The UH Law Center landed a partnership with the law firm Andrews Kurth LLP to create a specialized program dedicated to creating scholarships and academic interest in energy law, a rapidly expanding field.
The Andrews Kurth Energy Law Scholars program will host five experts at the Law Center. Each scholar will teach one class and spend the rest of their employment on research.
“The Law Center’s commitment to energy and environmental law is long-standing and recognized at home and around the world,” said Dean Raymond Nimmer.
“The Andrews Kurth Energy Law Scholar’s program takes that commitment to the next level, and we are very pleased to have their ongoing support.”
The energy scholars come from all over the world and their careers and academic backgrounds are diverse.
Julian Cardenas Garcia, Venezuelan attorney; Susan Maples, natural resources advisor to the president of Liberia; and Susan Sakmar, adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco Law school, have already begun their trek, and two other scholars — Justin Dargin, fellow at the Belfer Center for Science, and Monika Ehrman, general counselor to a Dallas-based oil and gas company — will arrive for the fall 2013 semester.
To ensure the scholars maintain their research projects, they will not be teaching a full course load.
“They each will teach one course a semester,” said Associate Dean Richard Alderman. “They will teach in the areas they have practiced in, including shale gas production, and international energy issues.”
“Any second year J.D. Student or any LL.M. student can take their classes,” he said.
The primary goal is to educate students on advanced knowledge of energy law, while also encouraging the scholars to go in to law.
“The law center has one of the finest LL.M. energy law programs in the country,” Alderman said. “This strengthens our program even more, and helps us train attorneys who will enter the teaching market in this area.”
