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Navigating Changes to In-House Legal Practice Amid the 2020 Oil Crash and COVID-19


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Categories:
Institute for Energy Law |  Litigation |  In-House Counsel
Faculty:
Mark C. Rodriguez |  Amira E. Love |  Elizabeth Matthews |  Lisa Modica |  Allison Thomison
Duration:
60 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
Original Program Date:
Jul 21, 2020
License:
Access for 6 month(s) after purchase.


Description

A panel of internal legal department and litigation managers from Houston’s oil and gas industry discuss how the pandemic and falling oil prices have impacted their work, and how such impacts may change the future of their practice. Hosted by IEL’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Committee

Credits


MCLE Credit has expired.

Although MCLE credit was previously obtained for this program in at least one jurisdiction (most likely Texas), such credit has expired and not been renewed by The Center for American and International Law. You may be able to obtain credit in certain jurisdictions (self-study credit), but the rules vary greatly by jurisdiction. Please review your jurisdiction’s MCLE rules and regulations before purchasing or viewing this program.



Handouts

Faculty

Mark C. Rodriguez's Profile

Mark C. Rodriguez Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Beck Redden LLP


Mark Rodriguez is a trial lawyer with nearly 25 years of experience representing companies in high-stakes litigation, particularly in matters involving the energy industry. From class actions to False Claims Act claims to actions by the Federal government, Mark has represented companies in lawsuits, appeals, and arbitrations all across the country, including Texas, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. Mark has defended energy companies in lawsuits and class actions involving claims for royalty underpayment, failure to develop or to protect against drainage, improper measurement, and numerous other types of claims. Mark has also represented companies in disputes under joint operating agreements, farmout agreements, purchase and sale agreements, and other energy-related deals and transactions. In addition, Mark has extensive experience representing lessees and producers in audits by state and Federal governments, administrative appeals, False Claims Act/qui tam and civil penalty actions, and investigations by the Department of Justice, Department of Interior, and other state and Federal agencies.


Amira E. Love's Profile

Amira E. Love Related Seminars and Products

Managing Counsel, Upstream Litigation Management Unit

Chevron


Amira Love is the Managing Counsel, Upstream LItigation Unit at Chevron. Amira has direct supervisory responsibility over litigation and investigation matters impacting Chevron North America Exploration and Production (CNAEP), Chevron Corporation, and various Chevron service companies, and serves as a member of both the CNAEP Law Leadership Team and Chevron’s Litigation Management Board.

Amira joined Chevron’s Law Department in 2012 as Counsel in the Upstream and Gas Law-Litigation (North America) Group and served as Team Lead for her group from July 2016 to September 2017. Before being promoted to her current position, Amira served as Supervising Counsel, Chevron Upstream Law – Litigation (North America). 

Prior to joining Chevron, Amira worked in private practice as a litigator with Susman Godfrey LLP in Houston, where she represented numerous plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of commercial matters. Before joining Susman Godfrey, Amira clerked for the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. 


Elizabeth Matthews's Profile

Elizabeth Matthews Related Seminars and Products

Deputy Managing Director, Executive Vice President and General Counsel

TotalEnergies (US)


Elizabeth Matthews is Deputy Managing Director, Executive Vice President, and General Counsel for French energy major Total in Houston. She is responsible for directing the legal affairs of Total’s wholly owned U.S. affiliates, including exploration and production, refining and chemicals, gas and power, marketing and services, trading, and biofuels. She leads a team of approximately forty legal professionals, including attorneys, paralegals, compliance personnel and administrative staff. She chairs the Total U.S. Ethics Committee and U.S. Women’s Network. 
Prior to joining Total in 2013, Ms. Matthews was a member of the legal team at Chevron for eleven years where she worked in a number of different business units, including Global Downstream, Corporation Law, Energy Technology and Global Drilling and Completions. 

During the early part of her career, Matthews worked in Washington, D.C. for two major law firms. She also served as a federal law clerk for the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
Matthews graduated with honors from Yale University with a humanities and history major in 1992 and earned a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1995.
Matthews is President of the Texas General Counsel Forum (Houston) and a board member of the Harvard Law School Club of Houston. She serves on the National Advisory Council and is a past President of the Women’s Energy Network. She is past President of the American Petroleum Labor Lawyer’s Association and a member of the Association of Corporate Council.
She is actively involved in giving back to her community and serves as the Founder and past President of the Texas Sage Chapter of the National Charity League.


Lisa Modica's Profile

Lisa Modica Related Seminars and Products

Vice President, Global Labor and Employment Law

Halliburton


Ms. Modica is Vice President, Global Labor & Employment Law at Halliburton Company, a Fortune 200 multi-national oil and gas services company with over 50,000 employees.  In this role, she is responsible for the legal strategy, case management and risk management of global employment claims and disputes, regulatory enforcement actions, and litigation.  She manages a significant departmental budget, manages outside counsel, and supervises a staff of approximately 15, including attorneys and support staff.  She is a member of the Executive Legal Management Team reporting to the General Counsel and a trusted advisor to the C-Suite.  Ms. Modica also has responsibility for U.S. Immigration and the Company’s Dispute Resolution Program handling mediations and arbitrations of employment disputes. 
Ms. Modica has had a successful law career in both private practice and in-house.  Prior to Halliburton, Ms. Modica was an ERISA Attorney at Continental Airlines from 2005 to 2010.  From 1999 to 2005, Ms. Modica was in private practice as an ERISA Associate at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.    Ms. Modica is a strong supporter of community service in the local Houston community.  She served as a Board Director of Aid for Victims of Domestic Abuse and Avondale House for Autism.  She is an active member in various energy sector organizations, including the American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association and Women Energy Network.  She has also served on the   Advisory Board of the Corporate Counsel Women of Color, a network organization supporting diverse in-house counsel with over 1000 members.

 


Allison Thomison's Profile

Allison Thomison Related Seminars and Products

Senior Attorney, Litigation

Marathon Oil Company


Allison is Senior Attorney at Marathon Oil Company. She handles a diverse set of pre-litigation and litigation matters in a variety of jurisdictions (state, federal, and international), including but not limited to: oil and gas disputes; global supply chain disputes; commercial disputes; asbestos disputes; environmental disputes; personal injury matters; wrongful death actions; and labor and employment disputes.