Career Info | LLM Transnational Oil, Gas and Energy Law

Course Description:

Course code: OLPAA Level: 7

Our online LLM Transnational Oil, Gas and Energy Law degree provides the only integrated and complete study of the complex legal relationships that define the sector.

All of the learning materials and approaches have been designed exclusively for this programme by our experts in online legal education. The award-winning team* is one of the longest-established and most effective providers of online LLMs in the UK, also recognised for their expertise in supporting work-based and inter-professional learning.

* John Horder prize for Inter-professional Education (2008)

Transferable Skills and Effective Leadership

Our mission is to make you a highly effective specialist, capable of operating in a transnational context. This dynamic course will equip you with the transferable skills that are crucial to effective leadership, such as negotiation, critical drafting, problem solving and dispute resolution.

It exclusively focuses on a comprehensive understanding of the practical aspects of oil and gas law. It’s principal concern is to develop practical skills and deep understanding of how to resolve the challenges posed by national authorities to oil, gas and energy production. The background of international law and regulation is also addressed in a relevant and contemporary way.

More than the traditional LLM

Using our unique skills-based approach, you will build networks as you strengthen your knowledge in an applied context. You will have the opportunity to acquire a mastery of legal principles and processes at the cutting edge of oil and gas law practice in a timely and cost effective way. You can choose to gain your qualification in bite-sized awards, built around practical application or more traditional LLM study through certificate, diploma and dissertation.

Studying online gives you the flexibility to develop your skills and expertise alongside your career, allowing you to design a personal study plan to suit your needs and requirements. You will be required to work to trimester/term-time deadlines with the support of our expert online tutors and dedicated online learning advisors.

This course is offered in partnership with Informa Professional Academy.

Personal support from expert online tutors

Designed to work with you as you engage in your professional activities, this course also enables you to step outside of your daily concerns to develop real levels of specialism such as practical application of energy law, application of economics. A particular strength is the personal support that is provided to you by expert online tutors and the integration of legal knowledge into practical activities drawn from real-world problems. An intrinsic part of your online learning will be the opportunity to discuss and debate course related subjects through online discussion forums and interactive classrooms.

Is this course right for me?

As a postgraduate qualification, it is aimed at those who have previous qualifications or significant experience in law – e.g.

private practice lawyers in oil, gas and energy law or those lawyers hoping to specialise in these areas
in-house lawyers from the upstream and downstream oil, gas and energy sectors
non-legal professionals working in the oil gas and energy sectors, in particular finance, business development, licensing, procurement, taxation, distribution, renewables, compliance, environmental positions, operations, as well as project managers, contract managers and company secretaries.

It offers the flexibility to allow those currently directly engaged in the oil and gas industry to use their experience and gain credit for applying knowledge to their working context.

You can study the LLM to Postgraduate Certificate level (7 months), Postgraduate Diploma level (12 months) or complete the full LLM (18 months).

The LLM is built around six substantive modules, which together provide a comprehensive overview of transnational oil, gas and energy law. Modules are designed to be studied in complementary pairs, providing three thematic areas which can be studied in any order:

Theme A: Energy Finance and Economics Law

National and International Regulation (20 credits)
Procurement, Investment, Insurance and Reparation (20 credits)
Applied Project in Energy Finance and Economics Law (20 credits)

Theme B: Energy Law and Practice

Upstream Oil, Gas and Petroleum Contracting (20 credits)
Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (20 credits)
Applied Project in Energy Law and Practice (20 credits)

Theme C: Energy Sustainability Law

Energy Processing and Distribution Law (20 credits)
Law of Energy Security and Sustainability (20 credits)
Applied Project in Energy Sustainability Law (20 credits)

There are three pathways available:

LLM (180 credits)
All three themes (A,B,C) are studied together with EITHER three Applied Project Modules OR the Indepdent Study.

Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
All three themes (A,B,C) are studied.

Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
You will need to study theme A OR theme C, plus one module from theme B. Alternatively you can choose to study theme A, B or C AND the Applied Project relevant to that theme to gain a named Postgraduate Certificate in:

Energy Finance and Economics Law OR
Energy Law and Practice OR
Energy Sustainability Law.

Modules:

Stage 1

Applied Project in Energy Finance and Economics Law
- Code:7LA531
- Info:
  - You will engage in observation and enquiry within a workplace or industrial context
  - This will be complemented by in-depth independent and guided research into relevant areas of energy finance and economics law
  - Learners will also draw upon substantive knowledge and skills developed in co-requisite modules.
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 1
- Core:Optional module
Applied Project in Energy Law and Practice (Theme B)
- Code:7LA532
- Info:
  You will engage in observation and enquiry within a workplace or industrial context. This will be complemented by in-depth, independent and guided research into relevant areas of energy law and practice.
  You will also draw upon substantive knowledge and skills developed in co-requisite modules.
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 1
- Core:Optional module
National and International Regulation (Theme A)
- Code:7LA536
- Info:
  The module covers, amongst other things:
  - Licensing, concessions and production sharing agreements
  - Mature Province Initiatives
  - An introduction to maritime and territorial boundary issues
  - Competition issues, including:
    - Cartels
      Joint sales and production agreements
      Capacity reservation agreements
      Long term purchase agreements
      Territorial restrictions and destination clauses
      Abuse of a dominant position
      Mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector
      State Aid
      State guarantees
      Renewable support schemes
      Stranded costs
      Public service obligations.
  - Property issues using national/regional case studies:
    - Norwegian Continental Shel
      The Principle of National Property of Hydrocarbons in Mexico
      Chile, Brazil and Argentina
      United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan: service, account, functional, legal and ownership unbundling and independent system operator, and open access regimes.
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 1
- Core:Core module
Procurement, Investment, Insurance and Reparation (Theme A)
- Code:7LA537
- Info:
  - P
  - Procurement law for the oil and gas sector
  - Investment protection, including:
    - Foreign direct investment in developing economies
      Investment protection: legal structures and risk allocation
      Project company’s obligations and remuneration
      Protection against changes in law and changes in tax
      Breach of contract, remedies and host government responsibility.
      The IPP Model and international IPP market
  - Host country’s procurement processes
  - The Iraq case study
  - Insurance and risk
    - Risk and infrastructure development projects
      Individual categories of intergovernmental and host government risk
      Risk from the perspective of state and private sector counterparties, lenders, affected communities and other interested third parties
      Pre shipment finance models and examples
      Country risk of oil producing countries and political risk insurance
      Back-to-back letters of credit, guarantees, forfeiting and all financial products
  - Trader financing issues
  - Oil and Gas taxation, including:
    - Introduction to municipal and international taxation principles
      Oil Industry Accounts
      Product-based taxes – case studies
      Interest, investment and financing
      Decommissioning
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 1
- Core:Core module

Stage 2

Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (Theme B)
- Code:7LA534
- Info:
  As part of this module you will cover the following areas:
  - General principles of international arbitration:
    - Nature and limits of arbitration and its treatment by various legal systems
    - Jurisdiction, powers and obligations of an arbitrator
  - - Arbitration distinguished from other forms of dispute resolution
    - The laws applicable in international commercial arbitration
    - Key features of enforceability
    - Institutional arbitration and ad hoc arbitration
    - Arbitration processes
    - UNCITRAL Model Law and national arbitration laws
    - Awards
  - Oil and gas arbitration
    - Host states control mechanisms
    - The legal rights of the host state to expropriate
      Direct and indirect expropriations
      The renegotiability of international petroleum agreements
      Adaptation
  - JOA case studies
  - Default and dispute resolution in practice, including:
    - Default, remedies and forfeiture
      Default remedies in JOAs
      Expert determination
      Arbitration and litigation
      Jurisdiction
      Consolidation
      Sovereign immunity.
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 2
- Core:Core module
Upstream Oil, Gas, Petroleum Contracting (Theme B)
- Code:7LA539
- Info:
  As part of this module you will cover the following areas:
  - Common components of contracts, including quality and pressure, liabilities and limitations, force majeure and dispute resolution
  - Joint ventures, including:
    - Mineral laws and concessions
    - The JOA and the concession
    - Evolution in the JOA relationship
    - Model form contracts
    - Incorporated and unincorporated joint ventures
  - Agreements, including:
    - The bidding process and bidding agreements
    - Pre-unitisation agreements
    - Unitisation agreements
    - Oil and gas lifting agreements
    - Sleeping Partner agreements
    - Decommissioning agreements
    - Decommissioning security agreements, parent company guarantees and performance bonds
  - Buying and selling upstream assets
  - Decommissioning of upstream oil and gas facilities
  - Services contracts, including:
    - Production platform and FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) construction agreements
    - Production platform and FPSO operating agreemnts
    - Contracts for producing services
    - Platform ancillary services agreements
  - European Case Study
  - JOAs in detail.
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 2
- Core:Core module

Stage 3

Energy Processing and Distribution Law (Theme C)
- Code:7LA535
- Info:
  As part of this module you will cover the following areas:
  - Shipping and carriage, including:
    - Gas sales and transportation agreements
      Crude sales and transportation agreements
      Pipelines and pipeline projects
      Shipping arrangements
  - Liquefied Natural Gas case study
  - Special agreements
    - Commingling, allocation and attribution agreements
      Gas balancing agreements
      Terminalling and processing agreements
      Indicative tariff and service request agreements
      Oil and gas processing agreements
      Oil transportation agreements
      Gas transportation agreements
      Pipeline tie-in agreements
      Pipeline crossing agreements
      Proximity agreements
  - Agreements for use of producing facilities
  - Power supply agreements (perhaps in exchange for production)
  - Power export agreements
  - Emissions trading and CO2 Injection Agreements
  - Sales contracts, including:
    - Oil sales contracts
      Gas sales contracts
      LNG and LPG sdales contracts
  - Production exchange agreements
  - Production acreage sale and purchase and exchange agreements
  - Farm-in agreements
  - Asset exchange agreements
  - Sale and leaseback agreements
  - Sale with obligation to take back at end of production
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 3
- Core:Core module
Law of Energy, Security and Sustainability (Theme C)
- Code:7LA538
- Info:
  As part of this module you will cover:
  - Long-term energy agreements
  - Stability mechanisms
  - Enforcement Mechanisms
  - Environmental Challenges
  - Social Risk
  - Case study: Russia vs Kazakhstan
  - Limiting Foreign Investments in the Energy Sector for National Security Reasons: the Case of Japan
  - Tools to manage political risks
  - Distingishing between legitimate non-compensable regulation and indirect expropriation
  - International law recognition of stabilization clauses
  - Case studies in energy security law
  - Environmental law case studies
  - International environmental law
  - Marine protection law
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 3
- Core:Core module
Applied Project in Energy Sustainability Law (Theme C)
- Code:7LA533
- Info:
  You will engage in observation and enquiry within a workplace or industrial context. This will be complemented by in-depth independent and guided research into relevant areas of energy sustainability and security law.
  You will also draw upon substantive knowledge and skills developed in co-requisite modules.
- Credits:20
- Stage:Stage 3
- Core:Optional module

Entry Requirements:

You will need to possess a good undergraduate degree in a subject relevant to postgraduate study of justice systems; OR
Be a graduate with significant experience through work or voluntary engagement in the justice sector; OR
Be professionally qualified to work in the justice sector at a graduate stage or above.

If you do not have the appropriate grade or relevant degree, you may still be considered by the Admissions Tutor, who will assess your suitability for this course by taking into account your industry experience, previous learning and any other information provided on your application. If your application demonstrates substantial relevant experience, the Admissions Tutor will make an offer (if all other conditions in this section are met).

If English is not your first language

You will need an English language requirement of IELTS 7.0 or above.

If there is any uncertainty over your application and the details supplied, you may be requested to undertake a telephone or online interview.

Course Fees:

Please contact Naz Mohtashami at Informa Professional Academy for fee information:

T: +44 (0)207 017 7279

E: derby@informa.com

Further information is available on the Informa Professional Academy website.

Fees description:

You can pay for this course by instalments if you are unable to pay the full fee upfront.

You can apply for this course through Informa Professional Academy.

Career Information:

An LLM is considered essential for the pursuit of an academic career but also is increasingly seen by employers as demonstrating practice specialism. This provides you with a genuine advantage when applying for positions within and beyond the legal sector.

This prestigious qualification can advance your career by giving you:

the confidence to operate in a transnational context
enhanced capabilities to analyse, negotiate and problem solve in a strategic context
awareness of personal strengths and opportunities for improvement
the ability to apply knowledge as you learn it, in real time and in a relevant professional and geographical context
networking and outstanding personal support and personal development.

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