First ever oil and gas law conference gets underway

March 9, 2018

DPI, GUYANA, Friday, March 09, 2018

The Chancellor of the Judiciary in collaboration with the Guyana Bar Association is hosting a two-day conference on oil and gas law training development.

The conference which seeks to explore the legal framework in oil and gas regulations is being held at the Ramada Princess Hotel, East Bank Demerara.

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards.

Acting Chancellor, Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards said the legal profession must be proactive in embracing the oil and gas industry.

“We the bar and bench have seen that vision, we’ve seen the need to sharpen our legal skills using the powerful weapon of education,” she said at today’s opening. Justice Cummings-Edwards she was pleased that lawyers from Essequibo and Berbice were also part of the session.

The training is being led by Alicia Elias-Roberts, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies. Elias-Roberts is a pioneer of legal education on oil and gas law in the Caribbean region.

“I’ll endeavour over the course of the two days to deliver training based upon my experience…to lay the foundation about lessons learnt from other hydrocarbon economies,” Elias-Roberts noted.

Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman encouraged the bar and the bench to take into consideration the Decree made by Venezuela in May 2016 claiming Guyana’s waters and the recent decision by the United Nations Secretary-General to send the Guyana Venezuela controversy to the World Court during their deliberations.

The bench and bar will discuss the petroleum contract, legal and regulatory framework for oil and gas and the sovereign wealth fund during the conference.

This conference is expected to become a featured event for the legal fraternity as the country prepares to become an oil-producing nation.