Baker Botts L.L.P. handles substantial oil and gas litigation involving the major shale-basins across the US. The practice group advises leading multinationals, service companies, pipelines, refiners and major trade organizations on a broad range of disputes, including those relating to the oil price collapse and winter storm Uri. Praised for being ‘committed to the client and client’s needs’, the team also assists with unitization, royalties and procurement issues. Practice head William Kroger has extensive litigation experience, representing energy clients in power, renewables, oil and gas, and other energy disputes. Other names to note are Jason Newman, who has a specialist niche representing clients in disputes arising from horizontal-drilling related matters throughout the US; and younger partner Louie Layrisson, active in conflicts concerning leases, title, royalty obligations, surface disputes, environmental issues, JOAs and partnerships, midstream agreements, indemnity, restructurings and M&A, among other matters. The team also has experience representing clients before administrative and regulatory bodies as well as international arbitration forums. All individuals are based in Houston. Meghan McElvy departed in December 2022.

Litigation boutique Gibbs & Bruns LLP acts for both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes commercial disputes. The practice is firmly established in Texas but has a nationwide reach, representing a broad client base that ranges from major energy industry players to tech start-ups. Based in Houston, the strength of the group is reflected in the extensive experience of its practice heads; with over 50 years of trial experience, founding partner Robin Gibbs is ‘exceptional’, obtaining jury verdicts in Houston and beyond; Kathy Patrick is Occidental’s “go-to” figure for high-stakes issues; and Barrett Reasoner‘s diverse practice includes particular expertise in antitrust matters. Brian Ross is also recommended and has handled a number of force majeure disputes in relation to winter storm Uri.

King & Spalding LLP‘s oil and gas litigation group represents a number of high-profile clients such as Chevron and ConocoPhilips. The broad practice handles a range of contentious issues, including toxic torts, trade secrets, royalties and administrative agency litigation. Based in Houston, managing partner Tracie Renfroe and Robert Meadows have extensive experience in federal and state courts; Renfroe focuses on environmental, product liability and commercial disputes and Meadows has a strong reputation in complex commercial and tort litigation. The group also has strong international arbitration capabilities, with Reggie Smith and Doak Bishop being key names to note. Andrew Stakelum has unique expertise in energy companies operating along the Gulf Coast.

The oil and gas litigation team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP has a strong reputation in the energy sector, with extensive experience representing clients before major state and federal courts and agencies, including the Department of Energy and FERC. The practice group also advises in administrative and regulatory proceedings before the European Union and other international governing bodies. Based in Houston, Anna Rotman leads the group and has significant trial experience in business disputes and restructurings, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Kenneth Young and associate Dustin Womack focus primarily on complex commercial litigation, with the former handling issues related to climate change – the pair provide strong support in Houston. In Chicago, Richard Godfrey is also recommended and forms part of the wider litigation group.

In August 2021, Holland & Knight LLP merged with Thompson & Knight. With 30 offices across the globe, the combined firm has enlarged its geographical footprint, as well as expanding its services within oil and gas litigation. Clean technology and renewable energy are cornerstones of the firm’s practice, but it also handles the full spectrum of oil and gas issues for major oil and gas industry clients, including oil companies, service providers, private equity houses and other interest owners. Juan Alcalá and Tim Moran co-lead the group from Austin and New York, respectively. Based in Dallas, Greg Binns co-chairs the wider litigation group, while Greg Curry has expertise in joint operating claims and surface use matters. Other key practitioners are New York-based Marisa Marinelli, who is praised for her ‘outstanding knowledge’ of oil and gas matters; and Craig Haynes whose broad practice covers the gamut of issues including pricing disputes, development and drainage claims, and unitization issues.

The team at Norton Rose Fulbright  handles the full spectrum of contentious issues faced by oil and gas companies; of late, it has also seen an uptick in royalty cases and mandates relating to catastrophic incidents. Practice co-head Melanie Rother represents upstream and midstream companies in the full range of contentious hydrocarbons matters, as well as handling commercial business tort disputes. Co-chair Eddie Lewis has a robust catastrophe-response practice in addition to focusing on environmental litigation for energy companies. The firm is also well-known for its shipping expertise, with Ustav Mathur demonstrating particular expertise in this area as well as advising on significant offshore energy projects. All named individuals are based in Houston.

The litigation team at Vinson & Elkins LLP consists of litigators and appellate lawyers and includes former petroleum engineers, giving the team a unique perspective from which to advise on a broad array of oil and gas issues. The group has experience in disputes relating to shale and hydraulic fracking, as well as oil and gas recovery and transportation, including energy contract disputes and class actions. Practice co-head Jim Thompson has an extensive background in the energy industry; his fellow co-head Matthew Stammel is frequently instructed by oil and gas companies and private equity firms. Nicholas Shum is recommended for his expertise in contract disputes that involve upstream, midstream and oilfield services companies. Head of the firm’s appellate practice, Marie Yeates is also a name to note. At associate level, senior Stephanie Noble provides strong support to the team. All named lawyers are based in Houston apart from Stammel, who is based in Dallas.

Bracewell LLP ‘s energy practice handles complex litigation for major companies such as Apache, as well as natural gas suppliers and power generators. It represents clients in arbitration relating to royalty ownership, oil and gas co-tenancies, and royal class actions, among other matters, and has  also been active in commercial disputes arising from winter storm Uri. Practice leadership is split three ways between Houston-based Stephen Crain, who represents a broad range of clients in energy disputes and large-scale construction disputes; Andrew Zeve, based in Houston, who has experience in state and federal courts across the US; and regulatory expert Deanna King, in Austin.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP provides a full-service offering to energy sector clients including representation in high-profile litigation matters before the FERC, as well as state and federal courts. It has experience in federal class actions and is well-equipped to handle rate, licensing, administrative and enforcement proceedings. William Hollaway is a key practitioner whose client-roster consists primarily of independent power producers and transmission companies, along with traditional regulated generation and transmission utilities. Splitting his time between New York and Washington DC, Jeffrey Jakubiak is noted for his expertise in utility ratemaking and energy markets; Janine Durand, in turn, has extensive experience in energy transactions and administrative litigation. Senior associate Jennifer Mansh and of counsel Jason Fleischer, who focuses on energy and environmental litigation, are also recommended. All lawyers are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise.

Representing both large corporations and small independent producers across the US, the team at Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. has experience litigating in state and federal courts, and in both domestic and international arbitrations. The group handles a wide range of mandates, including lease termination disputes, midstream disputes and royalty litigation. Practice co-head Craig Stahl manages the firm's The Woodlands office (greater Houston metro area) and has extensive experience in multidistrict litigation and class actions. Fellow practice co-head Michael Mazzone frequently represents energy companies in environmental contamination and toxic tort cases. Michelle Scheffler (who has experience handling federal royalty class actions in a number of states), and David Ammons (up-, mid- and downstream oil and gas litigation) are also recommended. All individuals are based in Houston unless stated otherwise.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP represents a broad range of oil and gas industry clients before FERC and other federal governing bodies and state regulatory entities. The team handles audits, compliance and enforcement issues, as well as oil-pipeline regulatory matters. It also supports clients on jurisdictional issues for unregulated companies and is able to advise on environmental matters, including oil and gas permitting, and the operation, repair and replacement of infrastructure. Based in Washington DC, co-chair Deidre Duncan is a water and natural resources law expert, while fellow co-chair Myles Reynolds -in Dallas- primarily represents natural gas utilities and midstream companies.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is frequently instructed by clients to assist with siting new oil, natural gas and gas-fired generation projects. The group also has extensive experience representing oil and gas clients before the US federal agencies, including FERC and PHMSA, on issues relating to rate making and tariff-design matters. Based in Washington DC, practice co-head Brad Fagg focuses on the energy industry and federal procurement sector, handling contractual and regulatory disputes as well as internal investigations. Co-chair Michelle Pector -also in Washington DC- has experience defending class actions for energy clients and is an expert litigator for issues relating to business fraud, M&A and supply-chain disputes. Los Angeles-based James Dragna heads-up the firm's environmental practice.

Jones Walker LLP has strong roots in Louisiana and is known for its experience in assisting upstream exploration and production companies with anticipating and managing legal risk. It is at the forefront of Louisiana’s carbon capture and sequestration movement and has deep expertise in federal policy related to the interstate pipeline industry. The group is also adept at handling disputes involving major damages exposure. Grady Hurley and Marjorie McKeithen jointly head the practice; the latter serves on the Board of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association. also recommended, Jonathan Hunter is co-chair of the firm’s upstream team. All lawyers are based in New Orleans.

K&L Gates is particularly known for handling upstream oil and gas disputes. The practice group regularly represents lessees before municipal regulatory agencies as well as in litigation concerning the impact of municipal ordinances on oil and gas operations. It also has expertise in hydraulic fracturing litigation and is adept at handling class action cases. Jamie Bryan and Clare Kempkens co-lead the group from Fort Worth and London, respectively. Splitting his time between Fort Worth and Houston, Jeffrey King is another key figure at the practice. Former practice head Sandra Safro moved in house as associate GC at Edison Electric Institute in August 2021.

McGuireWoods LLP handles high-profile litigation for a range of energy clients. A noteworthy area of expertise is catastrophe litigation, including gas pipeline explosions, where Brian Jackson has significant experience. Based in Pittsburgh, Anthony Carna chairs the firm’s oil and gas practice where bet-the-company energy litigation is a growing area of focus. Jackson is based in Charlottesville.

Based in Houston, the energy litigation team at Porter Hedges LLP is co-led by Stephen Lee and Eric Wade. Clients praise the department for its ‘very strong bench strength and technical acumen’. With a client base consisting primarily of companies involved in the life-cycle of petroleum products and specialty chemicals, the team undertakes both litigation and arbitration, and has particular experience handling M&A, joint operating agreements, leasehold and land disputes, among others.

Winston & Strawn LLP's oil and gas litigation team sits within the wider energy and infrastructure industry group co-led by New York-based duo Rich Shutran and Mike Pikiel, Mike Blankenship in Houston and Joe Karp in San Francisco. It works closely with other departments -such as the environmental, tax, finance and real estate practices- to advise clients on all aspects of their business activities. The group’s client base includes domestic and fully-integrated international oil companies, oilfield service companies and natural gas utilities, among others. Based in Houston, Hugh Tanner chairs the oil and gas litigation practice and has extensive experience before state and federal courts, and Denise Scofield (commercial, environmental, and toxic tort lawsuits and internal investigations among other matters) is a seasoned litigator.