and Products

Hicks Thomas LLP

John J. Deis helps business clients tackle their most complicated disputes to reduce risk and leverage their commercial interests. He has 25 years experience in general commercial litigation, energy industry disputes, environmental and construction litigation. His practice includes complex construction litigation, energy industry litigation, and general commercial litigation.

Ed Diggs Related Seminars and Products

Principal Counsel and Manager of Claims

Bechtel Energy, Inc.

Mr. Diggs is Principal Counsel and Manager of Claims for Bechtel Energy Inc., and is responsible for the prosecution, defense and settlement of construction claims for Bechtel Energy’s global business worldwide.  Mr. Diggs has over 30 years of experience in construction contracts, claims, and litigation.  Mr. Diggs manages the prosecution and defense of construction claims in various domestic and international forums.  He has also drafted and negotiated large construction and procurement contracts for various types of industrial and commercial projects, including the design and construction of oil and gas refineries, LNG facilities and commercial and industrial buildings.  Mr. Diggs has also written various articles and made numerous presentations on construction claims issues.  Prior to joining Bechtel, Mr. Diggs was a partner in the law firm of K&L Gates where he concentrated his practice in the area of complex construction litigation and contract negotiations.  In addition, Mr. Diggs is a registered neutral arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution.  He is also a former appointed hearing officer for the Allegheny County Minority, Women and Disadvantage Business Enterprise (M/W/DBE) Certification Appeal Board – a quasi-judicial body that hears M/W/DBE certification appeals.  Mr. Diggs is a member of various professional organizations, including the American Bar Association (ABA), Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) and the Texas Bar, and has served on various committees and nonprofit organizations boards. 

Ata Dinlenc Related Seminars and Products

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Ata Dinlenc is of counsel in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of Gibson Dunn’s Power and Renewables Group. He is an experienced counselor to clients across a variety of transactional and commercial matters, with a focus on capital-intensive projects.

Ata advises clients on acquisitions & divestitures, joint-ventures, tiered equity investments, energy tax credit monetization, commodity price hedging and offtake contracts, and other commercial contracts involving energy infrastructure projects and other closely-held companies. He also advises borrowers and lenders, including both commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions such as private equity firms and other specialty lenders, in a range of financings, including project financings and mezzanine loans. Ata has been recommended by Legal 500 (2013) for his experience in the project finance area.

He applies his decades of experience and industry knowledge to a range of M&A, financing and commercial issues facing clients to facilitate innovative structuring on complex transactions.

Ata has been a panel moderator at numerous energy-sector conferences and is the author of “Financing Renewable Energy Projects: An Inflection Point?,” Infrastructure Journal, January 6, 2009.

He received his Juris Doctor in 1997 from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a Notes & Articles Editor on the Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal. Ata earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (with a concentration in Economics) from Johns Hopkins University in 1993.

Mark A. Doré Related Seminars and Products

Kean Miller LLP

Mark A. Doré is senior counsel in the Lafayette, Louisiana office of Kean Miller.  He is a leading energy industry legal advisor who represents a variety of energy companies in oil and gas transactional matters, acquisition and sale of oil and gas properties, and regulatory compliance.  Mark also advises on the complex legalities associated with renewable energy projects, including carbon capture, transportation, and storage initiatives, where he regularly works with clients to advise on existing market participation or facilitate their entry into this market.  He is heavily involved in drafting, negotiating, and advising on transactions involving the negotiation/acquisition of land use agreements, expropriation issues, midstream agreements, and regulatory matters across all stages of the project life cycle.  Mark has also served on the Louisiana Senate Task Force on Local Impacts of Carbon Capture and Sequestration.

Liz Felicidario Related Seminars and Products

Haynes and Boone, LLP

Liz Felicidario is an associate in the Energy, Power and Natural Resources Practice Group in the Houston office of Haynes Boone. Her practice includes a broad variety of energy transactions, including coal, crude oil, natural gas and renewable energy. She handles energy finance matters, hedging transactions, and the acquisition and disposition of oil and gas properties. Liz has advised a wide variety of clients, including financial institutions and oil and gas companies, and has experience with a variety of transactions and agreements, including commodity monetizations, reserve-based lending, asset backed securitizations, ISDA master agreements and schedules, NAESB agreements and other midstream contracts, power purchase agreements, and oil and gas purchase and sale agreements.

Joseph "Tré" A. Fischer, III Related Seminars and Products

Jackson Walker LLP

Joseph “Tré” August Fischer, III is a Partner at Jackson Walker LLP in their Houston office. He is a litigator who has broad experience representing companies in the natural gas transportation and processing, commodity trading, electric generation, metals and chemical manufacturing, and real estate industries in complex litigation, in a wide range of transactional matters, before administrative and regulatory bodies, and concerning compliance and liability issues.

In addition to many years in private practice, Tré served as Vice President & Deputy General Counsel for TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRR) and Assistant General Counsel for Kaiser Aluminum Corp. (Nasdaq: KALU). His in-house experience provided Tré an unusual breadth of experience managing and resolving a myriad of complex and significant matters and issues and provides him exceptional insight in serving the needs of and proactively representing the interests of his corporate and individual clients. As former in-house counsel, he has a keen insight in and appreciation for the challenges facing in-house counsel in today’s legal environment.

Tré also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, teaching civil procedure, legal analysis, and legal research and writing. While attending law school, he worked as a tax accountant at Price Waterhouse.

Kat Gamache Related Seminars and Products

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

Caileen Kateri Gamache (“Kat”) is an energy projects lawyer based in Houston and co-head of the energy regulatory team at NRF. Kat works with project developers, investors and commercial and industrial consumers, regulators, and utilities to identify and find solutions to complex energy transition regulatory issues, develop ideas into operational projects, draft and negotiate material development, revenue and finance contracts and close deals. She excels at counselling clients on the application of regulations and incentives to transformative energy technologies and drafting offtake and other revenue contracts with flexibility to adapt to rapid changes in the energy sector. Her representative experience includes: structuring and drafting revenue contracts for multiple behind-the-meter renewable energy to green hydrogen projects in Texas; advising and drafting contracts for a start-up company that plans to use biomass to make hydrogen to supply transportation fuels to the California LCFS market; represent major US renewable energy developers in drafting and negotiating physical and virtual power purchase agreements for wind, solar, solar + storage, and stand-alone storage projects; represent multiple organizations in the business of computationally intensive processes in structuring behind-the-meter arrangements and drafting and negotiating energy supply, energy hedging, and renewable energy credit agreements; represented a cogeneration facility owned by a large oil and gas company in a case of first impression under the qualifying facility provisions of PURPA; regulatory counsel in representation of the lenders in connection with the approximately $290 million financing of the Block Island Wind Farm, a 30 MW project off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island.

Lauren Haller Related Seminars and Products

Senior Director & Senior Counsel - Power Operations

Pattern Energy

Lauren Haller is an accomplished legal expert with nearly 20 years of experience in energy, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property. She currently serves as Senior Director & Senior Legal Counsel – Power Operations at Pattern Energy, where she oversees legal strategies for a $1.3 billion renewable energy portfolio. Her expertise includes managing regulatory matters, negotiating complex contracts, and leading operating and major equipment contract negotiations for multibillion-dollar financings for landmark projects such as SunZia and Western Spirit, the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in U.S. history.

Prior to Pattern Energy, Lauren held significant roles at Hess Corporation, providing legal counsel on global supply chain and infrastructure development, and at ConocoPhillips, where she managed an international patent portfolio and supported technology commercialization initiatives. She has extensive experience drafting and negotiating contracts across domestic and international energy markets and handling complex litigation matters.

A champion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Lauren has led initiatives including launching Pattern Energy’s first racial/ethnic affinity group and serving on its DEI Council. She is active in civic and professional organizations, including the Association of Corporate Counsel – Houston Chapter (President, 2024), Houston Area Urban League, and Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE). Lauren also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Old Spanish Trail/Almeda Corridors Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ No. 7), managing $117 million in capital projects aimed at revitalizing Houston’s infrastructure. Her role includes overseeing public infrastructure improvements, managing bond proceeds, and implementing community-focused development strategies.

Brun Hilbert Related Seminars and Products

Principal Engineer

Exponent, Inc.

Dr. Brun Hilbert has been consulting at Exponent since 1996 in the fields of mechanical and petroleum engineering. He has worked in the oil and gas industry for 45 years. He has testifying experience in state and federal courts, intellectual property, and international arbitrations. He has expertise in oil and gas well design and integrity, hydraulic fracturing, well production and wellhead equipment, blowouts and well control, drilling mechanics and directional drilling, reservoir geomechanics, reservoir reserves estimation, and offshore platforms. He also has experience with natural gas and liquid hydrocarbon storage in solution-mined salt caverns and depleted hydrocarbon formations. He has expertise in evaluating the structural integrity of oil and gas wells in compacting or deforming reservoir rocks, in the stability of underground storage structures, and nuclear waste repositories. Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Hilbert was employed at Exxon Production Research Company, where he performed applied research in drilling and well design engineering, and taught courses in Well Completions and Workovers in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America.

He was appointed to the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Connector Reliability for Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Operations in 2017. This committee was assembled to investigate the causes and prevention of the premature failure of critical bolts on subsea BOPs and wellheads. He was a Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer for 2015-2016. He lectured on the topic Well Design and Integrity: Importance, Risk, and Scientific Certainty.

Dr. Hilbert holds a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Minerals Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics and an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Orleans.

Monica Hwang Related Seminars and Products

White & Case LLP

Monica Hwang is a partner in O'Melveny's Houston office. She counsels clients on energy-related project development matters, including joint ventures and complex commercial transactions. She has extensive experience working on liquefied natural gas import and export projects, handling the structuring for equity lifting; implementing tolling and sales models; and advising on gas supply and marketing arrangements. Among her vast industry experience is serving an integral role in the development of Freeport LNG—at the time, the largest non-recourse project financing in history—as well a consortium of investors into the Dominican Republic LNG import terminal, for which the joint venture won Latin American Finance Project of the Year.

Colleen C. Jarrott Related Seminars and Products

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

With two decades of litigation experience, Colleen Jarrott represents energy companies in oil and gas, mineral law, carbon capture and sequestration, transportation, and other industries in complex commercial litigation, transactional matters, commercial contracts, and regulatory issues.

In addition, she is well-versed in developing state regulatory and legislative initiatives related to the Louisiana Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act. She regularly represents oil and gas companies before the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. She also currently serves on the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources' Ad Hoc Committee on Carbon Capture, the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association’s Carbon Capture Committee, and the Carbon Committee of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association.

Colleen is a member of Hinshaw's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) group. Her focus on renewable energy and ESG underscores that the energy transition in Louisiana is underway, even as traditional oil and gas exploration and production will continue well into the future on a parallel track.

Peter Kennedy Related Seminars and Products

Reed Smith LLP

Peter has spent most of his career in the “law of lawyering,” defending law firms accused of malpractice. He now serves as Reed Smith’s General Counsel, U.S., where he combines his trial and litigation background with his experience in law firm leadership and risk management. He served as the Office Managing Partner of Reed Smith’s Los Angeles office from 2003 to 2008. He speaks regularly to industry and client groups regarding ethics, law firm risk management, and attorney client privilege.

Daniella Landers Related Seminars and Products

Womble Bond Dickinson

Daniella focuses her practice on a broad range of environmental compliance, transactional and litigation matters. She counsels energy companies, manufacturers, industrial facilities, financial institutions, real estate interests and other businesses on complex environmental and related land use issues, including environmental risk assessment, crisis management and incident response, environmental permitting and compliance, environmental due diligence in acquisitions and transactions, management of environmental issues affecting the upstream, midstream, downstream, and renewables/alternative energy sectors, natural resources damages claims, climate change initiatives, and pollution exposure disputes. 

Daniella frequently counsels clients on corrective actions, brownfields redevelopment, environmental closures and groundwater remediation as well as assists in the review and audit of operations to address air, water and waste compliance issues for manufacturing, industrial or waste disposal facilities. She has been seconded by clients as in-house counsel on several occasions to handle environmental issues.  

Daniella helps clients navigate environmental crises and develop legal response strategies tailored to each specific situation. She handles governmental investigations of environmental matters, environmental enforcement defense, responses to citizen protest actions, cost recovery claims and Superfund litigation.  

Tim Latimer Related Seminars and Products

CEO and Co-Founder

Fervo Energy

Tim Latimer is the CEO of Fervo Energy. Fervo delivers 24/7 carbon free energy through development of next-generation geothermal power. Fervo's technology incorporates proven, cost-effective technologies, such as horizontal drilling and fiber optic sensing, to unlock the potential of geothermal energy. Tim began his career as a Drilling Engineer with BHP Billiton where he worked in the Permian and Eagle Ford basins. With a growing appreciation of the urgency and importance of climate change, Tim left the oil and gas industry in 2015 to pursue an MBA and an MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford University where he co-founded Fervo. Tim has also worked as a Consultant for the Boston Consulting Group and as a consultant for startups Biota Technology and McClure Geomechanics. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tulsa.

Pedro Lladó Related Seminars and Products

Counsel

SAINZ Abogados

Pedro S. Lladó is a counsel at Sainz. He has vast experience advising both local and international clients in domestic and cross-border transactions related to the infrastructure sector in Mexico, mostly for the energy industry. His experience includes working as a Visiting Attorney at the New York office of Shearman & Sterling, LLP from 2020 to 2022, during which he formed a part of the firm’s project development and finance group.

Pedro has been involved in several large-scale energy and infrastructure projects and has successfully drafted and negotiated different types of project agreements such as EPCs, O&Ms, PPAs and other offtake agreements, as well as financing and security agreements.

In addition, Pedro maintains an active practice advising clients in regulatory matters for the development, financing, and operation of energy and infrastructure projects in Mexico.

Mia Lorick Related Seminars and Products

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP

Mia Lorick is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in civil appellate law and concentrates her practice on high-stakes litigation and appeals, primarily in the business, real estate, and energy industries. Mia’s practice includes handling key motions and hearings and seeing them all the way through trial. In addition, she regularly handles briefing and oral argument in the court of appeals, including arguments in front of the Texas Supreme Court. Mia’s combination of trial and appellate expertise brings a unique and unmatched approach to the way she advises her clients. She frequently speaks on cutting edge issues and loves partnering with her clients to develop a strategy for success.

Mia has been named a Woman to Watch by the Houston Business Journal, a Rising Star by both Texas Super Lawyers and the University of Houston Law Center, and she received the Best Speaker award for two of her presentations at the TexasBarCLE Advanced Real Estate Course and the Advanced Civil Appellate Course. Mia was named a Rising Star by MCCA and is ranked in Chambers as Up-and-Coming in Litigation. Mia also authored two articles for the Houston Lawyer Magazine entitled “Lawyering While Black” and “Does ERCOT have Sovereign Immunity” which both won Best Legal Article from the Houston Bar Association and the Texas State Bar.

Caleb Madere Related Seminars and Products

Liskow

Caleb practices in the areas of Energy & Natural Resources Law and Energy Litigation. His practice focuses on title examination, contract negotiation, and various issues relating to the acquisition and divestiture of mineral interests. Caleb also has experience in the emerging renewables industry where he has experience drafting and negotiating solar leasing agreements for clients and has advised clients on carbon capture and sequestration projects. He also has experience litigating various oil and gas, property and environmental matters, including joint operating agreement disputes, mineral lease maintenance disputes and environmental contamination suits.

Dwayne L. Mason Related Seminars and Products

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Dwayne L. Mason serves as Head of the Texas Intellectual Property Litigation Practice with Greenberg Traurig, LLP.  He has been recognized by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, World Trademark Review, "WTR 1000," IAM magazine, "IAM Patent 1000," Managing IP Magazine's World IP Handbook and Survey, "IP Stars: Houston Patent Stars and Trademark Stars," The Legal 500 United States, and in other publications for recognition and leadership.

Dwayne’s practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and technology-based commercial litigation. Dwayne also manages patent and trademark portfolios and assists companies in protecting and commercializing their intellectual property, including many transactional matters.

Dwayne has litigated numerous intellectual property disputes in various state and federal district courts, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal and 5th Circuits, and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association and International Chamber of Commerce.

Dwayne's technology experience includes hydraulic fracturing, oil and gas production, hydrocarbon and chemical processing, pipeline, power, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, seismic equipment and data processing, neural networks, data analytics, IoT, machine learning, process control, software, and business methods.

Richard T. McCarty Related Seminars and Products

Senior Counsel, Chevron Americas E&P Litigation

Chevron

Rich McCarty is Senior Counsel with Chevron’s Americas E&P Litigation group, where he is responsible for handling litigations and disputes involving a wide variety of matters for Chevron’s upstream business units. Prior to joining Chevron in July 2024, Rich was a partner in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Houston office, focusing on a wide array of complex commercial, patent, and intellectual property litigation matters. Rich has experience with complex commercial and intellectual property disputes involving a variety of technologies, including oil field services equipment, subsea safety valves, downhole tools, oilfield safety products, hydraulic fracturing technologies, and offshore drilling technologies. Rich also has experience serving as counsel for the Nuclear Utilities Group on Equipment Qualification, providing counseling on legal matters for an industry group encompassing approximately three-quarters of the nuclear power plants in the United States.

Prior to law school, Rich served as a naval officer in the United States Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. He served on two nuclear submarines, including serving as chief engineer on a fast-attack nuclear powered submarine, USS HYMAN G. RICKOVER (SSN 709). After leaving active duty, Rich continued his career in the Naval Service as a member of the United States Navy Reserve. He retired from the United States Navy at the rank of Commander after over twenty years of service in both the Active and Reserve components.

As a former naval officer in the United States Navy’s Submarine Force, Rich brings to bear extensive and broad technical experience and knowledge to his legal practice, including in chemical, nuclear, and mechanical engineering, which he pairs with a practical, business-oriented approach.

Rocio Guadalupe Mendoza Related Seminars and Products

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Born in Mexico City and raised in Houston, Rocio Guadalupe Mendoza attended KIPP Academy for middle school and moved away from home at the tender age of 13 to attend the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut.  Rocio continued her education at Stanford University, where she became interested in law.  Before committing to invest in her legal education, Rocio took spent a year as a paralegal to confirm her legal interests, then attended the University of Texas School of Law and graduated with honors.  

Rocio advises clients on a diverse range of domestic and international energy-related transactions and projects in the traditional energy, new energies and energy transition sector. Her practice focuses on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and project development across the energy industry. She has been recognized in Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch in America” for Energy Law in 2022, International Financial Law Review’s “Rising Stars” in the Americas in 2021 and Super Lawyers’ “Rising Star” for 2020 – 2023.

Throughout her journey, Rocio has remained committed to giving back, focusing her efforts on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within her law firms and through her involvement in local and state bar associations and organization and non-profits focused on increasing diversity in the legal profession and corporate America. She has been recognized for her commitment to the community, being honored as a Woman to Watch in the Houston Business Journal's 2017 Women Who Mean Business and named to Latino Leaders Magazine’s Houston Club Leaders.

Stephanie Noble Related Seminars and Products

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Stephanie is a trial lawyer who has litigated commercial matters in both state and federal courts across the country. She has experience representing clients in a wide array of cases, including energy, contract, shareholder, and construction disputes. Her experience also includes representing companies in international and domestic arbitrations, as well as administrative appeals. Stephanie is also actively involved in the Firm’s pro bono practice, through which she has represented individuals in asylum and family-law proceedings and advised local non-profits on various litigation and regulatory matters.

Jeffrey S. Oliver Related Seminars and Products

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Mr. Oliver advises clients on all aspects of antitrust law, with an emphasis on U.S. and international merger reviews. Mr. Oliver has obtained antitrust clearance for transactions in a wide variety of industries and jurisdictions, with significant experience in healthcare, oil and gas, and chemicals. Other experience includes heavy industry, utilities, media, transportation and trade associations. His practice routinely involves substantive advocacy in the U.S., China, Germany, Austria, Australia, before the E.C. and in other jurisdictions.

Prior to joining Baker Botts, Mr. Oliver was a Staff Attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Competition. There, Mr. Oliver’s practice focused on merger and conduct investigations in the oil and gas industry.

Jayme Partridge Related Seminars and Products

Brown Rudnick LLP

Jayme Partridge recently joined the Houston office of Brown Rudnick as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation section.  Ms. Partridge has practiced as an intellectual property trial attorney for more than 30 years.  Her national practice focuses on complex intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation.  With an engineering background and outstanding advocacy skills, Ms. Partridge has years of stand-up experience before both judges and juries trying cases for global companies in high profile competitor-to-competitor disputes.  

Ms. Partridge completed her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M in 1982. Before entering the legal profession, Ms. Partridge worked for six years as an engineer and was a licensed petroleum engineer in Texas.  In 1991, Partridge earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law, graduating with high honors, Order of the Coif.  Ms. Partridge is a member of Circle of Leaders at University of Texas, Center for Women in Law.

Ms. Partridge has been recognized in the industry through the years, including among others, Best Lawyers in America, Texas’ Best Lawyers, a “Texas Top Women Super Lawyer” for Intellectual Property – Litigation,” “Top Women Attorneys in Texas,” and Women in Energy list, Texas Lawyer Magazine.

Roy Prather Related Seminars and Products

Beveridge & Diamond P.C.

Roy maintains a national practice focused on complex environmental and commercial litigation matters and counseling on environmental justice.

Roy represents businesses and public sector entities across a broad range of industry sectors in federal and state courts. He defends citizen suits and class actions involving toxic tort and product liability claims under federal environmental laws and state analogues, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act. He also represents clients in class actions and other consumer protection litigation involving green marketing and related allegations of greenwashing.

Roy advises clients on issues relating to regulatory compliance. He represents clients in indemnity and other commercial contract disputes relating to construction as well as contaminated site cleanup under the federal Superfund law (CERCLA). Roy also works with clients to proactively manage sensitive multi-stakeholder interactions related to environmental justice, including developing creative solutions to address environmental justice community concerns. Additionally, Roy assists clients in navigating administrative regulatory proceedings under various environmental laws and advises them on mitigating the risks of regulatory enforcement actions and litigation.

Tara Righetti Related Seminars and Products

Occidental Professor of Energy and Environmental Policies

University of Wyoming

Tara Righetti is the Occidental Chair of Energy and Environmental Policies at the University of Wyoming and the co-director of the Nuclear Energy Research Center. She holds appointments in the School of Energy Resources, and College of Law, and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. Professor Righetti's research focuses on property law and administrative regulation of the energy and decarbonization sectors. She was recently appointed as the chair of the White House Federal Lands CCS Permitting Task Force and is a member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Standardization Organization technical committee for CCUS.

Mark Robeck Related Seminars and Products

Assistant General Counsel

Golden Pass LNG

Mark R. Robeck joined Golden Pass in June 2021, with over 30 years working with domestic and international clients in across nearly every sector of the energy industry.  Prior to Golden Pass, Mark served the Department of Energy as the Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy, counseling Department leadership on wide-ranging legal and policy issues affecting program initiatives and actions, interagency and intergovernmental engagements and negotiations, rule-making initiatives, and major litigation and conflicts.  His nearly three decades of private practice focused on dispute resolution, investigations, risk management, and compliance counseling, including representation of clients in state and federal courts, domestic and international arbitrations, and responding to federal and state civil, criminal, regulatory, and legislative investigations.

David Rodi Related Seminars and Products

David Rodi is the former Global Antitrust Counsel for Shell based in Houston.  In that role, he led team of specialist lawyers across 6 countries as Shell’s chief antitrust counsel.  His accountabilities included implementation of Shell’s world-class compliance program, global merger-control approvals, government investigations, and commercial counseling.  He previously served as Managing Counsel—US Downstream Litigation, responsible for setting strategy and handling trials on a full range of claims, including antitrust, commercial, consumer protection, and class actions.

Agustin (Augie) Ros Related Seminars and Products

Ankura Consulting/Brandeis University

Dr. Agustin (Augie) Ros has over 25 years of expert witness experience in regulatory and antitrust economics in network industries with extensive expertise in the energy, telecommunications, and water sectors and in econometrics and financial analysis. He is Adjunct Professor at the International Business School at Brandeis University where he teaches a course on global regulatory and antitrust economics and is an advisor to the Board of the Boston International Arbitration Council.

Dr. Ros has filed more than sixty expert reports and testimony before U.S. Federal District Courts, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Canadian Competition Commission, the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission, before U.S. and Canadian public utility commissions and the International Chamber of Commerce. Internationally he has filed expert reports in Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Spain, and Trinidad and Tobago.

He has filed expert testimony before U.S. Federal District Courts involving antitrust and class actions matters in regulated industries, including antitrust testimony involving geographical territorial non-compete clauses in the municipal water sector in Florida and the pricing of electricity service to tenants in shopping malls throughout the U.S. that examined the extent of commonality among a group of electricity customers with different consumption.

M. Alejandra Salas Related Seminars and Products

McGinnis Lochridge

M. Alejandra Salas is an associate in the Austin office of McGinnis Lochridge.  She represents oil and gas exploration and production companies, royalty owners, and mineral owners in a variety of litigation matters.  Prior to joining McGinnis Lochridge, Ms. Salas served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable David Counts of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Midland/Odessa and Pecos Divisions.

Brian Salsberg Related Seminars and Products

Global Head M&A

FTI Consulting, Inc.

Brian Salsberg is a senior transaction advisor with more than 25 years of M&A experience. Mr. Salsberg is an impactful business leader with a track record of leading major transactions and transformations. He is one of the world’s leading experts on M&A integration and has led nearly 100 transactions over the course of his career. Mr. Salsberg has experience in various industries, including energy, industrials, consumer products, life sciences, media and entertainment.

Mr. Salsberg is highly experienced in driving profitability for top global companies through strategic planning, business building and large-scale transformations. He has a rich knowledge of corporate finance, including M&A strategy, private equity, investor relations, planning, implementation, divestitures and post-merger integration.

Mr. Salsberg has supported integrations across a wide range of industries, deal sizes and geographies. He is an expert at navigating complex organizations, markets and diverse cultural business practices outside the United States, particularly in Europe, Asia and Brazil.

Prior to FTI Consulting, Mr. Salsberg was a Partner at EY-Parthenon, where he served as Global M&A Leader of the firm’s Strategy & Transactions group. Previously, he worked as Senior Vice President of Global Strategy at Avon Products and as a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he spent 13 years leading numerous strategy, growth and transaction-related engagements. Mr. Salsberg began his career as an M&A attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP.

Michelle P. Scheffler Related Seminars and Products

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Michelle Scheffler is an experienced trial lawyer who represents clients in bet-the-company cases in state and federal courts nationwide.

Ms. Scheffler has been repeatedly honored by several leading industry outlets, including Chambers USA, in which clients have praised her as a “very skilled trial attorney” who has “instant credibility with the judge and jurors,” as well as “exceptionally talented” and “an extremely knowledgeable and confident trial attorney and leader.” She also has been repeatedly recognized by The Legal 500 and Benchmark Litigation, in addition to being named a Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyer in 2023 and one of the nation’s top energy attorneys under 40 by Law360 in 2021. In addition, she has been selected as one of the National Diversity Council’s Top 50 Women in Oil and Gas.

Ms. Scheffler represents clients in a variety of industries, though she has extensive knowledge of the energy industry and has led trial teams for oil and gas, renewables, pipeline and marketing clients concerning nearly every aspect of the energy value chain. She regularly handles matters related to royalties, leases, surface rights, transportation, storage and distribution. Additionally, she advises clients on matters related to joint ventures and partnerships, construction-related disputes and environmental issues.

Ms. Scheffler is a long-standing member of the Institute for Energy Law, where she has served numerous terms on its Executive Committee. She is a frequent speaker on trial- and energy related topics and has taught trial advocacy.

Diego Hernandez Schmidt-Tophoff Related Seminars and Products

Chief Counsel ECA LNG/Energia Costa Azul

Sempra Infrastructure Partners, LP

Diego serves as Chief Counsel for the ECA LNG Projects. In such endeavors, Diego is currently leading the legal efforts on the ongoing development of the ECA LNG Projects. In such role Diego’s activities include general coordination, implementation, negotiation, and monitoring of legal matters related to such ECA LNG projects in order to successfully achieve the business units’ objectives.

Prior to joining the Sempra family, Diego spent +10 years in “Big Law” in US (Ny and Texas) and Mexico; and his practice focused mainly on representing sponsors, multilateral and bilateral agencies, commercial bank lenders, and project developers in cross border and domestic project financings, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, tax equity financing and structured finance transactions, across several energy sub-sectors including, renewable projects, LNG, geothermal and fuel cell storage.

Maggie Sharp Related Seminars and Products

Executive Editor, Antitrust Magazine and The Antitrust Source

American Bar Association

Maggie is the Executive Editor of Antitrust Magazine and The Antitrust Source, two publications devoted to covering antitrust law, consumer protection law, and data privacy law. Prior to this, Maggie spent nine years an Assistant Attorney General in the Texas Attorney General's Antitrust Division, where she represented Texas in a number of antitrust investigations in a variety of industries, including oil and gas.

Jacqueline Stricker Related Seminars and Products

Associate General Counsel

Atlas Energy Solutions

Jacqueline Stricker received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and currently serves as Associate General Counsel of Atlas Energy Solutions in Austin, Texas. Her practice encompasses negotiating commercial contracts, managing regulatory filings, and assisting with mergers and acquisitions, financing projects, and tax issues. 

Lindsey F. Swiger Related Seminars and Products

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

Lindsey is a Senior Associate in Norton Rose Fulbright’s Houston Office. She is a projects lawyer, focusing on project development and financing, mergers, acquisitions, divestments and joint venture structuring. She has significant experience working with conventional and renewable energy corporate clients on the structuring, acquisition, development, expansion and divestment of domestic and international infrastructure projects.

Lindsey counsels and advises clients in the negotiation and drafting of engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) agreements, construction and asset management agreements, operating and maintenance and other service agreements, power purchase agreements, offtake agreements, feedstock supply agreements, joint operating agreements, joint venture arrangements (including corporate structuring and compliance considerations), common facilities agreements and asset and share purchase and sale agreements.

Lindsey is the co-chair of Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Energy Transition Associate Group.

Prior to joining Norton Rose Fulbright, Lindsey worked in-house at a major international integrated energy company.

Matt Tanner Related Seminars and Products

Managing Director

BRG

Matthew Tanner, Ph.D., is a Managing Director in the Energy and Climate practice with fifteen years of experience advising clients across the power-sector value chain on strategy, risk, and planning. He co-leads the Power and Renewables team and his expertise includes power finance advising, renewable integration, emerging technologies, power procurement, market transformation, power market hedging, utility resource planning, and risk evaluation. He has advised some of the world’s largest IPPs, investors, utilities, and corporate power consumers on market opportunities, risks of changing market structures, resource procurement, and investment strategies.

Dr. Tanner provides highly analytical and creative approaches for his clients to adapt their business models as decarbonization regulations drive power market changes. He has deep expertise in power economics and valuation through modeling of power markets, optimizing generator portfolios, and assessing the impact of emerging technology on the power sector. He is an expert in helping clients understand the fundamental underlying market drivers and regulatory and technological changes in the power sector that impact revenue, operations, and investment opportunities. He also helps utilities and system operators understand future requirements to operate the power system reliably while reducing emissions and minimizing cost.

Dr. Tanner has served as an expert witness in both Federal and state courts and testified before state utility commissions on on-going changes in power markets and the power system. His testimony in court has included evaluation of generation financing, damages from lost opportunities, evaluation of the market hedging programs, market rules, and evaluation of the implications of power and fuel procurement contracts. Before state utility commissions, he has testified on future system requirements to maintain reliability in high renewable systems.

Melany Vargas Related Seminars and Products

VP, Head of Hydrogen Consulting

Wood MacKenzie

Melany leads the Global Hydrogen Consulting Practice at Wood Mackenzie. She has supported a number of established energy companies and new developers as they grow their footprint in or enter low-carbon H2 markets, including developing market entry strategies, screening for regions and opportunities, developing analysis and reports for policy and regulatory advocacy, and supporting commercial due diligence and capital raise efforts across the hydrogen value chain. She has also contributed to the development of Wood Mackenzie’s proprietary hydrogen modelling capabilities across low-carbon hydrogen supply, demand and technoeconomic analysis. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie Melany worked in Accenture’s Energy Strategy practice in Houston. Melany has extensive experience solving strategic problems for clients across the energy value chain, including oilfield service companies, E&Ps, IOCs, gas and NGL infrastructure and logistics, chemicals, utilities and mining. Since 2015, she has focused her career on applying her deep expertise in fossil fuel value chains to solving Energy Transition issues, and supporting clients as they evaluate the technologies needed to achieve decarbonization targets. Melany holds a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a specialty in Energy Management and Policy. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Maryland.

Erin C. Villaseñor Related Seminars and Products

Chief Counsel - Litigation

Energy Transfer LP

Erin Villaseñor is Chief Counsel - Litigation at Energy Transfer LP in Houston, Texas. She is part of a team that manages disputes, internal investigations, and litigation for the Energy Transfer family of companies, including Sunoco.

Prior to joining Energy Transfer in 2023, Erin was a litigator at two large law firms, where she tried a wide array of intellectual property, commercial, and employment cases.  She received her J.D. from South Texas College of Law and her B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University.

In her free time, Erin enjoys watching her three kids play sports, walking her French Bulldog, traveling, interior design projects, and watching crime documentaries.

Brandon Watson Related Seminars and Products

ONEOK, Inc.

Brandon Watson is Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel – Commercial and Corporate Affairs, of ONEOK, Inc. responsible for legal matters relating to the company’s commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate disclosures and capital markets activities. Watson previously served as vice president, associate general counsel – commercial and litigation.

Watson joined ONEOK in 2017 from GableGotwals, where he was a partner in the firm’s corporate transactions practice group, with expertise in mergers and acquisitions and securities matters, and served as outside counsel to ONEOK.

A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Watson earned a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Oklahoma Law Review and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Timothy D. DeGiusti, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. Watson also earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, with distinction, in finance from the University of Oklahoma Michael F. Price College of Business.

Christopher Wilson Related Seminars and Products

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Christopher (Chris) Wilson is a partner in Baker Botts L.L.P.’s Antitrust and Competition Practice group, and is based in Washington, D.C. His practice focuses on civil antitrust, intellectual property, and other complex commercial actions. Mr. Wilson has extensive experience representing both defendants and plaintiffs in federal and state courts from complaint filing through trial, as well as in advising corporate clients on a variety of antitrust and compliance matters. He has represented and advised clients across a range of industries, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, consumer products, life sciences, healthcare manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail.

Mr. Wilson has served as co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation's Antitrust Litigation and Consumer Litigation Committees. He currently serves as a member of the External Advisory Board for the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University.  He received his law degree from Stanford University and his undergraduate degree from Penn State, where he was a Schreyer Honors Scholar and played as running back and fullback on the Penn State Nittany Lions football team.

Ashley Yates Related Seminars and Products

Vice President and Deputy General Counsel

EQT Corporation

Ashley Yates is the Vice President, Legal and Deputy General Counsel of EQT Corporation, a premier, vertically integrated American natural gas company with production and midstream operations focused in the Appalachian Basin. Prior to rejoining EQT in 2020, Ashley served as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Fortis Minerals, a mineral and royalty portfolio company, from 2018 through 2020, and in various roles at Rice Energy from the time of its initial public offering in 2014 through its merger with EQT in 2018. Ashley also practiced corporate law at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P from 2009 until 2014. Ashley attended Vanderbilt University and earned a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. She resides in Houston, Texas, with her husband and three children.