Gibbs & Bruns LLP > Houston, United States > Firm Profile
Gibbs & Bruns LLP Offices
1100 LOUISIANA
SUITE 5300
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77002
United States
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Gibbs & Bruns LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Industry focus > Energy litigation: oil and gas Tier 1
Gibbs & Bruns LLP is a litigation boutique based in Houston with recognized expertise in the oil and gas sector. Though the firm is strongest in Houston, it has experience handling a wide range of energy cases for both plaintiffs and defendants on a nationwide basis. Robin Gibbs has extensive experience representing clients in energy and oil and gas litigation and Kathy Patrick is also highly experienced in this space, having recently been involved in a number of high-profile and high-risk cases. Barrett Reasoner has a broad commercial litigation practice covering securities, oil and gas, construction, environmental, and intellectual property law. Brian Ross is also recommended in the practice group.Practice head(s):
Robin Gibbs; Kathy Patrick; Barrett Reasoner
Other key lawyers:
Mark Giugliano; Ayesha Najam; Brian Ross; Colin Pogge
Key clients
Occidental Petroleum
Enterprise Products
Sanchez Oil & Gas
Pioneer Natural Resources
Rig Up, Inc.
SM Energy Company
Kinder Morgan
Chevron Corporation
U.S. Pipeline
Natural Resource Partners, LP
Work highlights
- Representing Occidental Chemical Corporation in a suit filed on June 30, 2018 in which Occidental is seeking contribution from more than 100 defendants for, among other costs, the $165m Occidental has agreed to spend to design the dredge-and-cap remedy the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined is necessary to remediate pollution in the lower eight miles of the Passaic River.
- Representing Enterprise Products Operating LLC in a massive engineering/construction lawsuit concerning a large petrochemical refinery recently constructed in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
- Representing Sanchez Oil & Gas in a trade secret and breach of fiduciary duty case against Terra and three individuals.
Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers Tier 2
Robin Gibbs - Gibbs & Bruns LLP Founding partner Robin Gibbs is a versatile trial lawyer, with a particularly strong presence in financial services, private client and energy disputes. In a long-running highlight, he is representing Trustmark National Bank in three lawsuits stemming from the collapse of Stanford Financial Group, with total alleged damages exceeding $5bn. Also of note, Gibbs is currently representing Enterprise Product Operating in an $850m engineering and construction claim against Amex Foster Wheeler USA Corporation, set for trial in September 2021. Gibbs is based in Houston, Texas.
Kathy Patrick - Gibbs & Bruns LLP Kathy Patrick in Houston represents plaintiffs and defendants in securities disputes, environmental mass tort and energy litigation. Her track record in financial services disputes is particularly impressive: following the financial crash in 2008, Kathy represented 14 institutional investors, securing over $20bn from major financial institutions, including Bank of America, JPMorgan and Citigroup. In an ongoing matter, Patrick is acting for numerous major retailers in excessive pricing claims against Visa and Mastercard with total potential damages exceeding $20bn.
Barrett Reasoner - Gibbs & Bruns LLP Based in Houston, Barrett Reasoner is considered a true generalist, with a docket of past and present cases including environmental mass torts, trade secrets, antitrust, defamation and breach of contract disputes. In a pending matter, he is representing Waste Management in its defense of a class action filed by over 600 plaintiffs seeking over $700m in personal injury and property damages.
Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes Tier 3
Based in Houston, boutique firm Gibbs & Bruns LLP regularly represents plaintiffs and defendants in energy, technology and financial services litigation. In an ongoing matter, Kathy Patrick is acting for 21 institutional investors in claims against JP Morgan regarding the distribution of a $4.5bn settlement agreement reached in 2013. Founding partner Robin Gibbs continues to handle major cases in the oil and gas industry, including breach of contract, trade secrets and construction and engineering disputes. Barrett Reasoner is also noted for his impressive record in energy litigation, and Ross MacDonald is a recommended associate in the practice group.
Practice head(s):
Robin Gibbs; Kathy Patrick; Barrett Reasoner
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Reynolds & Reynolds
Trustmark National Bank
Occidental Petroleum
Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO)
GUI Global Products, Ltd. d/b/a Gwee
Enterprise Products
Waste Management
BlackRock
Sanchez Oil & Gas
TCW
Rig Up, Inc.
SM Energy Company
Work highlights
- Representing a group of major opt-out plaintiffs, namely national merchant retailers known collectively as the Target Plaintiffs, in a direct action against Visa and Mastercard.
- Representing Trustmark National Bank in three lawsuits related to the collapse of the Stanford Financial Group, headed by convicted financial fraudster R. Allen Stanford.
- Representing Reynolds & Reynolds in high-profile data privacy and antitrust disputes.
Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: plaintiff Tier 3
Based in Houston, Texas, Gibbs & Bruns LLP is a boutique litigation firm that has significant experience in securities cases, both for plaintiffs and defendants. It built its presence on a platform of cases involving residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and has represented large institutional investors in disputes with JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, and ResCap, recovering more than $16bn. Since then, the firm has has broadened its scope. Key partners Kathy Patrick, David Sheeren and Sam Cruse are currently representing Fannie Mae in a suit seeking $800m in damages from nine banks for alleged manipulation of the London interbank offered rate (Libor) and other financial benchmarks.
Practice head(s):
Kathy Patrick; David Sheeren
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Creative, resourceful, committed, responsive, talented across the board. A pleasure to work with.’
‘They are willing to be risk-takers along side of their client.’
‘Kathy Patrick is a unique talent. David Sheeren is a joy to work with.’
Key clients
Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO)
BlackRock Financial Management Inc. (Blackrock)
Trustmark National Bank
The TCW Group, Inc.
Fannie Mae
Kore Advisors LP
Carnegie Mellon University
Work highlights
- Represent over 20 of the world’s largest institutional investors in disputes with JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, and ResCap concerning thousands of RMBS trusts created prior to the financial crisis. These suits have resulted in over $16bn in recoveries to investors and have reformed mortgage servicing practices for hundreds of thousands of loans.
- Representing Institutional Investors PIMCO, Blackrock & others in $266m RMBS IO Payment Dispute; acting as lead counsel for PIMCO, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, BlackRock, Kore Advisors, and FHLB Atlanta in dispute over payment waterfall terms in 278 legacy residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trusts, in which an opposing hedge fund seeks a change in interest calculations that would wrongfully divert over $266m in cash flows away from our clients and other investors in the trusts.
- Handling multiple Matters for Trustmark National Bank, including three lawsuits related to the collapse of the Stanford Financial Group, headed by convicted financial fraudster R. Allen Stanford.
Gibbs & Bruns LLP > Firm Profile
Gibbs & Bruns LLP is a litigation boutique engaged exclusively in high-stakes business and commercial litigation. The firm is acclaimed for its high-value and precedent-setting work across the banking, energy, technology, and financial services sectors, among others. Exceedingly rare for a litigation firm, we routinely practice on both sides of the docket. With both plaintiff and defense experience, we bring a higher level of insight and strategy to complex disputes. Our lawyers excel in creative approaches to disputes in the context of dynamic and ever-changing industry landscapes.
Founded by Robin Gibbs, named “Father of the Litigation Boutique in Texas” by The Texas Lawbook, the firm sustains a forward-thinking culture of creativity and a personal approach to managing its client matters. Reciprocity is at the core of all of the firm’s client engagements. Risk sharing with clients and innovative fee arrangements are a hallmark of Gibbs & Bruns’ practice. The firm’s track record of successes for clients since 1983 attests to the talents, creativity, and dedication of the firm’s trial lawyers.
The firm’s current docket of cases range from high-stakes plaintiffs’ RMBS matters for institutional investors and a high-profile plaintiffs’ patent case against tech giants Apple and Samsung, to the defense of Reynolds & Reynolds in a massive federal antitrust matter, as well as defense of Trustmark National Bank in a complex matter related to the collapse of Stanford Financial Group. These matters involve billions of dollars in damages. The firm’s energy docket remains as robust as ever, as is the firm’s private client/professional service firm docket.
Recent results demonstrate the significance of our impact nationwide:
- $8.5 Billion Countrywide RMBS Precedent–Setting Settlement Obtained for 22 Institutional Investor Clients (2015)
- $7 Billion Allowed Claim – ResCap Bankruptcy Settlement with 17 Institutional Investors (2013)
- $4.5 Billion Settlement with JPMorgan on Behalf of 21 Institutional Investors (2013)
- $2.4 Billion Settlement with Lehman Brothers on Behalf of 14 Institutional Investors (2017)
- $1.7 Billion Net Settlement Package for Huntsman; including $1.1 billion in financing and $632 million in cash, the largest cash settlement payment ever recovered with respect to a busted LBO (2009)
- $1.13 Billion Settlement with Citigroup on Behalf of 18 Institutional Investors (2014)
- $1 Billion in Total Recoveries for Clients, Including $400 Million Settlement with Credit Suisse – National Century Enterprises (NCFE) Securities Litigation (2013)
- Major Defense Win in Multi-Billion Dollar Environmental Trial for Waste Management; settlement was less than one percent of the government’s demand (2014)
- $196 Million Judgment Win for Plaintiff Client D. Bobbitt Noel Jr. against Devon Energy (2011)
- $100 Million Value Arbitration Award for Venoco against Denbury Onshore (2014)
- $56 Million Take-Nothing Success for Natural Resource Partners (2019)
- Take Nothing Judgment for Private Client in $40 Million Trade Secrets Dispute (2021)
- $37.2 Million Recovery for Client Against the Port of Houston (Verdict 2010, Finalized 2017)
- $35 Million in Settlements for ERG re: Contract Dispute in the Republic of Columbia (2017)
- $12.4 Million Judgment for Private Client in Dispute with EnVen Energy Corp. (2021)
- $5.65 Million in Damages Awarded in Trial Win for U.S. Pipeline (2018, Affirmed by Nebraska Supreme Court 2019)
- $4.58 Million Jury Verdict for Plaintiff Client SourceGas in Dispute against Noble Energy (2011)
- Successful resolution of seven-year dispute for Chevron re the transfer of its responsibility for massive future dismantling and restoration costs of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; the firm succeeded on each aspect of the legal disputes involved in this matter (2019)
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-Managing Partner | Mike Absmeier | mabsmeier@gibbsbruns.com | +1.713.751.5235 |
| Co-Managing Partner | Ashley Kleber | akleber@gibbsbruns.com | +1.713.751.5225 |
| Founding Partner | Robin Gibbs | rgibbs@gibbsbruns.com | +1.713.751.5217 |
| Senior Partner | Kathy Patrick | kpatrick@gibbsbruns.com | +1.713.751.5253 |
| Senior Partner | Barrett Reasoner | breasoner@gibbsbruns.com | +1.713.751.5244 |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Michael Absmeier | Co-Managing Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Sam Cruse | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Robin Gibbs | Founding Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP. Complex commercial litigation. | View Profile |
 | Mark Giugliano | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Aundrea (Andi) Gulley | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Anthony Kaim | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Ashley Kleber | Co-Managing Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Ayesha Najam | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Kathy Patrick | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP. | View Profile |
 | Colin Pogge | Associate, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Barrett Reasoner | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Brian Ross | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Charles Rosson | Partner, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | David Sheeren | Associate, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |
 | Brice Wilkinson | Associate, Gibbs & Bruns LLP | View Profile |