Macondo – The Legal World’s Wake Up Call

In this exclusive interview, Tim Haïdar speaks with Carol E. Dinkins, Partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP about the changing face of the legal profession, from the outgoing energy policy of the Reagan administration to retrenchment after the 2010 blowout of the Macondo 252 well in the Gulf of Mexico.

From 1981 to 1983, Carol served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, where she supervised the government's litigation in federal environmental, natural resources, and Indian and public lands cases. In 1984-1985, Carol served as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, the second-ranking official in the Department of Justice. Her responsibilities included working with members of Congress, the White House, the cabinet, and subcabinet officers on policy, legislation, and litigation.

In the course of her interview, Carol touches on:

·        Her role and responsibility within the Reagan administration

·        The expansion of outer continental shelf leasing and the pioneering Five Year Leasing Plan  

·        The Reagan government’s reaction to the oil embargo and energy malaise of the preceding Carter administration

·        The move into deepwater prospects in the Gulf of Mexico and the concomitant technological advances

·        Macondo as a “world-changing” event for the legal profession

·        The post-Macondo drilling moratorium

·        Reorganisation of the regulatory agencies within the Department of the Interior

·        New safety and permitting regimes – making recommendations mandatory

·        The establishment of the Centre for Offshore Safety in Houston as a centre for excellence in offshore HSE