UC Davis LL.M. Alumni Spotlight: Shamay Zurayeva

14 years after completing her LL.M. at UC Davis School of Law in 2011, we checked in with? Shamay Zurayeva , an Azerbaijani attorney who currently sits as in-house Counsel at BP’s Baku office.

BP is a multinational energy company and the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan, with most of the country's economy and GDP related to the oil and gas industry.

Starting as a Legal Assistant with BP after graduation,?Shamay?advanced to her current role where she provides extensive legal support for the company’s operations across Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye. Her work spans BP’s oil production and pipeline projects, including major transport routes?from?the Caspian?to?Mediterranean, and Black Seas.?Shamay?also advises BP’s shareholder teams on non-operated joint ventures, and leads legal support for the Sunrise solar project, BP’s first renewable energy initiative in Azerbaijan. In addition to her primary responsibilities, she contributes to BP’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts both locally and within the global legal team, helping shape DE&I programs across the company.

?"I always wanted to work internationally and with people from different countries and backgrounds."

The projects?Shamay?supports are vital not only to Azerbaijan’s economic stability but also to energy security in Europe, enabling Europe to diversify its energy sources with oil and gas transported from the Caspian Sea.?Shamay?takes great pride in her contributions toward these initiatives. “I am very proud that I have become an accomplished lawyer practicing in this area, which plays such a huge role in my home country’s economy, as well as supporting BP ’s first renewable energy project in Azerbaijan.”

Before starting her career at BP,?Shamay?decided to pursue an LL.M. because, as she explains, "I always wanted to work internationally and with people from different countries and backgrounds." Prior to her attendance at UC Davis School of Law, she interned with the American Bar Association and BP in Baku, where she realized how beneficial a background in common law would be. Her transition into American culture and education was smooth, though she faced one amusing challenge: “The only challenge was not knowing how to ride a bike, and I had to learn it quickly to blend into the town's bicycle-friendly atmosphere.”

"My year in Davis was one of the best years of my life."?

In 2024,?Shamay?added another impressive accomplishment to her resume by passing the New York Bar. “Possessing a New York attorney license has enhanced my credibility,” she adds, especially considering that BP’s commercial contracts are primarily based on common law jurisdictions. Her LL.M. played a “significant role” in her success on the bar exam,?helping her acquire a general understanding of the common law.

In?Shamay’s?final words: “My year in Davis was one of the best years of my life. The law school staff and faculty were very friendly and welcoming, the community was diverse with people from all around the world, and the town's beautiful nature, climate, and sense of security were invaluable. I made a lot of friends both among the Americans and the students from other countries with whom I?still keep?in touch.”