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Portrait ofValerie Allan

Valerie Allan

Partner

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
6 Queens Road
Aberdeen
AB15 4ZT
United Kingdom
Languages English
Commercial Disputes

Valerie is a Partner in our infrastructure, construction and energy disputes team, based in Scotland but with a practice that extends across the UK and overseas.  Valerie has over 20 years’ experience specialising in dispute management and resolution in these sectors.

Valerie is dual qualified in England & Wales and Scotland and has extensive experience in managing complex multi-party and expedited proceedings in the High Court.  With a focus on disputes in the energy sector, she regularly leads teams comprising lawyers and counsel based across offices and multiple jurisdictions and is adept at planning and managing those processes to ensure delivery of workstreams on time and on budget, working closely with her clients on sensitive strategic issues to achieve a result which recognises their commercial goals as well as their legal position.  

She is also regularly trusted by clients to provide support on NSTA regulatory investigations. She co-authored the first book on the NSTA’s regulatory regime: “Maximising Economic Recovery – a new approach to regulating the UK’s offshore oil & gas industry” (with Judith Aldersey-Williams, published 2023). She is a trained mediator and senior DPLP tutor for mediation at Aberdeen University.

On a day-to-day basis, Valerie advises on a wide variety of disputes, including: operator and JV disputes; SPA disputes; industry standard form contracts; contract termination; delay and disruption claims; offshore and onshore construction claims (for example, in relation to rigs or FPSOs); indemnity claims; supply chain disputes; protection of assets and protestor response, including urgent injunctions; judicial review; vessel and third party claims; and damage to property.

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"She's an experienced lawyer and is really strong on North Sea oil and gas disputes."

Chambers, 2024

"She is very well known in the market in Aberdeen. She's a tough lawyer."

Chambers, 2023

Memberships & Roles

  • Member, Law Society of Scotland
  • Member, Law Society
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Education

  • University of Aberdeen – LLB (Hons) 1996
  • University of Aberdeen – Dip. L.P. 1997
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Energy Disputes

Valerie is an energy disputes partner, based in Scotland but with a practice that extends across the UK and overseas. She specialises in dispute management and resolution in the energy, construction and infrastructure sectors. Valerie has particular expertise in joint venture disputes arising in UKCS joint ventures, advising several operators on highly confidential and market sensitive project and joint venture issues over the course of the last year, including in relation to the current challenges to the industry brought by protestor direct action and protest litigation, and in relation to complex decommissioning disputes. She is also recognised for her expertise in respect of regulatory issues in relation to the work of the North Sea Transition Authority. 

Valerie is an Acritas-Star rated lawyer and recommended by clients there specifically for her industry knowledge and understanding. She is recognised as a key lawyer for Oil & Gas in Scotland in Legal500 and ranked Band 3 in Chambers for Energy & Natural Resources Disputes (UK-wide).  She regularly carries out training for clients on topics that range from detailed black letter law topics to practical issues such as emergency protestor response. She is a trained mediator and the senior DPLP tutor on mediation for Aberdeen University. 

She is primarily responsible for CMS’s annual oil & gas disputes survey and regularly presents and contributes to various publications.  This year has included various webinars in relation to responding to unlawful protest activity and her article (written with Dalia Majmunder-Russell and James Snape) on developments in the UKC Emissions Trading Scheme was published in the Utilities Law Review in May 2022.

 

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"She's an experienced lawyer and is really strong on North Sea oil and gas disputes."

Chambers, 2024

"She is very well known in the market in Aberdeen. She's a tough lawyer."

Chambers, 2023

Relevant experience

  • Operators and contractors on serious incident response, including with regard to incident investigation and communications with criminal prosecutors/health and safety investigators.
  • Operators and contractors on managing disputes arising in the context of on-going projects to safeguard project delivery.
  • A major utility company on the protection of crucial assets and property against disruption by environmental protesters, including by way of emergency orders.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Member, Law Society of Scotland
  • Member, Law Society
more less

Education

  • 1997 - Dip. L.P., University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
  • 1996 - LL.B. (Hons), University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
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Feed

01/03/2024
ESG Reporting Requirements and Best Practices: NSTA Issues Open Letter...
The introduction into the NSTA Strategy in 2021 of obligations in relation to “corporate governance” raised questions as to the approach that the North Sea Transition Authority (“NSTA”) would...
01/03/2024
“End user” combustion emissions – an essential requirement in environmental...
End-user combustion emissions, and the extent to which these should be considered in the context of industrial developments, have been the subject of recent attention in both the oil and gas industry...
27/02/2024
NSTA Consultation on Carbon Storage Data
In 2023, the UK’s first carbon storage licensing round led to the award of 21 offshore carbon storage licences. A handful of licenses had been awarded prior to the licensing round, so that there are...
26/01/2024
A “Move” to Annual Oil and Gas Offshore Licensing Rounds - The Offshore...
Under the recently introduced Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill (the Bill), the North Sea Transition Authority (the NSTA) would have a new obligation to invite applications for new seaward area (oil and...
23/01/2024
OEUK Decommissioning Security Agreements – Default Provisions
It is crucial to the operation of the arrangements set out in decommissioning security agreements (“DSA”) that parties post the required security within the timelines set out in the DSA as well as...
19/12/2023
Meeting the Decommissioning Challenge in Southeast Asia
Following on from our previous Law Now on the decommissioning regime in the UK (see our Law-Now here and here, this Law-Now considers the issues and challenges facing the offshore decommissioning sector...
15/12/2023
Oil & Gas Disputes Survey 2023
Our Oil and Gas Disputes Survey 2023 has highlighted that regulator activity, environmental issues and global economic and political challenges are seen by those in the oil & gas industry to be driving...
04/12/2023
International arbitration law and rules in Scotland
Arbitration in Scotland can be traced back to the 12th century - however, despite an extensive history, Scotland did not have a clear and codified arbitration regime until the introduction of the Arbitration...
23/11/2023
Oil and Gas Disputes Survey 2022-23
The survey represents the views of over 80 industry professionals covering most regions of the world: Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. We are grateful for their valuable insights into how and where disputes arise and how they are managed in different markets across the industry. For a high-level view of our survey findings, we invite you to scroll through the below infographic, describing our survey respondents’ key concerns.  
03/11/2023
OEUK DSA – Calculation and Payment of Licensee’s share of De­com­mis­sion­ing...
Parties to decommissioning security agreements are likely to be entering into an important phase of the typical process contained in these agreements. This year in particular, due to high inflation (and...
24/10/2023
High Court Dismisses Greenpeace and Uplift’s Judicial Review Claim Against...
The High Court in London has handed down a judgment dismissing Greenpeace and Uplift’s judicial review challenge against the North Sea Transition Authority’s (the “ NSTA ”) 33rd Offshore Oil and...
16/10/2023
CMS Annual Review of developments in English oil and gas law 2023
Welcome to the 2023 edition of the CMS Annual Review of developments in English oil and gas law, featuring commentary and analysis on the latest developments in English oil and gas law. This year’s edition of the Oil and Gas Annual Review brings to light the energy trilemma, where, amidst waves of unprecedented events, the challenge of meeting the goals of energy security, climate change/sus­tain­ab­il­ity and affordability, remain at the heart and strategic thinking as to the industry’s framework and future. The 2023 Annual Review deals with recent case law relevant to LNG sales, decommissioning, oil and gas projects and supply chain, contractual construction, shipping and commodities, protestor actions, tax, and more issues that impact the day-to-day workings of the oil and gas industry. In dealing with the above, this edition also explores emerging issues that are prevalent in the UK and which are beginning to gain resonance across multiple producing jurisdictions, and also reflects on the Courts continued commitment to international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. You can read the CMS Annual Review of developments in English oil and gas law in electronic magazine format or via the ‘download publication’ button. If you would like to request a hard copy, please contact Amy Hill-Burton.