Find Lawyers in Texas, United States for Oil and Gas Law
Practice Area Overview
Oil and gas law has developed around the three “streams” of business — (i) upstream is the “E&P” business, the actual exploration for, and production of, oil and gas; (ii) midstream is the gathering, processing, storing, transporting, and marketing of produced oil and gas; and (iii) downstream is the refining of crude oil and the selling and ultimate distribution of natural gas and products derived from crude oil. Oil and gas is the body of law that organizes the discovery, development, allocation, ownership, management, and ultimately use of oil and natural gas as energy sources that fuel modern civilization. Oil and gas law means the constellation of statutory, regulatory, and judicial law that customarily applies to the three streams of the oil and gas business.
This body of law draws heavily from contract, property, and corporate law, but also has substantial overlap with environmental, tax, employment, administrative, and even tort law. The set of legal issues that confront, for example, a client wishing to organize a company to acquire and develop a particular offshore or onshore oil and gas prospect, is unique. Therefore, the diversity and specificity of these issues led to the emergence of specialized oil and gas lawyers.
Oil and gas lawyers also must be familiar with the business realities that affect their clients. They are experienced with the operational details and points of negotiation in the contracts and physical operations that are common and also unique to oil and gas. They must alert clients to potential traps for the unwary in the case law of their jurisdiction, navigate government regulations to accomplish their clients’ goals, and assemble transactions from the myriad property and operational issues that exist for each particular oil and gas prospect or producing property. For example, the mechanics and economics of the development of oil and gas versus hard minerals such as coal has led to dramatically different business structures and contracts to develop these fossil fuel resources.
Some oil and gas lawyers specialize in unwinding the often Gordian mineral ownership of oil and gas in place; others are skilled in litigating the unique disputes that arise in the context of development joint ventures; and still others can structure oil and gas projects from exploration to development and sale. Additionally, the oil and gas industry has a significant international dimension; in this context, oil and gas lawyers can provide invaluable orientation and counsel to foreign companies investing in oil and gas exploration projects in the United States or domestic companies seeking to expand their presence globally.
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Kevin represents a diverse clientele in virtually all aspects of the energy industry. With a background in petroleum geology, he has operated and participated in oil and gas exploration and development projects across North America. As a transactional lawyer, he has represented owners and operators with documentation, due diligence, and business counseling for acquisitions and divestitures and for exploration and operation. As a trial lawyer, he has represented plaintiffs and defendants, both...
Bill Benitez is a partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, recapitalizations, joint ventures and corporate governance, with a particular emphasis on the energy and infrastructure sector. Clients have described Bill as a “great practitioner” who provides “incredible client service” in connection with his recognition in various industry publications, including Chambers Global, The Wor...
William B. Burford is a partner in the firm's Oil & Gas/Energy practice. He is a leader in the field of oil and gas title examination and is a past chair of the Texas State Bar Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section. His experience includes all aspects of oil and gas title and transactional matters, involving fee, state and federal lands in both Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Burford has been a frequent speaker on oil and gas topics before legal and industry groups and has been a member, si...
Brenda L. Clayton practices environmental, energy, and appellate law. Her environmental practice includes regulatory matters involving waste and water such as those arising under the Resource Conservation and Recovery act (“RCRA”), the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), the Texas Water Code, the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act (“TSWDA”), and other statutes. She handles the defense or prosecution of private environmental litigation such as private suits under the Compr...
Based in our Houston office, Paul Clote has been a litigation attorney handling trials and appeals for more than four decades. His cases involve commercial and business disputes across a variety of industries. He has tried to verdict in both state and federal courts, cases entailing fiduciary duties; partnership termination and windup; letters of credit; business fraud and civil theft; trust account funds; broker commissions; ERISA disability benefits; child abuse; minimum wage and overtime c...
Greg Curry focuses his litigation practice on complex commercial (including real estate and construction), oil and gas, insurance coverage, and environmental matters. Greg is recognized annually by his peers as one of the top lawyers in Texas. He has an active trial practice, having secured significant settlements and judgments for plaintiffs and defending numerous complex cases with substantial monetary claims. Greg works on a number of high profile and high risk domestic and international a...
Andrew B. Derman is a Partner and head of International Energy Practice Group for Thompson & Knight LLP and Chairman of Thompson & Knight Global Energy Services. He represents public and private companies and host governments in their strategic design, commercial execution, negotiations, contract preparation, and legal interpretation. Recent experience includes: acquisition and divestment efforts in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia; international finan...
Felicity has more than 28 years of experience representing employers in all facets of employment law, including litigation, arbitrations, injunctive relief, administrative proceedings, counseling and trainings throughout the United States and in a few foreign jurisdictions.She has been certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1998 as a specialist in the field of Labor and Employment Law, and chaired a multitude of lawsuits on behalf of employers in state and federal courts (...
Tim George practices administrative law and litigation on behalf of oil and gas owners and operators. Tim represents clients before the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas General Land Office. He has helped solve complex problems with leasehold permitting and production; special field rules; rulemaking; salt water disposal injection; unitization and enhanced recovery; environmental compliance and remediation; pipeline transportation; common carrier, common purchaser, and gas utility co...
Luis F. Gomar is a partner in the Corporate department of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Houston office. Mr. Gomar has over 18 years of experience advising on domestic and cross-border transactions in the energy, finance and private equity sectors. Mr. Gomar counsels clients on both domestic and international transactions involving M&A, asset acquisition and divestitures, fund formations, joint ventures and strategic alliances, project development, and structured finance a...
Clients, including private equity funds, seeking to expand operations, divest businesses, or commit capital benefit from Mitchell’s transactional experience across various industries, including oil and gas, manufacturing, renewable energy, and telecommunications. Mitchell Griffith focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, securities offerings, corporate governance, and other corporate matters. His experience includes equity financings for priv...
Robin Harrison has represented plaintiffs and defendants in trials and arbitrations in venues from Cuero, Texas to Paris, France for more than 35 years. He has extensive experience handling cases involving breach of fiduciary duties, breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, fraud and misrepresentation, professional liability, and business owner/ “business divorce” disputes. He has assisted numerous clients in several different industries, including construction, oil ...
Harold L. Hensley, Jr. is a partner in the Oil & Gas/Energy and Litigation Sections of the firm. He is a skilled trial lawyer with a legacy of victories in both state and federal courts. He is a member of the Roehl Circle of Honor of trial lawyers in New Mexico and served the New Mexico Supreme Court as a member of its Uniform Jury Selection Committee. Mr. Hensley received his BBA degree from Rice University and his law degree from the University of Texas. He is a member of the State Bar ...
Don Jackson has 25 years of wide-ranging litigation experience with emphasis on energy industry and intellectual property matters. His energy litigation experience includes disputes over royalties, trespass, prudent operations, lease terminations, joint operating agreements, products liability, and removal of the operator. Don's intellectual property litigation experience includes trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and trademarks. He also has extensive experience representing industry-leadin...
Jack Langlois is the office managing partner for Houston. Jack focuses his practice on energy related matters, including upstream, midstream and downstream. He advises clients on investments in and financings of energy projects and assets, including, mergers, joint ventures and acquisitions and dispositions of assets and stock of energy companies. Jack represents public and private companies, private equity investors, lenders, governments and national oil companies in a number of substantial ...
Gregg Laswell has been a trial lawyer for nearly four decades. He began with a large national firm, where he practiced for 13 years, moved to a large international firm, where he practiced for 7 years, and then joined some of his former partners in 2004 at Hicks Thomas, where he has practiced for the last 18 years. His practice has focused almost exclusively on business and commercial litigation and while he has significant experience in various industries and practice areas, a primary emphas...
Jack O'Neill has been trying large complex cases for over 45 years. His experience in the courtroom involves many cases that have been widely publicized. Mr. O’Neill was co-trial counsel for UPR, Inc. in its attempted takeover of Pennzoil. He was lead counsel for Mitchell Energy Corporation in the company’s effort to overturn a $204 million judgment rendered against the company in a case tried for the company by another law firm. On appeal, argued by Mr. O’Neill, the case wa...
Jesse Pierce has more than fifty years of litigation experience and has tried many types of cases in state and federal courts of Texas and other states. He is licensed to practice in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He specializes in trials of complex energy and commercial cases. Mr. Pierce is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Pierce is a member of Litigation Counsel of America, a trial-lawyer honorary society composed of less...
Mr. Pugh is a former managing partner of the firm’s Houston office and has served as a member of its Board of Directors. In his practice, he handles a wide variety of maritime and energy-related cases and he has extensive experience analyzing, drafting, and reviewing energy-related contracts and insurance, indemnity and other contract issues. His practice background also includes master service agreements, onshore and offshore drilling contracts, charters, flight service agreements and ...
Clark H. Rucker is a partner in the Oil & Gas/Energy division of the firm, where he specializes in litigation and transactions related to the oil, gas, and energy industries. His clientele includes a variety of entities such as oil and gas exploration firms, midstream companies, propane and liquefiable fuel companies, mineral funds and companies, and large landowners. Additionally, Mr. Rucker extends his legal expertise to non-energy litigation, real estate transactions, intellectual prop...
Bart A. Rue has over 30 years of trial practice in oil and gas related matters as well a complementary commercial litigation background. Since 2010, Mr. Rue has served as lead counsel in over 200 oil and gas litigation and commercial litigation matters, including lease interpretation issues, royalty underpayment issues, surface use disputes, lease termination disputes, and other issues affecting land and mineral ownership. Mr. Rue currently represents exploration companies and landowners in s...
Todd W. Spake is the chair of Kelly Hart's Oil & Gas/Energy Practice Group and represents oil and gas operators and interest owners across the state in his broad-based energy practice. Mr. Spake's primary focus is on transactional matters, including the purchase and sale of oil and gas producing properties, farm-outs, joint development agreements, natural gas processing and sale agreements, seismic agreements, complex rural and urban oil and gas leases and surface use agreements, pipeline...
John Thompson is a partner in the firm's Oil and Gas/Energy practice. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Vanderbilt University in 1997 and graduated in 2000 from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the law journal, The Review of Litigation. Mr. Thompson represents clients in litigation involving a wide variety of oil and gas matters before state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels.
Debra Villarreal is an experienced oil and gas attorney who counsels her clients to maximize gains while minimizing risks in joint ventures and the purchase and sale of oil and gas properties. She has closed acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures in the Eagle Ford, the Barnett, the Haynesville, and the Marcellus. She has also represented companies in the acquisition of interests in federal leases offshore Gulf of Mexico, including negotiating unit participation and offshore operating ...
Andrew J. Brien is a trial attorney in the firm’s Houston office. Andrew’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation, including energy litigation, financial litigation, product liability litigation, property and casualty insurance litigation, labor and employment litigation, and general business litigation. Andrew is a problem solver that enjoys getting clients out of difficult situations in an efficient, cost-effective manner. Andrew was recognized by Thomson Reuters, Super La...
A Texas-Louisiana litigator with an MBA, Miles enjoys helping companies protect their intellectual property and resolve high-stakes litigation. Miles has significant experience representing energy and technology companies in complex disputes involving contracts, environmental issues, government investigations, and trade secret theft. Miles prides himself on securing quick and efficient victories for his clients to prevent unfair competition or irreparable harm. His colleagues recognize his un...
Laken is an Of Counsel attorney in the Public Finance section in the Houston Office. She focuses her practice on local government and public finance law, primarily representing municipal utility districts, levee improvement districts and other special districts as general counsel and bond counsel. Laken also represents commercial and residential real estate developers in the formation of special districts throughout Texas and in matters relating to the development and financing of property wi...
R.J. Malenfant is a corporate partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on acquisitions, divestitures and joint venture formations for companies operating and investing in the upstream oil-and-gas sector. R.J.’s transactional experience also includes advising clients in connection with complex acquisitions and divestitures, oil and gas transportation and gathering agreements, and other commercial transactions.
Raylee Starnes focuses her practice on oil, gas, and energy litigation and transactions. Ms. Starnes represents oil and gas exploration companies, oil and gas midstream companies, and large land owners in a variety of transactional and litigation matters. Ms. Starnes has also represented clients in several non-energy commercial litigation matters, and advised clients on labor and employment disputes, bankruptcy proceedings, and real estate matters.
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