Best Lawyers in America for Oil and Gas Law
Paul H. Stephenson, III was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1977. He is also admitted to practice before all state and federal district courts in Mississippi, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His practice has focused on business, commercial and financial disputes at the trial and appellate levels involving a wide array of subject matters. Paul's experience includes complex class actions, oil and gas controversie...
Will’s practice focuses on commercial lending and financial transactions. He represents private equity funds, hedge funds and mezzanine funds, as well as corporate borrowers and investors, in connection with a wide variety of complex transactions, with a primary emphasis on: acquisition financings, first and second lien syndicated lending transactions with intercreditor relationships, structured financings with equity participations, complex restructurings, and financings and investment...
Michael B. Heister is a managing member at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, with extensive experience in regulatory, environmental, and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Heister’s practice focuses on electrical utility regulatory proceedings, environmental enforcement/compliance, and defending clients who do business in highly regulated industries. His recent experience includes: Advising and representing clients in matters before the Arkansas Public Service Commission, including e...
Dakota S. Hawkins is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, Litigation - Construction and Oil and Gas Law. Dakota S. practices law in Shreveport, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized Dakota S. Hawkins since 2025. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professiona...
Nirav N. Patel focuses his practice on oil, gas and energy litigation and transactions. His litigation practice includes claims and disputes related to termination of oil and gas leases, post-production costs, royalty underpayment, joint operating agreements, and purchase and sale agreements. Mr. Patel also represents clients in title disputes involving mineral and royalty interests, including litigation involving fixed versus floating royalty interests, adverse possession, and deed reformati...
Chris Peyton advises clients on a wide range of mineral and mineral-adjacent matters, with a focus on Oil and Gas Law . Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, he works with energy companies and business clients across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast through his practice at Kean Miller . His work includes counseling on upstream oil and gas operations, mineral title matters, unitization, regulatory compliance, and carbon sequestration projects, as well as providing practical operational guidance to oil an...
Marc Mignault is a member of the Bowles Rice Energy Group and is leading the Bowles Rice Nuclear Energy Team. Marc focuses his practice on the potential for nuclear energy in West Virginia and Appalachia, lobbying on behalf of nuclear energy and alternative fuels, energy litigation, business litigation, and related matters. He is a Super Lawyers ® Rising Star, recognized as a Top-Rated Energy Attorney in West Virginia. Marc has represented clients before Circuit Courts, the Supreme Court ...
Ryan Telep is a litigation attorney based in New Orleans, Louisiana with Kean Miller . His practice focuses on complex disputes involving offshore energy, maritime operations, and commercial matters. Ryan represents businesses and insurers in state and federal courts across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, providing strategic guidance through all phases of litigation. Ryan’s practice includes Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, and Oil and Gas Law. He works with companies involved in off...
Heriberto Montalvo is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Oil and Gas Law, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Heriberto practices law in Houston, Texas Best Lawyers has recognized Heriberto Montalvo since 2023. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition r...
With experience as a law clerk to federal judges and as a trial lawyer for large companies, Bryan’s expertise is crafting compelling, case-winning arguments for Zehl & Associates’ clients, through briefing to the trial and appellate courts on the most important legal issues in their cases. Bryan grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, and graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law before returning hom...
Kayla Bourgeois is an attorney at Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she practices in the firm’s E-Discovery group and supports matters involving Oil and Gas Law. She represents Fortune 500 energy companies in large-scale and complex state and federal litigation, including energy and environmental claims. Her work focuses on managing electronic discovery, document production, and electronically stored information (ESI) issues throughout all phases of litigation. Kayla assists ...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
