Graham has over 30 years experience as a petroleum economist, specialising in the modelling and analysis of global petroleum fiscal systems.
He has advised several governments on petroleum fiscal policy, most recently Colombia, Ireland, Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada) and South Africa. He has also advised numerous IOCs and oil industry associations during debates with governments on appropriate terms (e.g. Alaska, Australia, Nigeria and UK).
Graham oversees Wood Mackenzie’s fiscal information gathering, modelling and reporting and is the lead author of Wood Mackenzie’s multi-client reports comparing global fiscal systems. The latest study is “A balancing act: global fiscal trends and benchmarking” (October 2016). He also has wide experience delivering training courses in petroleum economics and fiscal analysis around the world.
Graham graduated in Economic Science from Aberdeen University and earned a masters degree (M Litt) for his thesis on ‘Oil Field Abandonment in the UKCS’. He previously worked for Petroconsultants, two independent oil exploration companies and as a Research Fellow in Aberdeen University’s Economics department.
He is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) and is a regular speaker at industry conferences.
DIANA FRANCE joined HFW as partner in 2001 to lead the firm’s international energy projects practice. Prior to that, Diana spent seven years in-house, including as Legal Adviser for Central Europe & Former Soviet Union for British Gas Exploration & Production Ltd. In that role, she advised on the Kashagan Consortium and Production Sharing Agreements, as well as projects in Poland, the Ukraine and elsewhere in the region.
Diana has over 25 years’ experience of advising on a broad range of oil and gas matters, including host government agreements in most of the major oil producing countries of the world, as well as joint operating, unitisation, farm-in/out, drilling and oilfield services agreements and corporate acquisitions.
Diana has been leading a team of HFW lawyers advising Kuwait Oil Company on its international legal affairs for over ten years. She is also currently advising on a joint venture to establish a drilling business.
Diana has an MA in Law from Cambridge University (Girton College) and is named as a Leading Lawyer in the 2018 Guide to the World’s Leading Energy & Natural Resource Lawyers (and earlier editions). She is noted as being recommended for her upstream oil and gas work by the Legal 500 and was included in The Lawyer list of Hot 100 lawyers for 2015.
Diana is a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.
Tom Valentine has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, both as a barrister and a solicitor. In 2002 and 2003, Mr. Valentine lived in Doha, Qatar, where he was senior counsel (projects) with Qatar Petroleum. While in Qatar, Mr. Valentine was responsible for a number of international gas and LNG projects, including projects in the United Kingdom (Qatargas II), India (RasGas) and Spain (Endesa Generacion).
Since returning to Canada in 2004, Mr Valentine’s work continues to focus on oil, gas (including LNG) and project development work, including fiscal regime analysis and negotiations, E&P work, joint venture structuring, joint operations issues, purchase and sale agreements, and decommissioning obligations.
Tom has continued his work on LNG projects around the globe. He has advised both governments and project sponsors on LNG projects in Canada (West and East coasts), the USA, the United Kingdom, Peru, Cyprus, Angola, Qatar, Australia, Uruguay, Nigeria, Yemen, the UAE, and Iran.
Tom also provides training seminars around the world on LNG Contract Law and LNG Project Structuring appearing regularly in Amsterdam, Doha, Dubai, London, Houston, Brazil and Singapore.
Tom obtained his B.A. from the University of British Columbia in 1983, his LL.B. from Dalhousie University in 1986, and his LL.M. from the London School of Economics in 1989. He received the Mabrouk Award from Qatar Petroleum in 2003 and is rated by Martindale & Hubbell’s Legal Counsel Rating System as “Very High to Pre-eminent”. He received the R.P. Bamford Award for Academics from Dalhousie University, and the Award of Excellence from the Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation.
Jay Park QC is the Managing Partner of Petroleum Regimes Advisory and Park Energy Law. Jay has practised energy law for over thirty years, with a specific focus on creating optimum petroleum regimes for states, and advising companies and states on upstream oil & gas transactions. He has advised oil and gas producers, marketers, pipeline companies, governments, banks and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank. His practice has included drafting petroleum legislation and regulations, oil & gas asset acquisitions and divestments, advising on production sharing agreements and concession agreements, product marketing,gas sales and purchase contracts, pipeline transportation matters, oil and gas pipeline asset dispositions, oil and gas regulatory hearings, and joint venture and participation agreements. Jay’s work has taken him to over forty countries around the world. Jay has assisted governments and state oil companies in the design or amendment of petroleum regimes in twelve countries, whose total resources comprise 49% of world oil reserves and 33% of world gas reserves. Jay is actively involved in legal education and training. He has instructed the “International Petroleum Transactions” course at the Faculty of Law of the University of Calgary since 2007. He co-instructs five day training courses hosted by CWC School for Energy, “World Legal Systems and Contracts for Oil & Gas” and “International Petroleum Joint Ventures”. He has been recognized as a leading oil & gas lawyer by all of the rating publishers, including Who’s Who Legal.
Deniz Kuban is a Partner with Park Energy Law, and head of its London office. Deniz’s practice is focused on advising international oil companies and governments regarding upstream petroleum agreements, joint ventures, farmouts, host government contracts, anti-bribery and corruption compliance. Deniz has experience in Canada, Iraq, Malta, Mexico, Tanzania and Turkey. Deniz joined Park Energy Law in 2015 following five years with Genel Energy as Head of Legal in its Ankara office and later as Head of Compliance Programs in its London office. Deniz is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) and has served as a Director of the AIPN from 2010 to 2013.
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