Hi,
I'm interested in d Oil and Gas Industry so i'm considerin applying for an LLM in dis Field. However, I'm confused as to the exact course. University of Aberdeen offers Oil & Gas Law while Dundee offers Energy Law & Policy, Mineral law & Policy and Petroleum Law & Policy. Please can someone tell me d difference btw all of them cos i'm really confused.

Hello,

Just to clarify your queries about CEPMLP's LLMs. The difference lies in the choice of core modules you have as emphasis is on the energy, mineral resource (or mining) and the oil & gas sectors respectively.

Our degrees' programme of study are focused on international developments and issues, and our modules are geared towards fields of specialised study as well as the energy and natural resources sectors.

Please see links for more details about the core modules:
Energy Law & Policy -
www.cepmlp.org/academic/FT-LLM-Energy%20Law%20and%20Policy.php
Mineral Law & Policy - www.cepmlp.org/academic/FT-LLM-Min%20Law%20and%20Pol.php
Petroleum Law & Policy - www.cepmlp.org/academic/FT-LLM-Pet%20Law%20and%20Pol.php

If you need further clarification, please feel free to pm me!

Regards
Connie Koh-Grieve
Marketing and External Relations Officer
CEPMLP

Hi,
I´m also interested in taking studies in the Energy Law field, but with a special aproach to oil and gas, and to renewable energy if possible. As I am aware the best Universities in this area are Dundee and Aberdeen.

I have already been admited to the LLM programme in Aberdeen, and I think I will be admitted in Dundee also (i hope).

I really do not know which one offers the best LLM in the field of Petroleu Law / Oil and Gas. As I´ve been told, both Universities have "high quality" LLM´s, therefore I am having doubts in choosing between them.

Aberdeen as well reputed Uni, and Dundee has been increasing its reputation also, so I expect the to have a similar level of education (however, Dundee LLm is about 10.000 pounds more expensive).

Could someone advise on this issue? Thanks in advance.

Ps: I have read all about professional expectations after the LLM, however, it was not clear to me if law firms related to energy law or energy companies use to seek LLM students for their staff. Please advise.

I think that if your focus is oil and gas, Aberdeen is a better choice. It is well-known in the field and is close to the oil and gas commercial centre... But you have to keep in mind that it is for oil and gas only... Dundee's LLM programme has a much wider (not necessarily better) approach.

Hi all thanks for your inputs on courses at Dundee and Aberdeen. Does any one have recent info on job prospects (in/ out of UK) in natural resources industry for legal professionals...

Dear Tushal,
I would not worry about legal jobs in the energy sector. Despite the economic crisis there is an an enormous amount of work going on.

Essentially legal work divides into two types, transaction based project work-so dealing with the legal work surrounding a new Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) gasification plant. So you may be dealing with the project finance and licensing around the plant's development or looking at the long term supply contract which will feed the plant and worrying about what is the optimal pricing mechanism. Despite the recession there is a lot of this going on. For a host of reasons, partly to do with the massive increase in LNG production. Global production will rise from 240 billion cubic metres in 2009 to around 410bcm in 2014; partly to do with Western concerns over energy security and partly do with C02 issues (gas is up to 50% less C02 emitting than coal)...which creates huge incentives to continue with development in this field.

Alternatively legal work in the energy sector focuses on litigation work, for instance bringing a claim for expropriation under the Energy Charter Treaty (the largest claim so far is the Yukos case which is currently ongoing, and is a claim for $100 billion-see my CEPS piece on that case http://www.ceps.eu/book/yukos-decision-profound-implications-eu-russia-energy-relationship )

I know for instance that the number of energy litigation cases is increasing, the number of ECT cases are increasing, as is the amount of energy arbitration work generally. See http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1858447c-48be-11df-8af4-00144feab49a.html

My view is that some students get too fixated on gas, oil, nuclear or renewables. It is most important to understand that the commercial work divides principally into transaction or litigation work. This means for instance for litigation, think about the need to deal with the challenges with heavyweight international legal cases. This is not just purely about core energy subjects. Students also need to understand public international law to deal with a lot of the bilateral investment treaty issues-that come up in energy cases where the client is bringing an action against the state (or as in the case of the ECT, the public international law issues surrounding that multilateral investment treaty).

Hope this view is of some help.

Professor Alan Riley
LLM Programme Director
City Law School
City University
Grays Inn Place
London
WC1R 5DX
Electronic Mail: alan.riley.1@city.ac.uk

Thank you prof. riley for an informative insight and update.