Legal and Economics Training Courses > Mastering Joint Operating Agreements (JOA)

About This Training

This 3-day course offers a deep dive into the contractual frameworks that underpin the petroleum industry, focusing on Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) and other related critical agreements. Participants will explore the structure, key provisions, and practical application of petroleum contracts, with an emphasis on governance, risk allocation, financial arrangements, and dispute resolution. The course also examines advanced topics such as international and cross-border agreements, environmental and social responsibility clauses, and the integration of ESG principles in modern contracts. Designed for industry professionals, this program equips participants with the tools and insights to effectively navigate complex contractual challenges, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and strategic objectives in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

The course is designed to be delivered over three days with approximately six hours of instruction time per day for a total of 18 hours of instruction time in the three days. This training course can also be delivered through Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT)

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Understand the fundamental principles and key provisions of Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) and other essential petroleum contracts, including their role in managing joint ventures and allocating risks.
  2. Analyze the financial and operational aspects of petroleum agreements, such as cost recovery mechanisms, cash calls, and budgeting processes.
  3. Navigate governance structures, decision-making frameworks, and dispute resolution mechanisms within JOAs and other agreements.
  4. Evaluate the impact of local content, environmental compliance, and social responsibility clauses on petroleum projects and align contracts with regulatory and ESG standards.
  5. Apply advanced knowledge of cross-border and international agreements to address jurisdictional challenges and ensure compliance with global best practices.

The primary objective of this course is to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the key contractual frameworks governing the petroleum industry, with a particular focus on Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) and their critical provisions.

  • Legal counsel, lawyers and other legal practitionerslooking for specialised training on petroleum agreements
  • Reservoir engineers 
  • Geologist and explorationprofessionals
  • Commercial and business development professionals in the oil and gas sector looking to improve their contract negotiation skills and overall commercial performance
  • Contract managersfor operators or national oil companies
  • Upstream petroleum economists
  • Policy makers and regulatorsin the upstream petroleum sector
  • Insurance and risk managerslooking to reduce the legal and contracts risks for their companies
  • Intermediate

Your expert course leader previously served as General Counsel for a petroleum and mineral appraisal and consulting firm based in Colorado. He supports clients in business transactions and finance, particularly in the energy industry, and helps clients navigate international business opportunities. He provides consulting services to foreign government entities working in the petroleum and power sectors. He also supports domestic clients with mineral rights and business law matters. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Wyoming and the State of Colorado, as well as the Federal District of Wyoming.

His previous engagement includes:

Petroleum Regulator Organizational Strategy and Management in Bosnia  – Legal and regulatory specialist responsible for providing organizational strategy and management advisory assistance to government entities responsible for petroleum management and regulation, reviewing bid round documents, concession agreements and legislation affective petroleum management, and providing other legal, regulatory and policy support to the government. 2019-2020.

Onshore/Offshore Petroleum Regulatory Development in Romania – International legal and regulatory specialist responsible for reviewing petroleum data management and technical oversight practices, providing input on fiscal analysis and terms, development of offshore regulatory framework, and providing technical trainings on leading practices in petroleum legal, regulatory, fiscal, and policy issues.

International Petroleum Contracts and Legal Analysis in Albania – International oil and Gas specialist role providing legal and policy advice to Albania’s petroleum regulator, designed and presented a two-day course on production sharing contracts, supported capacity building initiatives and improved petroleum policy development in Albania, supported legal and regulatory aspects of the petroleum tender and bidding process. 2018-2020.

Natural Gas Legal and Regulatory Development in Honduras – Natural Gas legal expert responsible for supporting Honduras’national electrical utility with natural Gas and LNG legal, regulatory and policy advice, reviewed natural Gas legal and regulatory frameworks from surrounding jurisdictions and prepared a report and presentation to discuss specific challenges related to natural Gas development and utilization in Honduras.

Shale Gas Legal and Regulatory Analysis in Western Cape Province, South Africa – Legal and regulatory specialist responsible for reviewing provincial and municipal approaches to shale Gas regulation for a proposed onshore shale Gas project in the Karoo Basin, worked on behalf of provincial government to improve government collaboration and coordination for large scale industrial development and assisted with development of municipal-level regulatory practices.

Gas-to-Power Generation Policy Development in Nigeria – Natural Gas legal and regulatory specialist responsible for reviewing Gas-to-power market arrangements, government natural Gas policies and governance/financial structures to identify areas for improvement to national meet power generation goals. 2017-2018 Client: U.S. Department of State – Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative.

Sri Lanka Petroleum Legal and Regulatory Support – Legal and regulatory expert charged with reviewing and developing key areas of national petroleum regulatory policy, review of contracts and building capacity within the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development and Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat.

Unlock the potential of your workforce with customized in-house training programs designed specifically for the energy sector. Our tailored, in-house courses not only enhance employee skills and engagement but also offer significant cost savings by eliminating travel expenses. Invest in your team’s success and achieve specific outcomes aligned with your organization’s goals through our expert training solutions. Request for further information regarding our on-site or in-house training opportunities.

In our ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, we will no longer providing hard copy training materials. Instead, all training content and resources will be delivered in digital format. Inspired by the oil and energy industry’s best practices, we are leveraging on digital technologies to reduce waste, lower our carbon emissions, ensuring our training content is always up-to-date and accessible. Click here to learn more.

To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized “One to One” coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster.
Request for further information post training support and fees applicable