PRACTICE AREAS

DGC Law provides legal services in five key areas: Trial & Appellate, Energy, Business Organizations & Governance, Tax Planning & Controversy, and Oil & Gas Regulatory Compliance. We typically work in small teams and also collaborate across practice areas whenever the nature of the controversy requires such an approach to deliver optimal value to our clients.

Trial

The lawyers in the Trial group represent clients in a variety of complex matters that include:

  • Oil & Gas Litigation
  • Operator/Non-Operator Disputes
  • Ownership Disputes
  • Royalty Disputes
  • Surface Use Disputes
  • Environmental Torts
  • Condemnation Proceedings
  • First Party Insurance Litigation
  • Bad Faith Litigation
  • Serious Personal Injury Defense
  • Products Liability Defense
  • Premises Liability Defense
  • Employer/Employee Litigation
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Administrative Litigation
  • Ad Valorem Taxation Disputes
  • Fiduciary Litigation

Appellate

Our Texas appellate lawyers have decades of experience handling a wide variety of appeals, including:

  • Oil and gas appeals, such as disputes over lease construction, title/ownership, surface use, royalties, and operating agreements
  • Tort appeals, including personal injury, product liability, and toxic/environmental tort appeals
  • Governmental, constitutional, qualified immunity, sovereign immunity, tax, and agency/administrative appeals, and
  • Arbitration appeals

In addition to handling appellate briefing and arguments before the Texas Supreme Court, Texas courts of appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, our appeals lawyers:

  • Collaborate with trial counsel
  • Help develop trial and litigation strategies
  • Aid in error preservation, and
  • Draft and argue pretrial, trial, and post-trial motions, objections, and challenges including motions for summary judgment, expert challenges, jury charges, and motions attacking judgments

Energy

The lawyers in the Energy group handle all aspects of transactions relating to the energy industry, including:

  • Title Examinations
  • Purchase and Sale Agreements
  • Conveyances
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Exploration Agreements
  • Operating Agreements
  • Seismic Option Agreements
  • Pooling and Unitization Agreements
  • Oil and Gas Leases
  • Loan Documents

Business Organizations & Governance

The firm’s Business Organizations & Governance group is dedicated to a sophisticated business practice that offers comprehensive counseling on virtually all day-to-day matters facing businesses, including:

  • Business Formation
  • Business Governance
  • Mergers and Reorganizations
  • Acquisitions and Sales
  • Master Service Contracts
  • Employment and Non-Competition Contracts
  • Private Stock Offerings
  • Lending and Investment (both lender and debtor perspectives)
  • Stock Option and Other Equity Incentive Plans

Oil & Gas Regulatory Compliance

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Compliance group counsels clients in all areas of the Texas regulatory scheme governing oil and gas operations from initial exploration to long term field development. DGC law lawyers routinely represent clients in matters before the Railroad Commission and assist clients in their dealings with the General Land Office. Representative areas of expertise include:

  • Drilling permits
  • Field rules analysis and interpretation
  • Spacing and density issues
  • Pooling and unitization
  • Horizontal drilling issues
  • Plugging and abandonment liability
  • Injection and disposal well permits and operations
  • Environmental permitting
  • Remediation

Austin Office

515 Congress Ave., Suite 1510

Midland Office

400 W. Illinois Avenue, 400 W. Illinois Avenue, Suite 1400