14th ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration

13:45-14:3

Registration

14:30-14:45

Welcome

• Charles “Chip” Brower II, ITA Chair, Of Counsel, Miller Canfield, Professor of Law, Wayne State University, Detroit
• Kristi McCarthy, IEL Chair, Chevron North America Exploration & Production Co., Houston
• Claudia Salomon, President, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris

14:45-14:50

Welcome to the Roundtable

• María Carolina Durán; ICC YAAF representative; Special Counsel, Baker Botts, Washington, D.C.
• Harriet Foster, Young ITA representative; Senior Associate, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, London
• M. Imad Khan, IEL YEP Representative; Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP, Houston

14:50:15:55

Navigating the Shifting Landscape: Regulatory Changes and Energy Policy in the Americas

As regulatory frameworks across the Americas evolve, energy companies face a complex and dynamic landscape. This panel will examine key incoming regulatory changes in the Americas, with a focus on how shifting policies are impacting compliance obligations, permitting processes, and cross-border energy transactions, and present a picture of legal risks and opportunities. Panelists will also discuss potential disputes arising out of the regulatory shifts. The discussion will provide comparative insights into how companies are navigating regulatory uncertainty, mitigating risk, structuring transactions, and managing disputes in a rapidly changing environment. The discussion will focus, in particular, on the U.S., Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Colombia.

Moderator:

• Angélica Perdomo Luna, Co-chair, Young ITA's External Communications Committee, Bogotá

Panelists:

• Adrian Magallanes, Partner, Von Wobeser y Sierra, S.C., Mexico City
• E. Dee Martin, Partner, Bracewell, Washington, D.C.
• Martín Vainstein, Partner, Marval O'Farrell Mairal, Buenos Aires

15:55-16:55

Enhancing Dispute Resolution in the Energy Sector Through Conciliation and Mediation

Stakeholders in the energy sector (and, in fact, many other sectors) want less adversarial and more cost- and time-efficient methods to address contractual, regulatory, and cross-border disputes. This panel will explore the growing role of conciliation and mediation as effective alternatives to arbitration in resolving energy-related disputes globally. The discussion will address whether conciliation and mediation foster expedited resolution of disputes and avoid the time and expense associated with a full-blown arbitral process. Panelists will also share strategies for structuring effective conciliation and mediation processes. This will include a discussion of tools to encourage early resolution of disputes. The goal of this panel is for participants to gain insight into how these mechanisms may best be leveraged to resolve energy disputes.

Moderator: 

• Mallory Silberman, Independent Arbitrator, MS Arbitration; Professor, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Panelists:

• Frauke Nitschke, Senior Legal Counsel, ICSID, Washington, D.C.
• Alya Ladjimi, ADR Counsel, ICC International Centre for ADR, Paris
• Additional panelists to be invited

16:55-17:00

Roundtable Closing Remarks

• T.L. Cubbage, President, Institute for Transnational Arbitration, Plano

17:15-19:30

Joint Conference Social

The Grove -- 1611 Lamar St -- Houston, TX 77010

 8:00–9:00

• Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:05-9:35

Welcome Back

9:05-9:35

Keynote: Meditations On Counter-Insurgency Techniques in International Arbitration

This keynote will explore different ways of reacting to guerrilla tactics in arbitration, to include (a) the forfeiting of rights; (b) use of costs orders; and (c) more generally, the recognition or development of a concept of contempt of arbitration, so as to empower tribunals to police their proceedings more effectively than presently seems to be the case.

• Constantine Partasides KC, Partner, Three Crowns LLP, London

9:35-10:15

2025 Year in Review: The Top 10 (or Close to 10) Developments in International Energy Arbitration

This presentation will survey investor-state and commercial disputes in the energy sector and highlight the biggest developments of the last year. Casting an eye over a wide range of matters, speakers will identify decisions and industry trends that are likely to influence energy arbitration into 2026 and beyond.

Moderator:

• Jennifer Permesly, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York

Panelists:

• Bernardo M. Cremades, Jr., Partner, B. Cremades & Asociados
• Utku Coşar, Member, Arbitration Chambers, New York

10:15-11:05

Rethinking the Use of Experts

This panel will survey experts for their best creative thinking on how parties and advocates can and should make the best use of experts in international arbitration cases.

Moderator:

• Derrick Carson, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Houston

Panelists:

• Tim Rooney, President, Baker & O’Brien, Dallas
• Gigi Cantalupo, Director, Secretariat, New York
• Lisa Snow, Founder & CEO, Snowbridge Global Advisory, LLC, Chicago
• Carlos Lapuerta, Principal, The Brattle Group, London

11:05-11:20

Coffee Break

11:20-12:30

Do Novel Technologies Beget Novel Disputes?

This panel will examine how the rapid emergence of novel technologies—whether in energy production, storage, transmission, or in elements specific to energy-intensive sectors—is giving rise to new forms of legal and commercial disputes. Panelists will analyze the evolving landscape, including issues related to infrastructure adaptation, contractual risk allocation, regulatory uncertainty, and the strain on legacy systems. Are these technologies generating entirely new categories of disputes or simply transforming familiar challenges in unfamiliar ways?

Moderator:

• Gabrielle Finger, Commercial Manager, Storegga, Spring

Panelists:

• Carlos A. Sanmiguel, Lead Visionary, Xofia Inc., Houston
• Ryan Lax, Counsel, Torys, Toronto
• Samaa Haridi, Partner, King & Spalding, New York

12:30-14:00

Luncheon

This interview is the latest in a series organized by the ITA Academic Council to record the evolution of modern international arbitration in the words of those who have led it.

A conversation with:

• John A.M. Judge, Arbitrator, Arbitra International, London

Interviewed by

• Jessica Crow, Arbitrator,Arbitra International, London

14:00-15:10

Performance in a Changing Environment

This panel will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how in-house legal teams are adapting to regulatory volatility, protecting commercial relationships, and anticipating conflict in a rapidly changing legal and geopolitical environment. Discussion will explore how companies are balancing compliance, operational continuity, and dispute resolution needs in today’s complex regulatory climate.

Moderator:

• Frances E. Bivens, Lead Counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, New York

Panelists:

• Heather Belt, Senior Counsel, ExxonMobil, Spring
• Lindsey Raspino, Senior Counsel, Commercial & Environmental Litigation, ConocoPhillips, Houston
• Brian Rohm, Head of Litigation, TotalEnergies, Houston

15:10-16:20

The Role of Advisory Opinions (ICJ/ITLOS) in the Regulation of International Energy Operations and the Risk for Energy Companies

This panel will spotlight the influence of advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)—particularly their potential to redefine liability, compliance expectations, and environmental standards in the global energy arena. Join us for a forward-looking conversation on how these developments may affect risk assessments and reshape business strategies across the energy industry.

Moderator:

• Nigel Blackaby KC, Partner & Co-Head of Latin America Practice, Freshfields US LLP, Washington D.C.

Panelists:

• Jovana Crncevic, Special Counsel, Withers Bergman LLP, New York
• Christina Hioureas, Partner, Foley Hoag LLP, New York
• Dr. M.J. Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, Associate Professor of Sustainability Law, University of Amsterdam / University of Fiji

16:20-16:30

Closing Remarks