Careers in Energy
5-6 pm EDT October 18, 2021
EMLF’s Annual Careers in Energy Program will be held virtually this year to accommodate COVID-19 guidelines. Panelists will discuss their educational and career path, and what the day to day duties are in their current role, as well as take questions from those in attendance. Law students at EMLF member schools may join this free opportunity to hear from and network with current energy practitioners. Each of the four programs features a different panel! Scroll down to read the bios for the October 18 panel.
Watch on YouTube!
Moderator:
Anna Girard Fletcher, Executive Director at EMLF, Lexington, KY
Anna Girard Fletcher has been the Executive Director of the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation since 2018. Previously, she was an attorney with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet practicing environmental protection and natural resources law, and law clerk to the Honorable Phillip J. Shepherd. She is a former national Chair of the Conference of Government Mining Attorneys and was chosen for the Kentucky Bar Association’s inaugural leadership class in 2018. She currently serves as Treasurer of her local Women’s Lawyers Association, and is a member of the Women’s Energy Network. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law where she served as Student Bar Association president and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta. Her writing has been featured in such publications as the National Law Journal, and she is a former editor of the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law, and current Editor-in-Chief of the Energy & Mineral Law Institute, the flagship publication of the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation. She resides in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and son.
Panelists:
Katherine M. Gafner, Partner at K&L Gates, Pittsburgh, PA
Katherine Gafner is a Partner in the Pittsburgh office of K&L Gates. She advises and advocates on behalf of energy clients with respect to numerous aspects of their business, including litigation, appellate matters, government enforcement, real estate, crisis management, and oil and gas transactions. She represents energy clients in a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, nuclear, mining, and renewables. Kate represents clients before federal and state trial and appellate courts as well as local governing bodies. In addition to her litigation practice, Kate practices in the areas of investigations, enforcement, and white collar crime, advising companies subject to federal and state investigations across the United States. Kate is experienced in performing internal investigations as well as defending clients against federal and state agencies. As a member of the firm’s crisis management team, Kate also counsels clients in crisis management events by providing on-site response and post-incident support. Kate was a judicial extern for the Honorable Arthur J. Schwab in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Before her career in law, Kate was a high school science teacher in Western Pennsylvania.
Clayton T. Harkins, Associate at Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, Charleston, WV
Clayton Harkins is an Associate at Dinsmore in their Charleston, WV office. Clayton focuses his practice on commercial litigation. He received his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law and has experience conducting research and writing legal memoranda on topics including leases, contracts, landlord and tenant issues, and consumer problems. He also handles title research and drafts title opinions. He is a graduate of West Virginia University College of Law and Texas A&M University.
Michael J. Moore, Member at Steptoe & Johnson, Bridgeport WV
Michael J. Moore has been assisting employers with labor and employment issues for nearly a decade. He works from Steptoe & Johnson’s Bridgeport, West Virginia offices. Michael splits his time evenly between assisting clients in union and non-union settings. He is an EMLF Board of Trustee, a Chairperson for the EMLF Programming Committee, and has presented at the Annual Conference. He has also been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2015, and by Best Lawyers – Ones To Watch, since its inception in 2021.
Ben Sullivan, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Diversified Energy Company, Charleston, WV
Ben Sullivan serves as Diversified Energy Company’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. He joined Diversified in 2019 with oversight of the company’s legal, land/real estate, and governmental affairs functions and works with the CEO and board on governance matters. Prior to joining Diversified, Ben worked with Greylock Energy (an ArcLight Capital Partners portfolio company with extensive national holdings) and its predecessor (Energy Corporation of America) as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary with supervision of many business units. Prior to Ben’s tenure at Greylock Energy, he worked as counsel for EQT Corporation as well as with a private law firm. He is a member of the leadership and Board of Directors of several commerce, legal, and industry groups, and has considerable experience in corporate governance and reporting / ESG, complex commercial transactions, land/real estate, acquisitions & divestitures, financing, government investigations, and corporate workouts and restructurings. Ben graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A degree in History and received a J.D. degree from the West Virginia University College of Law. He holds licenses to practice law in several States, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia.