Speakers
Professor John Flake | LSU College of Engineering
John Flake is the Jay Affolter Endowed Professor in the Cain Department of Chemical Engineering at the LSU College of Engineering. His research interests include materials chemistry, catalysis, and energy, and he has completed research projects in the areas of electrochemical processes and materials, energy storage technology, electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction, and materials for lithium batteries.
Read more about Professor Flake.
Professor Keith Hall | LSU Law
Keith B. Hall is the Nesser Family Chair in Energy Law, Campanile Charities Professor of Energy Law, and John P. Laborde Endowed Professorship in Energy Law 3 and 4. He is also Director of the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center and Director of the Mineral Law Institute. He teaches Mineral Rights, International Petroleum Transactions, Energy Law & Regulation, and Civil Law Property. His publications have focused on oil and gas leases, pooling and unitization, hydraulic fracturing, induced seismicity, and the management of produced water. He is co-author of three books—a national oil and gas casebook that is used in law schools, a book on legal issues relating to hydraulic fracturing that is published by the American Bar Association, and the leading textbook on international petroleum law and transactions. He is a frequent speaker at national and international oil and gas, energy, and environmental law conferences, and is one of the editors on a book on international oil and gas decommissioning regulations. In addition to teaching at LSU, he has taught energy law classes as a visiting professor at Baku State University in Azerbaijan, as a Visiting Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, and as an adjunct professor at Loyola School of Law (New Orleans). Before joining the LSU Law Center’s faculty, he was a member of the firm Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann in New Orleans, where he practiced law for 16 years, with a focus on oil and gas litigation and transactions, environmental law, and toxic tort litigation.
Joe Heaton (’19) | Liskow
Joe Heaton is an energy litigator practicing in the firm’s Lafayette office. He has represented energy companies on a wide range of issues, from legacy oilfield lawsuits to personal injury matters. Heaton received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, in 2019 from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he served on the SBA Committee on Safety, Sensitivity, and Sustainability and as the SBA Ethics Committee Chair.
William R. Huguet (’01) | Kean Miller
Will Huguet is a partner in the Shreveport office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2014 and practices in the energy; oil, gas, and pipelines; and business disputes and litigation groups. Will brings extensive carbon capture and sequestration experience to his already robust energy sector and property law practice. Will has given numerous presentations on oil and gas, property-related matters and carbon capture. He is an industry pioneer in negotiating unique carbon capture deals covering hundreds of thousands of acres in Louisiana and Texas. An accepted expert in “Title and Mineral Law” who has provided testimony before Louisiana’s First Judicial District, Will was also the Editor of the award-winning landman publication, The Register, for the Ark-La-Tex Association of Professional Landmen.
Over the last several years, Will has been heavily involved in drafting and negotiating carbon sequestration servitude and lease agreements. These transactions involve more than 200,000 acres in Louisiana and Texas, together with other legal and regulatory facets of CCUS, including appearing before the Louisiana Office of Mineral Resources regarding state-owned lands. Notably, Will is an active member of the LMOGA Carbon Committee. He is a 2001 LSU Law alumnus.
Jamie Manuel (’01) | Randazzo Giglio Bailey Finch and Woods
In June of 2017, Jamie S. Manuel was appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Mineral Resources and has spent the last six years helping to navigate the State of Louisiana into the new era of energy transition we find ourselves today. While leading the Office of Mineral Resources, Jamie was the primary drafter of the new 2019 State Mineral Lease Form, the first Carbon Sequestration Operating Agreement of its kind, and the first ever near-shore Wind Energy Operating Agreements. Prior to his appointment, Jamie’s private practice centered on oil and gas title examination and complex litigation at the law firms of Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan and then Mayhall Fondren Blaize.
In January of 2024 ,Jamie returned to private practice by opening a Baton Rouge office with the Lafayette firm of Randazzo Giglio Bailey Finch and Woods. Jamie now looks to utilize the connections he has established in State government, in addition to his experience in title examination, litigation and drafting, to help solve problems and gain advantages for his clients in the areas of traditional oil and gas, CCUS, solar, wind and whatever else is in store in these changing times.
Justin Marocco (’13) | Jones Walker
Justin Marocco has a wide-ranging practice, primarily focused on handling a broad array of complex commercial litigation in the energy, maritime, construction, and environmental sectors. He has significant experience litigating cases in federal and state courts. Justin also advises clients on legal and regulatory issues in connection with carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration, storage, and enhanced recovery projects, as well as other large energy infrastructure projects. As part of his CO2 sequestration, storage, and enhanced recovery practice, he routinely advises clients on both the legal and regulatory aspects of their projects throughout all stages, including Class VI well permitting, land acquisition, expropriation, and pipelines.
Justin also has experience in obtaining contractor and engineering licensing throughout the United States, having advised and assisted clients acquiring large numbers of contractor and engineering licenses throughout the country as part of transactions.
Prior to joining Jones Walker, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James J. Brady of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. Justin earned his juris doctor degree and degree in comparative law in 2013 from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he graduated at the top of his class.
Marjorie A. McKeithen (’91) | Jones Walker
Marjorie A. McKeithen affiliated with Jones Walker after serving as Secretary of the Louisiana Mineral and Energy Board and Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mineral Resources, where she oversaw the granting and administering of mineral leases, storage agreements, and alternative energy agreements on state-owned land and water bottoms. While serving as Secretary of the Louisiana Mineral and Energy Board, Marjorie undertook a comprehensive revision of Louisiana’s statutory scheme relating to leases and agreements for underground storage.
Marjorie routinely serves as project counsel for large infrastructure projects, including renewable energy facilities, carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration, storage and enhanced recovery projects, chemical plants, petrochemical plants and refineries, pipelines, LNG and liquefaction facilities, crude oil and hydrocarbon liquids export facilities, solution-mining facilities, hydrocarbon storage facilities (salt dome and reservoir storage), and commercial saltwater disposal facilities. Marjorie also represents a number of energy and environmental service companies. She is a 1991 LSU Law alumna.
Jaime D. Rhymes (’96) | Liskow
Jamie D. Rhymes is an experienced trial lawyer helping businesses resolve their difficult disputes and sophisticated contract issues. For over 25 years, energy and other businesses have relied on his echnical knowledge and practical approach to defend high-stakes oil and gas litigation, commercial litigation, environmental cases, decommissioning, orphan wells, coastal land-loss claims, citizen suit litigation, royalty litigation and other claims arising from business in Louisiana.
Rhymes’ litigation experience includes well blowouts and downhole commercial claims; environmental contamination and coastal erosion lawsuits; wrongful death and personal injury claims; CERCLA Superfund litigation; fracking claims related to alleged contamination of drinking water; production in paying quantities litigation; joint operating agreement litigation; failure to develop; improper royalty deductions; and other exploration and production related claims. Energy clients, whom are often headquartered in Louisiana and Texas, seek Rhymes’ help with Louisiana’s complex oil and gas industry regulations, oil and gas lease provisions, and other practical aspects of drilling for and producing oil and gas in the state. He has drafted and negotiated all manner of contracts and agreements, such as surface and subsurface leases, right of ways, carbon sequestration agreements, mineral leases, joint operating agreements, participation agreements, subleases, assignments of leases and overriding royalties. He has also prepared drillsite and division order title opinions. He is a 1996 LSU Law alumnus.
