EMLF held its Annual Fall Symposium October 10-12, 2023, in Lexington, Kentucky. More than 130 individuals participated, including numerous corporate counsel, attorneys from law firms, government, and academia, and law students from Appalachian School of Law, Louisiana State University and West Virginia University.
The main sessions were held October 11 and 12 at the Central Bank Center’s convention facilities in Lexington, Kentucky. The hotel for the Symposium was the Hyatt Regency Lexington, which is connected to the Central Bank Center. This was the first time that EMLF has held its Fall Symposium at the Center. Executive Director Anna Fletcher stated, “The Central Bank Center’s facilities worked very well and our members really liked the new venue.”
EMLF members also seemed to like the hotel.
The plenary session opened with a keynote address, and was followed by a panel discussion involving chief executive officers from several energy companies that was moderated by Maribeth Anderson, Director of Public Relations with Antero Resources. Other presentations included an update on the status of the Mountain Valley Pipeline litigation, an “Energy Law Case Update,” the future of rare earth and critical minerals, proposed new rules on natural gas pipeline facilities, “Gathering Agreements 101,” restrictive covenants and cross-border drilling, legal ethics issues relating to artificial intelligence, and notice and recordation of title requirements relating to mergers, acquisitions, and name changes.
Many EMLF members who attended the Fall Symposium remarked on the large number of law students in attendance, expressing optimism that the heavy participation by law students is a good sign for EMLF’s future. The students appeared to enjoy meeting and networking with EMLF members, with one of the LSU students stating, “It has been great to meet so many lawyers who represent clients in the energy industry, and they have all been friendly and eager to talk to us when they find out we are students.” Another student said her favorite part was listening to the substantive presentations: “I really liked the talk on artificial intelligence,” she said, referring to “Ethics for the Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Practice,” by Travis Brannon with K&L Gates.
The Fall Symposium opened on the evening of Tuesday, October 10, 2023, with a networking event and welcome reception at The Thirsty Fox. At the conclusion of the Symposium, EMLF had a special networking event and tour at the Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company. Other attendees went to the horse races at Keeneland after the Symposium ended Thursday, October 12.