“Decades ago, I took my first job with an oil and gas company because I thought the energy business was fascinating. I still do today. There are very few lawyers with a greater passion for the business and a background in the industry as unique and varied as mine.”
Paul G. Yale, Attorney & Counselor
Oil, Gas and Energy Lawyer
Services Offered: Closing deals, resolving disputes, examining titles, reviewing leases, drafting agreements, serving as an expert witness, conducting mediations & arbitrations, and providing highly practical, fit for purpose, legal advice to oil, gas and energy companies and those with whom they interact.
My mission is to provide great legal work to oil, gas, and energy companies and those with whom they interact. I value Excellence, Responsiveness, Grit and Giving Back.
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Experience and Qualifications
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Decades of experience in oil and gas title examinations, lease negotiations, purchase and sale agreements, farmouts, operating agreements, participation agreements, pooling, unitization, and other energy related transactions.
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Regularly serves as an expert witness, mediator, and arbitrator. Certified Mediator and Arbitrator, A.W White Dispute Resolution Center, University of Houston Law Center.
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Board-Certified in Oil, Gas & Mineral Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
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Certified Professional Landman (CPL), American Association of Professional Landmen.
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Partner & Energy Practice leader, Gray Reed & McGraw law firm (2009-2024) and Burleson law firm (2007-2009), Houston, Texas.
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Oil and Gas Landman, Land Supervisor, Natural Gas Sales Representative, International Agreements Coordinator, and Land Manager, ExxonMobil Corporation, various locations (1980-2007).
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Business litigation practice, Texas (1977-1980).
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Licensed attorney (active) in North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.
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J.D., Southern Methodist University Law School, 1977; BA, Vanderbilt University, cum laude, 1974.
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Find me on LinkedIn for more.
Honors
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Named a Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer in Houston (2021–2023);
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Named a "Super Lawyer" by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters company) as published in Texas Monthly (2013–2023);
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AV Preeminent® rated 5.0 in Natural Resources Law, by Martindale-Hubbell (the highest possible peer review rating Martindale-Hubbell offers in a specialty area), and AV Preeminent® 4.9 overall (out of a possible 5.0).
Professional Affiliations
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Houston Bar Association (Past Chair, Energy Law Section);
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Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (Former Trustee);
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American Association of Professional Landmen (CPL);
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Texas Bar Foundation (Life Fellow);
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State Bar of Texas—Oil, Gas and Natural Resources Section (Sustaining Member);
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American Bar Association—Section on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law;
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North Carolina Bar Association—Section on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law.
Community Service (2023–ongoing)
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Pro Bono Volunteer, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy & Legal Aid of North Carolina Inc.;
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Pro Bono Committee Member, North Carolina Bar Association;
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Reading Tutor, Augustine Literacy Project, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
Selected Publications,
2009- Present
Facilitating Collaborative Opportunities: The New AAPL Model Form Participation Agreement. November/December 2024 Landman Magazine (2024).
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Let’s Make a Deal: Selected Issues When Negotiating a Modern Oil and Gas Lease, 67 Rocky Mt. Min. L. Inst. 21-1, Co-Author (2021).
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Climate Change 101 for Landmen and Lawyers: Uninhabitable Earth or False Alarm? State Bar of Texas Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section Report, Volume 45, Number 2 (2021).
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Poverty, Renewables and Reality: A Book Review on Robert Bryce's A Question of Power, Landman Magazine (March/April 2021).
The AAPL Form JOA and Non-Paying Participants - "Mr. Green Leisure Suit" Revisited, 5 Oil & Gas, Nat. Resources & Energy J. 515 (2020).
Hydraulic Fracturing Law and Practice, 2019 Edition, LexisNexis, Co-author (2019).
Fracking Facts, Fantasies and Regulations in Texas and Beyond, Landman Magazine (March/April 2019).
Hydraulic Fracturing Law and Practice, 2017 Edition, LexisNexis, Co-Author (2017).
A Model Form Title Opinion: Time for a Revisit? 1 Oil & Gas, Nat. Resources & Energy J. 381 (2016).
Mediating Oil and Gas Disputes in Texas, Oil and Gas Disputes Course, State Bar of Texas, Co-Author (January 8-9, 2015).
The AAPL Operating Agreement and the Deadbeat Non-Operator, Landman Magazine (February /March, 2014).
Ethics; Best Practices for Lawyers Working with Landmen, 59th Mineral Law Institute, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University (March, 22-23, 2012).
To Waive or Not to Waive? Analyzing Oil & Gas Title Opinion Requirements, Landman Magazine (November/December 2009) (Selected as “Best Published Article in an AAPL Publication” for 2009-2010).
Core Values
Excellence
Responsiveness
Grit
Giving Back
