Jesse Pierce

Practice Areas

Jesse Pierce has more than fifty years of litigation experience and has tried many types of cases in state and federal courts of Texas and other states. He is licensed to practice in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He specializes in trials of complex energy and commercial cases. Mr. Pierce is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Pierce is a member of Litigation Counsel of America, a trial-lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellows are selected based on effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels and on the basis of a superior ethical reputation.

Mr. Pierce represents both plaintiffs and defendants, and has represented clients in many types of complex litigation, including oil and gas, environmental, product liability, interpretation and enforcement of contracts, temporary restraining orders, trade secrets, franchising, real estate, ERISA claims, securities and corporate matters, franchising disputes, copyright and entertainment matters, and a variety of fraud, usury, and Deceptive Trade Practices matters, and has extensive experience in class action litigation. Mr. Pierce frequently lectures at continuing legal education seminars and was a drafter of the Texas Pattern Jury Charges for Oil and Gas Cases.

Mr. Pierce handles complex oil and gas, land, and commercial cases. He handled a number of cases for major oil and gas companies involving disputes with royalty owners, disputes between operators and working interest owners, disputes relating to purchase and sale agreements, and disputes between gas producers and pipeline companies for clients such as The Superior Oil Company, Texaco, Shell Oil Company, Pennzoil-Quaker State, Mobil Oil Company, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, SM Energy Company, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, and CCI Gulf Coast Upstream LLC, among others.

Along with his Chambers recognition, Jesse has been recognized by Best Lawyers, Law Dragon, and Texas Super Lawyers, and he holds an 'AV Preeminent' rating from Martindale-Hubbell®.

Professional Memberships

■ Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America

■ American Board of Trial Advocates

■ The Center for American and International Law – Oil & Gas Practice Committee

■ Council of the Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas

■ State Bar of Texas

■ State Bar of Oklahoma

■ State Bar of Arkansas

■ State Bar of Pennsylvania

■ State Bar of Ohio

■ American Bar Association

■ Houston Bar Association

Career

Since 2000, Mr. Pierce’s practice has been focused primarily on complex energy and business litigation and appeals. Representative reported cases are:

■ GeoSouthern Energy Corp. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 274 F.3d 1017 (5th Cir. 2001) (dispute among working interest owners)

■ GeoSouthern Energy Corp. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 241 F.3d 388 (5th Cir. 2001) (dispute among working interest owners)

■ Law v. Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, 65 S.W.3d 121 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2001, pet. denied) (lease termination)

■ Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America v. Pool, 124 S.W.3d 188 (Tex. 2003) (adverse possession)

■ Cities of Friendswood, League City, and Dickinson, Texas v. Adair, 2003 WL 22457996 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2003)

(environmental)

■ Moore Landrey, LLP v. Hirsch & Westheimer, P.C., 126 S.W.3d 536 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2003, no pet.) (contract dispute)

■ C.M. Asfahl Agency v. Tensor, Inc., 135 S.W.3d 768 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2004, no pet.) (contract dispute)

■ DX Terminals, Ltd. v. Bayer Corporation, 214 S.W.3d 586 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2006, pet. denied) (contract)

■ Ingram v. Glast, Phillips & Murray, 196 Fed.Appx. 232 (5th Cir. 2006) (sanctions);

■ PYR Energy Corporation v. Samson Resources Company, 470 F.Supp.2d 709 (E.D. Tex. 2007) (oil and gas dispute)

■ Union Carbide Corporation v. Loftin, 256 S.W.3d 869 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2008, pet. dism’d) (toxic tort)

■ Shell Oil Company v. Baran, 258 S.W.3d 719 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2008, pet. dism’d) (toxic tort)

■ Navasota Resources, L.P. v. First Source Texas, Inc., 249 S.W.3d 526 (Tex. App.—Waco 2008, pet. denied) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Cheetah Gas Co., Ltd. v. Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P., 2009 WL 522736 (S.D. Tex. 2009) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Coll v. Abaco Operating LLC, 2010 WL 11470128 (E.D. Tex. 2010) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Witt v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., 276 F.R.D. 458 (E.D. Tex. 2011) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Highland Capital Management, L.P. v. Ryder Scott Co., 402 S.W.3d 719 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2012, no pet.) (oil and gas

contract dispute)

■ SM Energy Co. v. Sutton, 376 S.W.3d 787 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2012, pet. denied) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Coe v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., 695 F.3d 311 (5th Cir. 2012) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P. v. Buffco Production, Inc., 2013 WL 12242054 (E.D. Tex. 2013) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ McCall v. Chesapeake Energy Corporation, 509 Fed.Appx. 62 (2nd Cir. 2013) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Preston Exploration Co., L.P. v. G.S.F., LLC, 566 Fed.Appx. 318 (5th Cir. 2014) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Davey v. Margarett Jordan Royalties, Inc., 2014 WL 3939669 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2014, no pet.) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ MDU Barnett Limited Partnership v. Chesapeake Exploration Limited Partnership, 2014 WL 585740 (S.D. Tex. 2014) (oil and gas

contract dispute)

■ XH, LLC v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, 2014 WL 2505541 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2014, no pet.) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Davey v. Margarett Jordan Royalties , Inc., 2014 WL 3939669 (Twelfth Court of Appeals Texas) (oil and gas royalty dispute)

■ Zurich American Insurance Co. v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., 2015 WL 5604068 (United States District Court for the Southern District of

Texas) (oil and gas insurance coverage dispute)

■ Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company, LP v. Petromax Operating Co., Inc., 486 S.W.3d 703 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2016, no pet.) (oil

and gas contract dispute)

■ In re CCI Gulf Coast Upstream, LLC, 2016 WL 6134466 (Tex. App.—Waco, 2016) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Texas Lone Star Petroleum Corp. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 2016 WL 6677939 (United States District Court for the Southern

District of Texas) (oil and gas royalty dispute)

■ Cody Texas, L.P. v. BPL Exploration, Ltd., 513 S.W.3d 522 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2016, pet. denied) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ In re Cody Texas, L.P., 2017 WL 4942852 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2017) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation v. Samson Lone Star, LLC, 2017 WL 2791188 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2017) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation v. Newfield Exploration Mid-Continent, Inc., 2017 WL 2791188 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2017, no pet.) (oil and

gas contract dispute)

■ Freeman v. Harleton Oil & Gas, Inc., 528 S.W.3d 708 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2017, pet. filed) (oil and gas contract dispute)

■ CCI Gulf Coast Upstream, LLC v. Circle X Camp Cooley, Ltd., 2018 WL 4624012 (Tenth Court of Appeals Texas) (oil and gas lease

dispute)

■ Braver v. Northstar Alarm Services, LLC, 329 F.R.D. 320 (United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma) (Telephone

Citizens Protection Act dispute)

■ Hotze v. Hotze, No. 01-18-00039, 2018 WL 3431587 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] July 17, 2018, no pet.) (commercial dispute)

■ Misty Hawkins v. Fox Corporate Housing, LLC, No. 01-19-00394 (First Court of Appeals Texas (Texas Citizens Participation Act dispute)

■ BPX Operating Company v. Margaret Ann Strickhausen, No. 19-0567 (Supreme Court of Texas) (oil and gas lease royalty dispute)

■ In re Plains Pipeline, L.P. and Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., No. 08-19-00224 (Eighth Court of Appeals Texas) (mandamus in

surface lease dispute)

■ Chalker Energy Partners III, LLC v. LeNorman Operating LLC, 595 S.W.3d 668 (Tex. 2020) (purchase and sale agreement dispute)

■ Miramar Holdings, LP v. SM Energy Company, 5:20-CV-00096 (United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas) (oil and

gas lease royalty dispute)

■ Ovintiv USA, Inc. v. Element Petroleum Properties, LLC, No. 11-21-00052 (Eleventh Court of Appeals Texas) (oil and gas lease royalty

dispute)

■ Claude C. Arnold v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., 485 P.3d 817 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma) (oil and gas lease title dispute)

■ Robert Diakiw v. Stites Mgmt., L.L.C., No. 14-22-00439-CV, 2023 WL 8041403 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] Nov. 21, 2023, pet. filed)

(partnership and breach of fiduciary duty)

■ CTF LTD. v. Encino Energy, L.L.C., Case No. 121,391 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma) (oil and gas lease royalty dispute)

■ SM Energy Company v. DOI Wintex, LLC, No. 11-23-00276-CV (Eleventh Court of Appeals Texas) (joint operating agreement dispute;

appeal from injunction)

■ Texas Crude Energy v. Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company, LP, No. 13-23-00072-CV (Thirteenth Court of Appeals Texas) (joint

operating agreement dispute)

Education