Jeffry D. Weems

Jeff Weems has represented oilfield clients for thirty-three years. Jeff uses his prior experience on offshore platforms and as a landman to generate excellent results in trials and disputes. His clients include operators, working interest owners, mineral owners, and midstream companies, who use him both as trial counsel and as an expert witness regarding standard industry agreements, especially Joint Operating Agreements. He has served as lead counsel in scores of trials and disputes from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, with his primary practice area being in Texas. Jeff also regularly advises clients on negotiation and formation of field-wide agreements. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer in Energy Law ten times, including the last nine consecutive years.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

State Bar of Texas Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section, Former Chair
State Bar of Texas Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section, Former Section Report Editor
State Bar of Texas Oil, Gas and Mineral Section, Member
State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, Member
Co-Chair of the Oil and Gas Section of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundations 60th Annual Institute (July 2014)
Martindale Hubbell AV Rates Attorney
Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
American Petroleum Institute, Member
100 Club, Sustaining Life Member
Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners, Member

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

Selected for inclusion as a Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2007, 2014-2022

NEWS/PUBLICATIONS

“Horizontal Provisions of the New JOA Forms”, RMMLF Institute on Oil and Gas Joint Operations and the New AAPL Form 610-2015 Model Form Operating Agreement, December 2017
“The New AAPL JOA Form”, American Association of Professional Landmen, 2017 Annual Meeting
“Changes Incorporated into the AAPL 2015 610 Model Form Joint Operating Agreement”, 19th Annual Permian Basin Oil & Gas Law Conference – 2017
“Changes Incorporated into the AAPL 2015 610 Model Form Joint Operating Agreement”, 2017 Institute for Energy Law 68th Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference
“JOA Litigation and the Effect of Changes Incorporated Into the 2015 Model Form Agreement”, State Bar of Texas Oil and Gas Disputes 2017 Course
“Changes Included in the AAPL 2015 Form 610 Model Operating Agreement”, 2016 Eugene Kuntz Conference on Natural Resources Law & Policy, November 2016
“Joint Operating Agreements”, State Bar of Texas 34th Annual Advanced Oil, Gas and Energy Law Course – Oil Gas and Energy Law 101, September 2016
“Significant Changes to the AAPL 2015 610 Model Form Operating Agreement”, 29th Annual Energy Law Institute for Attorneys and Landmen, August 2016
“The Model Form Meets the 21st Century”, 42nd Annual Ernest E. Smith Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Institute, April 2016
“How Royalty Owners ‘Won’ The Battle in Chesapeake Exploration, LLC v Hyder but are Still Losing the Post Production Costs War,” (with Matt Lea), Oil, Gas & Energy Resources, Law Section Report, State Bar of Texas (Summer 2015)
“Application of Legal Principles to Enhanced Oil Recovery Operations,” (with Matt Davis) RMMLF: Special Institute on Enhanced Oil Recovery: Legal Frameworks for Sustainable Management of Mature Oil Fields
“The New Horizontal Agreement and the Prospect of an Entirely New Form”, State Bar of Texas 2014
“Changes Within the A.A.P.L Form 610-1989 Model Form Operating Agreement- Horizontal Modifications and Other Developments Regarding the Model Form Operating Agreement”, 59 RMMLF-INST 29-1 2013
“Royalty Obligations in Texas Relating to Production of Injected Carbon Dioxide”, (with Robert B. Boemer) Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law 2007

Represented international exploration and production company in defense of claims regarding breach of a foreign exploration concession.
Lead counsel for a midstream company in disputes concerning merger and acquisition activity.
Lead counsel for several midstream companies in disputes with construction contractors.
Lead trial counsel for a mid-sized exploration and production company in a dispute with a seller of a non-operated working interest over an undisclosed over-produced position. Won at trial and held the judgment through appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.
Lead trial counsel for a mid-sized exploration and production company in a dispute with a processing plant over improper plant rebalancing and suspension of payment. Settled favorably after successful Daubert challenge of defendant’s experts.
Lead trial counsel for a large exploration and production company in a dispute with the supplier of material. Reversed the trial court judgment on appeal, coming away with a zero judgment for the supplier.
Lead counsel for a midstream product aggregator in litigation brought by a major foreign production company for conversion, RICO, theft and other claims. Settled favorably.
Lead trial counsel for a major exploration company in a series of large cases brought by groups of royalty owners regarding breach of the duty to market. After the first case settled favorably, the second case was tried. The judge reversed the jury verdict against the client, and the final judgment was held through appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. Subsequently, the next cases were dismissed.
Lead counsel for a major exploration company in dispute company in dispute with landowners alleging failure to continuously develop. Settled at no cost to client.
Lead counsel for a large exploration company in multiple disputes over surface damages.
Lead trial counsel for large exploration in numerous title dispute matters.
Lead counsel for mid-sized exploration company and successfully defended on arbitration award through successful appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
Represented major exploration and production company in defense of claims of negligent operations through successful appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
Represented international exploration and production company in defense of claims regarding breach of a foreign exploration concession.
Lead counsel for various royalty interest owners in disputes regarding proper calculation of royalties.
Retained expert witness regarding use and interpretation of various Model Form Joint Operating Agreements.