Denver Law Welcomes the 2011-2012 Class in the Environmental and Natural Resources Graduate Program: 10 Countries Represented

The 2011-2012 class of students in Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Graduate Program were welcomed earlier this week by Don Smith, director of the program, and Lucy Daberkow, assistant administrative director.

The program has a long history of attracting students from all over the world, and this year's class is no different. Students from nine different countries attended the program's orientation session. Taken together, the students span the globe from many key regions and countries involved with important environmental and resource issues.

The specific countries represented were:

• Brazil


• Canada


• China


• Ghana


• Japan


• Peru


• Russia


• Saudi Arabia


• United States

Continuing students from Mexico and many of the countries listed mean that this year's class will include students from 10 different countries.

In terms of the United States, the program will include in-coming students from California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Don Smith said, "The Denver Law Environmental and Natural Resources Graduate Program has a long-standing history of attracting the best students from all around the U.S. as well as from all over the world. We are delighted to say that our graduates are involved in important projects all over the globe and that the time they spent at Denver Law has helped prepare them for their challenging positions."

Lucy Daberkow said, "Recruiting students from around the world is one of the program's top priorities. It is gratifying to watch how all of our students -- from the U.S. and abroad -- come together and learn from each other. Today's world requires the ability to work in a global setting. Our aim is to help introduce our students to that setting."

Rigzone Website Survey Says Denver is World's No. 4 Ranked City in "Up and Coming" Oil and Gas Cities

A recent survey of "up and coming" cities for oil and gas professionals lists Denver as No. 4 in the world. According to the same survey, the No. 1 city is Dubai, United Arab Emirates, followed by Calgary, Canada, at No. 2 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, No. 3.

The survey was conducted by Rigzone, a Houston-based website that calls itself the "gateway to the oil and gas industry."

David Kent, the president of Rigzone, told the Denver Business Journal, "Houston is considered the oil and gas capital of the world, but with its weather, 98 degrees and 98 percent humidity in the summer, I'd rather be in Denver. I'm not surprised that Denver popped up on the list" ("Gushing praise for Denver," July 8-14, 2011.).

Other cities ranked in the top 10 were: No. 5, Singapore; No. 6 Perth, Australia; No. 7, Cairo, Egypt; No. 8 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; No. 9, Jakarta, Indonesia; and No. 10, Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico.

The oil and gas industry in Colorado employs about 50,000 people directly while supporting nearly 200,000 additional jobs. The sector contributes $24 billion in value added economic output annually, according to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Don Smith, director of the Denver Law Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program, said, "Those of us who call Denver home are not surprised by Rigzone's survey findings. Denver is great place to live and do business. Moreover, Denver Law offers an exceptional array of courses that address oil and gas from domestic and international perspectives. Students from all across the world come to Denver Law to study about this important natural resources sector."

Adjunct Professor and Argentine Mining Expert Florencia Heredia Writes About Mining Law for Latin Lawyer Magazine

Florencia Heredia, a partner at the Buenos Aries, Argentina, law firm HOLT Abogados, recently contributed an article to Latin Lawyer about mining in Argentina.

In "Mining 2011 - Argentina," Ms. Heredia provides an overview of the Argentine mining industry and describes the legal and regulatory framework there. She also discusses the investment regime applicable to foreign company involvement in mining projects.

The article explains the mining exploration and exploitation permit or concession regime as well as the licensing regime. In addition, she describes the collateral security arrangements permitted in Argentina.

Ms. Heredia is the Senior Vice-Chair of the International Bar Association's Mining Law Committee. She also has served as a Trustee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.

In the summer of 2009, Ms. Heredia teamed up with fellow mining law expert Luis Carlos Rodrigo, a partner in the firm of Rodrigo, Elias & Medrano Abogados in Lima, Peru, to teach a first of its kind course, "Comparative Latin American Mining Law" at Denver Law. The one-week intensive course generated high praise by students for its substantive content as well as the opportunity it provided them to learn from two of the most distinguished mining lawyers in the world. Plans are underway to have Ms. Heredia and Mr. Rodrigo return to Denver in 2012 to teach the course again.

Editor's Note: The linked article from Latin Lawyer has been reproduced from Law Business Reseach. This was was first published in Latin Lawyer Reference - Mining 2011 (Contributing Editors Richard Brach and Carolina Walther-Meade, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP). For further information please visit www.LatinLawyer.com/reference.