Short Course: Energy Law

Course Details

This course provides a deep introduction to the solutions and challenges of energy law. This is particularly timely given the ongoing energy crisis facing households, the energy transition crisis, the many pollution crises that result from energy-related disasters and energy justice more broadly. Taught by experts from academia and industry, the course provides a well-rounded account of the principal legal and regulatory issues in the renewable and non-renewable energy sector from an international and comparative perspective.

By the end of this course, you will:

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the principal legal and regulatory issues in the renewable and non-renewable energy sectors from an international and comparative perspective.
• Have an informed opinion on current legal and regulatory frameworks governing various energy sources, including hydrocarbons and nuclear fusion, and understand the role of law in addressing public concerns about the use of different sources.
• Understand the legal frameworks governing carbon capture and storage (CCS) and the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure, and their relevance to long-term energy transitions.
• Understand different objectives and models of state control of energy resources and the practical implications which flow from legal and regulatory design as well as in-house decision making.

  
Topics and Tutors:

• Introduction: Energy Law as a Complex System - Prof Dr Roy A Partain 
• Law & Practice of Oil & Gas Transactions - Prof Dr Roy A Partain 
• Decommissioning of Disused Energy Infrastructure: Undoing Oil, Undoing Renewables - Prof Dr John Paterson, Chair Professor in Corporate Governance & Energy Law, University of Aberdeen, Centre for Energy Law
• Carbon Capture & Storage - Prof Dr Roy A Partain 
• Nuclear Energy - Prof Dr Roy A Partain 
• Directions in Cleaner Energy: Renewable Energy Regulation
  A/Prof Dr Madeline Taylor, Australian Research Council (ARC) EC Industry Fellow, Transforming Energy Markets Research Centre, Macquarie University
• Role of In-House Lawyer in Energy Crisis - Keith Ruddock, Former General Counsel for Shell's International Upstream Business
• Roundtable: Maritime Issues in Energy - Prof Dr Kengo Minami, Professor of Maritime Law and Corporate Law, Faculty of Law, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, Prof Dr Roy A Partain and Dr Constantinos Yiallourides 

  
Download the course programme

Course Leaders

Prof Dr Roy A Partain, Chair Professor of in International & Comparative law and in Mathematical Analysis of Law, University of Aberdeen; Member of State Bar of Texas; Visiting Fellow, BIICL

Dr Constantinos Yiallourides, Research Leader in Law of the Sea, BIICL and Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University, Sydney

Who is the course for?

The course would be beneficial for legal practitioners, students, law academics and non-lawyers with an interest in the global governance of energy and natural resources, environmental law, climate change and energy transition law.

Course format

The virtual course format will consist of a series of 8 sessions in which live (synchronous) teaching is offered via Zoom. Participants will be able to interact with the tutors and amongst themselves on screen.

Testimonials from past attendees

"Very interesting range of topics and engaging speakers.""
"Thank you, very enjoyable."
"Very good, helpful material."

Training scholarships

We are delighted to be able to offer scholarships designed to enable individuals from communities currently under-represented in the legal field to access our world-class courses and benefit from unparalleled learning experiences.

Scholarships are aimed at 3 categories: individuals from communities and backgrounds that are under-represented in the legal field in the UK and abroad; individuals who have recently received a needs-based bursary from their university or further-education college and representatives from Small Charities, NGOs, and Community-Based Organisations.

Applications for training scholarships must be received at least three weeks ahead of the course start date (4 September 2025). Applications must be made via the online form and applications received via any other means will not be considered.

Find out more and apply for a scholarship here 

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