Gregg LaswellGREGG C. LASWELL

Partner
  • Phone: 713-547-9173
  • Email: glaswell@hicks-thomas.com
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-laswell-42920727/

Bio

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 emphasis of his practice has always been in energy and oil and gas, and related industries. His experience in this area runs the gamut, from exploration and production to refining, from oilfield service providers to petrochemical concerns. He has represented pipeline companies; midstream companies; exploration and production companies, both small independents and large national and international companies; oilfield service companies, including offshore drillers and engineering and design companies; refiners; and petrochemical plants. He has represented investors in oil and gas and energy ventures and landowners in disputes with oil and gas operators. And his representation of the wide range of clients in this area includes all aspects of their business, from commercial contracts to business torts, and has included insurance disputes, indemnity claims, environmental claims, and disputes regarding ownership of oil, gas and other minerals.

While Mr. Laswell has extensive litigation experience in the energy and related industries, his practice over the years has not been limited to that field. He also has considerable experience in prosecuting and defending securities actions, both federal and state, and defending professional liability claims. And, as a business and commercial trial lawyer, he has been exposed to many industries outside the energy sector, including real estate concerns, companies in the healthcare arena, and financial institutions. He also has significant experience in corporate governance issues, disputes involving both large companies and small closely held companies. And, as the legal landscape has changed over his 39 years of practice to include more alternative dispute resolution proceedings, especially arbitrations, his practice has expanded to meet this need, especially in the international oil and gas arena. Mr. Laswell has significant experience in arbitrations of all types, both international and more localized proceedings.

Mr. Laswell has been recognized by his peers with an AV® Preeminent™ Rating with Martindale-Hubbell®, and has also been recognized as a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters in years 2005-2010 and from 2014 through the current year.

Practice Emphasis

  • Commercial Arbitration
  • Business Litigation
  • Oil and Gas Litigation
  • Energy Litigation
  • International and Domestic Arbitration

Education

  • University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 1983)
    • Order of the Barons
    • Houston Law Review—(Associate Editor, 1982-1983)
  • Texas A&M University (B.S.Ch.E., 1979)

Court Admissions

  • Texas (all trial and appellate courts and the Supreme Court of Texas)
  • U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Tenth Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Western, Northern and Eastern District of Texas

Honors & Distinctions

  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America (2023-2024)
  • Recognized in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America (2023-2024)
  • Recognized in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Energy Lawyers (2024)
  • Selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers for Business Litigation (2005-2010, 2014-2023), Thomson Reuters Legal and Texas Monthly magazine
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, 2022

Professional Memberships

  • Texas and Houston Bar Associations
  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

Representative Cases

  • Lead counsel for a publicly traded offshore drilling contractor in an international arbitration against two of the world’s largest integrated international oil and gas companies, resulting in a favorable award exceeding $166 million and an ultimate recovery, after post-award interest, exceeding $177 million.
  • Lead counsel for a founding investor in an action brought against an independent oil and gas exploration and production company for misrepresentation and related business torts that was ultimately settled on very favorable terms for the investor.
  • Lead counsel for the country’s largest independent oil and gas producer in the country (by volume) defending an action involving claims exceeding $14 million that was tried to a jury in South Texas in 2016 and 2017 and that resulted in a favorable jury verdict that resulted in an extremely favorable resolution of that case and a companion case.
  • Lead counsel for a publicly traded refining company in an arbitration tried for three weeks in San Francisco California in 2019 seeking indemnification for clean-up costs for historical environmental contamination exceeding $14.5 million.
  • Lead counsel in a Texas State Court action brought in 2013 on behalf of a company that originated a deal to design, build and own a mid-stream project in which the company and its owner sought damages as a result of the defendants’ alleged unlawful misappropriation of the project. The claims, which exceeded $8 million, were settled on favorable terms for our client.
  • Lead counsel representing former officers and directors of public company sued in securities fraud class action. Case dismissed; affirmed on appeal at 342 F.3d 563.
  • Lead counsel in an arbitration proceeding for a major international oil and gas exploration and production company against a co-working interest owner in a dispute involving the operating agreements governing exploration and production offshore Peru. The proceeding resulted in an award in which our client prevailed on all claims and recovered attorneys’ fees.

Publications

  • First Bank v. Tony’s Tortilla Factory, 877 S.W.2d 285 (Tex. 1994). Represented a trustee under a deed of trust in an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, which affirmed the court’s ruling, reversed in the court of appeals, that fees charged in connection with checks drawn on account with insufficient funds do not constitute interest for purposes of the Texas usury laws.
  • Deloitte & Touche, LLP v. The Fourteenth Court of Appeals, 951 S.W.2d 394 (Tex. 1997). Represented national accounting firm in an action before the Texas Supreme Court in which the Court affirmed its mandamus jurisdiction in actions in which the court of appeals decision in an interlocutory appeal, by statute, is final.
  • Edwards v. Lone Star Gas Co., a Division of Enserch Corporation; 782 S.W.2d 840 (Tex. 1990). Dispute concerning proper price payable under a gas purchase contract.
  • Schiller v. Physicians Resource Group Inc., 342 F.3d 563 (5th Cir. 2003). Successfully preserved the district court’s judgment dismissing securities fraud claims against the management of the corporate defendant, a publicly traded company.
  • BP Exploration Libya Ltd. v. ExxonMobil Libya, Ltd., 689 F.3d 481 (5th Cir. 2012). Represented an offshore drilling company in an appeal resolving the parties’ dispute arising out of the appointment of arbitrators in an international arbitration proceeding.
  • Enserch Corp. v. Houston Oil & Minerals Corp., 734 S.W.2d 654 (Tex.App—Houston [1st Dist.] 1987, writ denied). Counsel involved in prosecuting successful appeal, in part, of a trial court’s summary judgment regarding the price payable under a gas purchase contract.
  • Thompson v. Deloitte & Touche, L.L.P., 902 S.W.2d 654 (Tex. App—Houston [1st Dist.] 1995, no writ). Successfully defended a trial court’s judgment for defendants entered after a jury trial.
  • Wilson v. United Texas Transmission Co., 797 S.W.2d 231 (Tex.App—Corpus Christi 1990, no writ). Successfully defended summary judgment entered by trial court entered in favor of client-defendants.
  • United Gas Pipe Line Co. v. Mueller Engineering Corp., 809 S.W.2d 597 (Tex.App—Corpus Christi 1991, writ denied). Secured reversal and remand of trial court’s summary judgment for plaintiff.
  • ERC Midstream LLC v. American Midstream Partners, L.P., 497 S.W.3d 99 (Tex.App—Houston [14th Dist.] 2016, no pet.). Secured reversal and remand of a trial court’s order dismissing claims against the individual defendant for lack of personal jurisdiction.
  • Pioneer Chlor Alkali Co., Inc. v. Royal Indemnity Co., 879 S.W.2d 920 (Tex.App—Houston [14th Dist.] 1994, no writ). Successfully reversed trial court’s summary judgment for the insurance company defendant. The court of appeals rendered judgment for client/plaintiff that the insurance policy covered the claims and remanded that claim and related statutory claims to the trial court.
  • Swank v. Cunningham, 258 S.W.3d 647 (Tex.App.—Eastland 2008, pet. denied). Successfully defended trial court’s summary judgment for certain of the defendant attorneys.
  • Rivera v. AT&T Corp., 141 F.Supp. 2d 719 (S.D. Tex. 2001). Obtained dismissal of plaintiff’s lawsuit asserting claims asserted under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
  • Leonard v. U.S.A. Petroleum Corp., 829 F.Supp. 882 (S.D. Tex. 1993). Obtained dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims for want of personal jurisdiction.
  • Longhorn Partners Pipeline L.P. v. KM Liquids Terminals, L.L.C., 408 B.R. 90 (Bankr. S.D. Tex. 2009). Prevailed on Plaintiffs’ motion to transfer venue of bankruptcy action to Delaware.
  • Gallardo v. TCI Cablevision of Texas, Inc., No. 13-02-0460-CV, 2004 WL 1932662 (Tex.App—Corpus Christi 2004, no writ). Successfully defended, on appeal, the trial court’s judgment dismissing plaintiff’s claims based on late fees charged by the television cable company defendants.
  • Castle Texas Oil and Gas Ltd. Partnership v. Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration and Production, No. 13-04-307-CV, 2005 WL 1797065(Tex.App—Corpus Christi July 28, 2005, no pet.). Appeal of adverse summary judgment regarding overriding royalties, reversed in part, affirmed in part.
  • Subissi Holdings, L.P. v. Hilcorp Energy I, L.P., No. 04-07-00674-CV, 2008 WL 2515698 (Tex.App—San Antonio June 25, 2008, no writ). Successfully defended summary judgment granted by trial court regarding the proper interpretation of an “area of mutual interest provision” in a joint operating agreement between the parties.
  • In re SAExploration, Inc., No. 14-12-00981-CV, 2012 WL 6017717 (Tex.App—Houston [14th Dist.] Dec. 4, 2012, orig. proceeding). Successfully defeated a request for mandamus relief and obtained dismissal of appeal arising out of the trial court’s order disqualifying opposing in-house counsel from participation in the suit except as a fact witness.
  • Partners in Funding, Inc. v. Quest Capital Resources, LLC, 2007 WL 471128 (S.D. Tex. Feb 8, 2007). Prevailed on a motion to remand the case to Texas State Court.
  • Noble Drilling Services, Inc. v. Noble Denton Marine, Inc., No. 4:09-CV-3074, 2010 WL 1790202 (S.D. Tex. May 4, 2010). Prevailed on the defendant’s motion requesting that the court abate Plaintiff’s suit to allow a London arbitration to proceed on the question of the arbitrability of the claims in the action before the court.
  • Longman v. Physicians Resource Group, Inc., No. 3:97-CV-3102-L, 2003 WL 22244675 (N.D. Tex. Sept. 30, 2003). Court granted motion to strike and/or dismiss amended complaint filed against individual defendant.