This advanced, practice-focused seminar examines the legal and strategic challenges of oil and gas exploration in maritime boundary areas where jurisdiction is contested, overlapping, or undefined. Anchored in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea framework, the course explores how states and energy companies navigate competing claims over offshore resources.
The course focuses on how lawyers advise governments, national oil companies, and multinational energy firms on boundary delimitation, joint development agreements, licensing, and dispute resolution. Students will analyze real-world scenarios involving overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), continental shelf claims, and politically sensitive exploration zones.
The seminar treats cross-border energy exploration as a high-stakes legal and commercial discipline, where international law, contract strategy, and geopolitics converge. Students will develop practical skills in structuring deals, managing legal risk, and navigating complex multi-jurisdictional environments.
This course assumes prior study of energy law, international law, or natural resources law.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Understand legal frameworks governing offshore oil and gas exploration.
2. Analyze maritime boundary disputes and overlapping claims.
3. Evaluate rights and obligations under UNCLOS.
4. Structure joint development and cross-border agreements.
5. Assess legal and geopolitical risks in contested areas.
6. Understand licensing and regulatory frameworks.
7. Navigate dispute resolution mechanisms.
8. Advise energy companies and governments on strategy.
9. Integrate legal, commercial, and political considerations.
10. Apply legal principles to real-world offshore energy scenarios.
