Year: 2024

Elizabeth is the Co-Head of King & Spalding’s International Disputes Practice Group.  Elizabeth represents clients in high-profile disputes involving major projects and long-term foreign investments.  Her cases are regularly at the cutting edge of international arbitration practice, and several exceed USD 1 billion in dispute.  Elizabeth is licensed to practice in New York, Georgia, and Texas, and has repeated experience in disputes involving the governing laws of the U.S., England, and various jurisdictions in Europe and Asia.

 

Elizabeth solves cross-border problems for her clients, having represented clients in dozens of investor-State and commercial arbitrations and disputes.  She specializes in complex cases involving multiple parties, government entities, and cross-jurisdictional aspects.  Her counsel experience includes arbitrations convened under the AAA/ICDR, CPR, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, SIAC, and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, and practice in U.S. federal courts.

 

Elizabeth has handled numerous cases arising from long-term contracts (sale and purchase, supply, production sharing, concession, EPC, licensing, etc.), deepening her knowledge not only of the contractual frameworks but also the practical and logistical aspects of long-term investment projects.

 

She has experience coordinating parallel proceedings in “viral” disputes, including cross-border litigations, Section 1782 discovery, commercial and treaty arbitrations, and injunction and enforcement proceedings.  She also has significant experience representing major investors in treaty-based claims against States, and she regularly provides pre-dispute advice on foreign investment protection and treaty analysis.

 

An active AIEN member, Elizabeth served as a Co-Chair (along with Mike Darden and Albert van den Brink) of the US Chapter Seminar “New Energies, Same Challenges?” held in Houston on October 23, 2024.  Along with other accolades for her advocacy and client service, Global Arbitration Review selected Elizabeth for their “45 under 45” global survey, and Legal 500 named Elizabeth as a “Next Generation Partner” in 2022 and 2023.  In addition to her practice and frequent contributions as a speaker and author, Elizabeth acts as an Adjunct Law Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, where she has co-taught the course in International Arbitration since 2016.  She is also committed to youth development in her community, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta.

Mohamed Erfan is an accomplished legal professional with over two decades of experience, specializing in corporate law, litgaton, and legal advisory within the Oil and Gas sector. Born in Giza, Egypt in 1977, hold Egyptian natonality and currently based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

 

He is graduated from the Faculty of Law (English Section) Cairo University in 2000 and became a registered Cassation Lawyer with the Egyptian Bar Association. Early in his career, he practiced litgation in Egypt across a number of law firms, building a solid foundation in various legal domains.

 

In 2004, he was relocated to Dubai, joining a local law firm where he gained in-depth knowledge of the UAE legal system, particularly within Dubai Courts. He then returned to Cairo to work on a USAID-funded project as a commercial lawyer, where he provided technical assistance aimed at advancing economic policy and institutional reforms in Egypt.

 

In 2010, he joined ADNOC Group in Abu Dhabi, initally with ADNOC Onshore, where he spent 12 years as a Corporate Lawyer, developing expertise in the upstream Oil industry. His role involved providing strategic legal counsel on complex corporate matters, regulatory compliance, and contract negotatons. He was in a member in the Major tenders Board, where he provided legal support on complex legal matters and resolve legal qualifications submitted by the bidders on the Terms and Conditions during the Tendering Stages, in relation to Wells and Oil Field Services Agreements, EPC and Construction Agreements, Purchasing Agreements.Currently, he serve as Senior Legal Counsel at ADNOC City Gas (Downstream), where he manage high-level legal affairs and contribute to the company’s operatonal success.

 

Currently, Mohamed serves as Senior Legal Counsel at ADNOC City Gas (Downstream), where he manages high-level legal affairs and contributes to the operational success of the organization. His role is pivotal in ensuring that legal considerations are integrated into the strategic decisions of the company.

 

Mohamed became a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN) in June 2023 (formerly AIPN), where he was recently appointed as Co-chair of the Government/National Company Conference, planned for October 2025. In 2023, he succssfully completed the 2023 International Oil & Gas Contracts and Negotiations Core Course in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Model Contracts Workshop Lisbon, PortugalCore. In 2024, he attended the Europe Regional Chapter “The Future of Energy” Conference in Vienna, Austria, and the Model Contracts Workshop Austin, Texas. He is a member in a number of AIEN Committees and Taskforces, CCS Taskforce, Gas Sales Agreement- Revision of 2006 Model Contract drafting Committee and the Hydrogen Sale and Purchase Agreement drafting Committee.

Giovani focuses his practice in energy, oil & gas, and in particular, on mergers and acquisitions, financings, contractual and regulatory issues involving these industries.
He holds a Master of Laws from the University of Sao Paulo, where he is currently doing his PhD in Energy. He also holds an LLM from Stanford Law School.

 

He is currently based in Rio de Janeiro as the head of the Infrastructure and Energy Practice of Mattos Filho Advogados, the largest Brazilian full-service law firm. He is also part of management committee of the firm.

 

He previously worked at the Houston office of Fulbright and Jaworski LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright). He is licensed to practice law in Brazil, England (Solicitor) and New York.

 

Giovani is a founding partner and vice-president of the Brazilian Institute of Energy Law (IBDE), and former chairman of the Oil & Gas Law Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA).

 

He has been participating actively on AIEN for over 15 years, including being a speaker on some of the AIEN events. He was one of the founders of AIEN-YN, a very successful initiative, and is currently a proud member of our Board.

Daein Cha brings over 25 years of energy and resources industries experience. Through senior roles for international business development, major capital project management, and commodity sales and trading at Tokyo Gas and Chevron, Daein brings extensive expertise, experience and network to originate and develop multi-billion dollars industrial projects.

 

Daein joined Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd in 1998 and has since served roles of increasing responsibilities including Manager of LNG procurement & trading, and Manager of LNG upstream business development. Daein joined Chevron in 2012 as Deputy Business Manager and in 2014 as Deputy Project Manager for the Gorgon Expansion Project. He also served on the Project Leadership Team to manage the development of Chevron’s Gorgon Stage 2 and Jansz-Io Compression projects.

 

Daein has taken on the role as the Founder and Director of Transborders Energy (mid-scale gas resource commercialisation business) since November 2016, and as Founder and Managing Director of deepC Store (commercial scale CCS project developer) since August 2021. He also serves as Senior Projects Manager for the Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Center, an Australian Government and industry funded R&D organisation striving to decarbonise LNG exports and grow clean hydrogen production for Australia.

 

Daein received his Bachelor’s degree in management from the International Christian University (Japan), Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business (USA), and qualification as Certified Cost Professional (CCP) of AACE International accredited by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Speciality Boards. Daein is also a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN) and the Society of Decision Professionals.

 

For AIEN, Daein Cha serves as a member of the Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) Taskforce and term sheet working group. Daein is also a co-author of the “White Paper CCUS Opportunities and Implications for the AIEN.”

Nasser Said Al Abri is a distinguished executive with over 21 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry, specializing in business development, mergers and acquisitions, and engineering advisement. Currently, he is serving as the Principal M&A Operations at OQ Exploration and Production. He has successfully delivered both local and international deals and agreements with International Oil Companies (IOC). As a dedicated member of AIEN, Nasser actively supports MENA AIEN activities and plays a crucial role on the drafting committee for the LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement, Gas Sales Agreement, and Accounting Procedure.

 

Fluent in Arabic and English, Nasser has a proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary engineering projects and driving major commercial ventures. His strategic vision and leadership have been pivotal in orchestrating complex M&A operations, negotiating high-stakes deals, and finalizing agreements that significantly enhance organizational growth and profitability. Nasser’s efforts have not only facilitated successful business expansions but have also strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders globally.

Elisa Botero is a Partner at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York with 19 offices worldwide and deep expertise in the energy sector. Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Ms. Botero has advised clients on a wide range of cross-border deals, including project development and financing transactions, joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures, and other commercial deals, with emphasis in the oil and gas industry. Ms. Botero is also experienced in international arbitration, having represented clients in high-stakes disputes in a range or sectors, including the energy sector. Qualified to practice law in Colombia and New York State, Ms. Botero was ranked by Latinvex among the Top 100 Female Lawyers in Latin America for three consecutive years for her work in Arbitration & Litigation and Corporate/M&A. Ms. Botero co-heads the H2 industry group at Curtis, which capitalizes on the firm’s expertise in the oil & gas and renewable energy industries to provide clients with comprehensive advice across the hydrogen value chain.

 

A longtime member of AIEN, Ms. Botero co-chairs the drafting committee tasked with drafting an AIEN Hydrogen Joint Development & Operating Agreement (JDOA) that establishes a collaborative framework for the joint development, implementation, and operation of hydrogen-related initiatives.

Kiersten Korczynski is the General Counsel for ExxonMobil’s operations in Indonesia where her team provides legal counsel and advice on matters related to business in the upstream, lubricants, fuels, chemicals, and carbon capture and storage industries. Prior to her assignment in Indonesia, she was Exxon Mobil Corporation’s subject matter expert on trade sanctions and export controls, providing advice to ExxonMobil’s operations across the globe.

 

Before joining the energy industry, Kiersten was a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section where she managed high-profile international and domestic terrorism prosecutions, including directing the investigative efforts of federal and state law enforcement agents and developing and implementing strategies to protect classified information at trial. She regularly trained non-U.S. prosecutors, judges, law enforcement and intelligence officers on best practices for investigating and prosecuting national security cases in conformity with host-country laws and regulations. Before DOJ, Kiersten served 10 years in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a prosecutor in the Guantanamo Bay tribunal of United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, et al. and trial defense counsel in Great Lakes, Illinois.

 

While Kiersten is a new member (having only joined AIEN in 2022), she has since helped plan several networking events in Jakarta, served on the organizing committee for the Asia Chapter Conference on “CCUS in the APAC Energy Industry,” and is a member of this year’s IES planning committee.

Kris Costello has been involved with AIEN since 2012 and has primarily worked in the onshore and offshore energy industry. He has an Engineering Degree, a Master’s Degree in Oil and Gas Studies and an LLB, recently completed in 2022. He has worked in a variety of technical and commercial roles in the oil and gas industry in Western Canada and offshore Eastern Canada. He has approximately 25 years of experience with energy industry technical issues, environmental issues, market issues and economics/socioeconomics.

 

Kris has worked in a variety of roles with operators in Canada and at present works for the Oil and Gas Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, a state-owned oil producer. Currently responsible for existing assets and potential new assets, Kris began working in the oil and gas industry in the late 1990’s and has filled technical and commercial roles in the onshore and offshore sectors. He has worked on all producing projects offshore Eastern Canada in various phases of development and has been a member of a number of exploration/delineation campaigns. Experienced with investment attraction initiatives, he is currently focused on attracting potential investors from outside Canada for both organic and existing production opportunities.

 

Kris has also had an increasing focus on emissions reduction opportunities since 2016, and strongly believes that new oil and gas projects are not only possible in meeting climate and net zero goals, but can actually enable each jurisdiction to meet those goals if designed and implemented properly. Kris is a licensed Professional Engineer, a certified petroleum engineer and a board member with econext, the environmental industry association in Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Kris has been a member of numerous drafting committees for AIEN model agreements and participated in numerous AIEN events over the last decade.

Recognized as one of Argentina’s leading practitioners in oil and gas and natural resources, Francisco J. Romano, is an international business lawyer with thirty years of experience in major transactions in the international oil and gas sector. He served as the Managing Counsel for the Chevron Latin America Business Unit in Caracas, Venezuela, Law Manager at Chevron Argentina, Senior Legal Advisor for Pan American Energy LLC, the BP Bridas CNOOC upstream and downstream joint venture for the Southern Cone, Bridas’ Legal Manager and PAGBAM Senior Partner and Energy Head.

 

Francisco is a former associate at law firms Klein & Mairal and Le Pera & Lessa in Argentina. He earned a LLM with merit for the grouping of Banking and Finance Law at King’s College in London, was a recipient of a Chevening Scholarship Award, and graduated with honors at the University of Buenos Aires Law School. He is Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Hydrocarbons Law at the Universidad Austral, coordinator of the Diploma in Hydrogen Management, and Co-Director of the Energy Institute at the Universidad Austral.

 

Francisco currently serves on the AIEN Board as a Director-at-Large and is a member of the JWELB Editorial Board. He served on the Model JOA drafting committee and currently serves on the drafting committees for the Gas Sales Agreement – Revision of the 2006 Version, the LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement and the Hydrogen Taskforce. Additionally, he is a member of the AIEN Educational Advisory Board.

 

He wrote, together with Peter Roberts, a book titled “Energy Contracts – the common law and the civil law approach to Joint Ventures and Farmouts” published by Thomson-Reuters. Francisco is a native Spanish speaker, fluent in English, French and Italian and with a working knowledge of Russian.

Eduany is an Angolan lawyer currently pursuing his Two-Year LL.M. in Environmental and Energy Law at Georgetown University Law Center while working remotely as a Legal Researcher at the Laboratório de Estudos Multidisciplinares em Energia at Federal University Rio de Janeiro. He has also been coaching students from the University of Houston Law Center during their mock negotiations under the supervision of Professor Norman Nadorff for two years. Before coming to the U.S., Eduany worked at MN Advogados & Associados, an Angolan law firm, and then joined the Legal Department at the Ministry of Environment of Angola.

 

Eduany holds a Law degree from the Catholic University of Angola, a postgraduate diploma in Law and Oil and Gas Business Management from Agostinho Neto University, postgraduate diplomas in Corporate Governance, Compliance, and Public Supervision, as well as in Commercial Contracts, both from University of Lisbon. He also holds an Executive Education certificate in Negotiation from Harvard Business School Online and a certificate in Legal English and American Law from the University of Southern California.

 

Eduany is an active member of AIEN and serves on the ESG Compliance Taskforce and Hydrogen Taskforce. He also serves on the drafting committees for the Gas Sales Agreement – Revision of the 2006 Version and the LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement. Additionally, he is a member of the Institute for Energy Law. Eduany is a native Portuguese speaker, fluent in English, and with a working knowledge of Spanish.