Following the Louisiana Board of Regents’ approval of the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center on Aug. 21, plans are already underway to make sure the program is available to students as soon as fall 2014.
The Energy Law Center is a part of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and will offer students a concentration in energy law. The program, while the first of its kind at LSU, joins similar programs nationwide that aim to prepare students with an in-depth law foundation in a specific subject.
Jack Weiss, chancellor of the Law Center, said this school will meet the demands of a state with economically important energy developments.
“What we really propose to do is train the future leaders of this sector,” Weiss said. “There is a critical need within the state and beyond the state to create responsible, highly trained visionaries to be the future leaders of this industry.”
As committee members in charge of the Energy Law Center develop the energy law concentration for law students as soon as next fall, they are also considering a post-law degree certificate program and a master’s degree in energy law.
The Energy Center has already made significant progress in the two years since its inception, hiring three new faculty members, including a professor with a joint appointment in the School of the Coast and Environment and Robert Sloan, who served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Entergy, as the director of the energy center, Weiss said.
Weiss said this new addition will allow the school to help Louisiana meet the economic demands of recent energy developments. Although the program is a part of the law school, undergraduate students will reap its benefits as well.
The Law Center plans to incorporate the University’s new program with cross-enrollment in engineering, coastal sciences, science and chemical engineering, nuclear sciences and chemical engineering undergraduate programs, according to a news release.
“We want our students to be able to take advantage of the great resources of LSU in the engineering and environmental areas and take courses in those subject matters,” Weiss said. “We would like to see our school become a destination for folks in the College of Engineering.”
Petroleum engineering senior Chase Ringer said the new center is a good idea given the country’s interest in oil and other energy fields.
Ringer said the only class that comes close to teaching energy law now is petroleum economics, and more often than not, students have to learn about legal regulations during internships.
However, Ringer said his main concern was finding a middle ground for cross-enrolled coursework, so neither law or undergraduate students feel bogged down with concentrated subjects.
Sloan said cross discipline education is important because when students encounter problems later on in their jobs, the problems are often a mixture of all fields.
With the law school’s expansion comes financial challenges and the need to raise more money.
According to Weiss, the law school plans to renovate space on the fourth floor to provide an area for the new energy program.
At the Board meeting in August, Weiss thanked the members for their approval and proposed they help the school monetarily with a matching donation.
He said because the center is sufficiently connected to the economic development of the state, it warrants monetary support from the state. A matching donation would provide incentive for donors, Weiss said.
The plan he suggested was preliminary and has yet to be discussed with the state administration.
For now, the Energy Center is moving ahead with plans as stakeholders continue exploring the possibility of a fundraising campaign, Weiss said.
“This is something that has to evolve over a period of time,“ Weiss said.
Following the Louisiana Board of Regents’ approval of the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center Aug. 21, plans are already underway to make sure the program is available to students as soon as fall 2014.
The Energy Law Center is a part of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and will offer students a concentration in energy law. The program, while the first of its kind at LSU, joins similar programs nationwide that aim to prepare students with an in-depth law foundation in a specific subject.
Jack Weiss, chancellor of the Law Center, said this school will meet the demands of a state with economically important energy developments.
“What we really propose to do is train the future leaders of this sector,” Weiss said. “There is a critical need within the state and beyond the state to create responsible, highly trained visionaries to be the future leaders of this industry.”
As committee members in charge of the Energy Law Center develop the energy law concentration for law students as soon as next fall, they are also considering a post-law degree certificate program and a Master’s degree in energy law.
The energy center has already made significant progress in the two years since its inception, hiring three new faculty members, including a professor with a joint appointment in the School of the Coast and Environment and Robert Sloan, who served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Entergy, as the director of the energy center, Weiss said.
Weiss said this new addition will allow the school to help Louisiana meet the economic demands of recent energy developments. Although the program is a part of the law school, undergraduate students will reap its benefits as well.
The law center plans to incorporate the University’s new program with cross enrollment in engineering, coastal sciences, science and chemical engineering, nuclear sciences and chemical engineering undergraduate programs, according to a news release.
“We want our students to be able to take advantage of the great resources of LSU in the engineering and environmental areas and take courses in those subject matters,” Weiss said. “We would like to see our school become a destination for folks in the College of Engineering.”
Petroleum engineering senior Chase Ringer said the new center is a good idea given the country’s interest in oil and other energy fields.
Ringer said the only class that comes close to teaching energy law now is petroleum economics, and more often than not, students have to learn about legal regulations during internships.
However, Ringer said his main concern was finding a middle ground for cross-enrolled coursework, so neither law or undergraduate students feel bogged down with concentrated subjects.
Sloan said cross discipline education is important because when students encounter problems later on in their jobs, the problems are often a mixture of all fields.
With the law school’s expansion, come financial challenges and the need to raise more money.
According to Weiss, the law school plans to renovate space on the 4th floor to provide an area for the new energy program.
At the Board meeting in August, Weiss thanked the Board members for their approval and proposed they help the school monetarily with a matching donation.
He said because the center is sufficiently connected to the economic development of the state, it warrants monetary support from the state. A matching donation would provide incentive for donors, Weiss said.
The plan he suggested was preliminary and has yet to be discussed with the state administration.
For now, the energy center is moving ahead with plans as stakeholders continue exploring the possibility of a fundraising campaign, Weiss said.
“This is something that has to evolve over a period of time,“ Weiss said.
“What we really propose to do is train the future leaders of this sector. There is a critical need within the state and beyond the state to create responsible, highly trained visionaries to be the future leaders of this industry.”