D.J. Beaty’s focus is complex commercial litigation, particularly within the oil and gas industry. He has nearly a decade of experience assisting many of the nation’s leading energy companies in upstream and midstream disputes across the United States. Outside of oil and gas, his practice has been dedicated to guiding clients through high-stakes situations, such as class-action defense and threatened corporate-officer liability.

D.J. is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a former editor of the American Bar Association’s Energy Litigation Journal. He was also selected to the 2018 Texas Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers.

Representative Experience:

· Obtained reversal of summary judgment against client’s claims concerning the formation of a $230 million contract for the purchase of oil and gas properties, and affirmance of summary judgment against opponents’ counterclaims. Le Norman Operating LLC v. Chalker Energy Partners III, LLC, — S.W.3d —, 2017 WL 4366265 (Tex. App.— Houston [1st Dist.] 2017, no pet. hist.).

· Obtained verdict for client against claims of environmental contamination and breach of surface agreement in jury trial. Allen v. Le Norman Operating LLC, Potter County, Texas, January 2017.

· Limited damages against client to less than 1% of the more than $200 million claimed in a dispute regarding the development of an East Texas gas field. Confidential Arbitration, Houston, Texas, 2015.

· Obtained Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal of majority of claims against client in a suit under an exploration and development agreement and joint operating agreement. MDU Barnett Limited Partnership v. Chesapeake Exploration Limited Partnership, No. H-12-2528, 2014 WL 585740 (S.D. Tex. Feb. 14, 2014).

· Obtained summary judgment for client in area-of-mutual-interest dispute, and successfully defended the judgment on appeal. XH, LLC v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., No. 12-12-00338-CV, 2014 WL 2505541 (Tex. App.—Tyler May 30, 2014, no pet.).

· Successfully compelled arbitration of an environmental-contamination suit against multiple clients, some of which were not signatories to the arbitration agreement. Leighton v. Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC, No. 1:13-CV-2018, 2013 WL 6191739 (M.D. Pa. Nov. 26, 2013).