The Colony Energy, Oil & Gas Lawyers

Paul Grinke is Managing Partner of McCathern’s office at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Mr. Grinke has broad experience on a national level, litigating complex commercial and catastrophic event claims from both sides of the docket. He has successfully litigated commercial breach of contract, fiduciary duty, and employment covenant claims. In addition, Mr. Grinke prosecutes and defends claims involving personal injury, wrongful death, and disastrous property damage arising from construction defect, product defect, trucking, and liquor liability.

Mr. Grinke leads McCathern’s Construction Defect, Product Liability and related Fire Litigation practices. He has particular expertise in counseling institutional clients involved in tragic...

Joe’s clients benefit from his extensive hands-on experience with researching, drafting pleadings, and discovery. As a trusted advocate, Joe learns his client’s business objectives to effectively litigate matters involving a variety of complex oil and gas disputes, contract disputes, and a variety of other civil matters even through the state and federal appeal process if necessary. His research and experience with drafting briefs in both the state and federal appeals and has helped bring favorable solutions to his clients in previous disputes. In addition to his experience in the courtroom, Joe has provided advice and prepared agreements that cover...

Mr. Sessions is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Leagal Specialization since December, 1991. He is experienced in handling complex litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts, and arbitrations. His practice includes prosecution and defense of claims, primarily in business-related litigation. In 2008, Mr. Sessions obtained a $22,178,403 unanimous jury verdict in the case of Sovereign Cherokee Nation Tejas v. Frank P. Hernandez, which ranked No. 98 in VerdictSearch's top 100 Verdicts of 2008. Mr. Sessions has been counsel of record in multiple litigation matters involving more than $10 Million in...

Buffie Campbell is a highly skilled attorney practicing in the areas of oil and gas, real estate and estate planning/probate. Through her firm Campbell & Castillo, she provides title opinions and abstracts to oil and gas companies all throughout Texas. She is experienced in understanding and researching title chains and has performed title research in Tarrant, Dallas, Nacogdoches, Gregg & Upshur counties. Her knowledge of Texas title law has provided Buffie with greater resources as she aides clients in the acquisition and negotiation of real estate transactions and when preparing estate plans. Whether it be a...

Jason is one of the nation's top trial lawyers for one reason: when he represents a client, he's all in. No matter how tough the fight. No matter how big the challenge. When it matters most, he's there for people who have been wronged. He takes every case personally, treating each client like family while he fights to rebuild their lives.

When people need to win, they call Jason. He's won several verdicts and settlements worth more than $100 million, dozens of results worth more than $10 million, and more than 200 results worth $1 million or more. In total,...

When Kurt Arnold represents someone, he’s all in. He’s won billions for his clients. In fact, he has recovered more than $1 billion in a single year multiple times and shattered records with his historic verdicts and settlements. He has helped clients recover losses after major maritime disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon and the El Faro. For Kurt, no fight is too difficult or complicated. He refuses to take “no” for an answer. When something bad happens, Kurt fights for his clients, no matter what. He never backs down, no matter how big the challenge. Kurt co-founded Arnold & Itkin...

For more than three decades, business people have hired this “incredibly gifted lawyer” (Chambers and Partners) who is “magic in the courtroom” (Who’s Who Legal) and 2019 Lawyer of the Year for Bet-the-Company Litigation in Houston (Best Lawyers) to help them navigate the risks and rewards of high-stakes business disputes in Texas, New York, and around the country.

Trial counsel
Barnett is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a partner in Susman Godfrey’s Houston and New York offices, and a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. With three decades of trial work representing both plaintiffs and defendants,...

Thomas Howell has been practicing law in Texas since his graduation from Southern Methodist School of Law in 1975. He has been engaged in private practice since 1987. Previously, Mr. Howell served as in-house counsel for Mobil Oil Corporation and for two other New York Stock Exchange-listed energy companies. His law practice concentrates on business and oil and gas, representing both companies and individuals. Mr. Howell often acts as the quarterback or general counsel for businesses so that if a legal matter arises, he can direct them on the proper course, even if he or his firm won't be legal...

A native of Commerce and Temple, Texas, Attorney Paul F. Wieneskie brings over 30 years of practice experience to Bailey & Galyen, with an emphasis on civil appeals, municipal law (representing cities or private citizens), economic development concerns, and land use and planning. He has been board-certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1994, an honor accorded to less than one in every ten lawyers in the state of Texas. He is also AV-rated by his colleagues in the legal profession under Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Rating System®* (since 1997). Paul has successfully represented clients...

Austin Smith focuses his practice on litigation and dispute resolution. Austin has experience in handling a wide variety of matters in state and federal court, involving complex commercial and business disputes, fraud, personal injury, and criminal matters including white collar crime. From 2017 to 2018, Austin was honored to serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Judge Amos L. Mazzant in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. With Austin has been consistently selected by BestLawyers as “One to Watch” (2020-2022) and Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2021-2022) - a recognition that only 2.5%...

Mr. Childers joined Freeman Mills PC with more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He began his career as an independent field landman performing all aspects of onshore land services for domestic exploration and production companies. From 2006 to 2015 he held the following positions with independent domestic upstream operating companies: Land Manager, Land Manager and General Counsel, Vice President - Land, Executive Vice-President - Exploration and Production, Chief Operating Officer and President.

During his tenure in the energy business, Mr. Childers has been charged with leading the management of exploration and production operations, the acquisition...