Bracewell & Giuliani Caspian Region Expert Leads Panel at Kazakhstan International Oil & Gas Conference (KIOGE); Discussion to address the challenges of oil processing and transport facilities in Kazakhstan.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Gregory Vojack, managing partner of the Bracewell & Giuliani Kazakhstan offices, will chair a panel discussion on the challenges facing oil processing and transport facilities in the Caspian region at the Kazakhstan International Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition (KIOGE), Wednesday, October 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the Regent Ankara Hotel in Almaty, Kazakhstan. With a long history of corporate leadership in the Caspian region, Bracewell & Giuliani has participated in the KIOGE conference for the past seven years.

Vojack's panel will feature representatives from major oil producers working in Kazakhstan, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and Total. These industry experts will focus on developments in the market over the past year, including the booming success of production drilling programs in the Caspian region. Exploration programs have been finding oil so quickly that the industry is now struggling to process and transport the large volume of oil in a timely manner.

"Exploration in the Caspian region has been extremely successful and now the focus must be shifted to the construction of processing and transport facilities," said Vojack. "While there have been major improvements in transportation routes in Kazakhstan, the oil production levels have increased to a point that they are growing faster than the development of viable transportation routes, and local oil and gas companies need to address this issue in order to continue to see success in this region."

The KIOGE conference attracts more than 1,000 delegates from the world's oil and gas industry and features presentations from top-level representatives in the governments of Kazakhstan and foreign countries, CEOs of major Kazakhstan and international companies and other industry thought leaders. In addition, the conference features a vendor exhibition that is comparable to the size of Houston's Offshore Technology Conference.

Since 2003, Chambers Global has designated Bracewell & Giuliani and Greg Vojack as one of the Caspian region's leaders in corporate/commercial work. Unique among the major law firms located in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Bracewell has worked from the start to shape the region's transition from managed economies to free markets. For nearly 15 years Bracewell has directly advised the Republic of Kazakhstan on economic and legal matters, and Bracewell's strong business and regulatory relationships throughout the Caspian region have positioned the firm as a leading legal counsel in these growing countries. In addition, Euromoney's 2005 International Financial Law Review 1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms recommended Bracewell among Kazakhstan firms for maintaining a "strong niche advising on Eurobond issues."

Vojack, who has participated as a speaker at the KIOGE conference since 2000, has resided in Kazakhstan since 1994 and manages Bracewell & Giuliani's operations in Almaty and Central Asia. Vojack's specialty practice areas include international securities transactions, joint ventures, oil and gas, general corporate law, and legislative counseling for various governments of Central Asia. During his residence in Kazakhstan, he has been the project director of the USAID Securities Market Development Project and outside legal counsel to the World Bank. His work in the Commonwealth of Independent States led to the development of the capital markets in Kazakhstan.

KIOGE Quick Facts

Date:        Tuesday, October 3 - Thursday, October 5, 2006
Location:    The Regent Ankara Hotel
             Almaty, Kazakhstan
Booth:       Bracewell & Giuliani will host a booth in the display
             space outside the conference ballroom.
Interviews:  Greg Vojack is available for interviews during the
             conference.  To arrange an interview, please contact
             Melanie Hillis at 713/221-1165,
             [e-mail]
More info:   Visit http://www.kioge.com/home.html

About Bracewell & Giuliani

Bracewell & Giuliani provides Fortune 500 companies, major financial institutions and governmental entities with practical advice spanning law, business, and public policy. With offices in Texas, Kazakhstan, New York, Washington, D.C., and London, Bracewell is well positioned to serve clients concentrated in the energy and finance sectors. For more information about Bracewell & Giuliani, visit www.bracewellgiuliani.com.