Locke Lord Energy Practice Co-Chair David Patton to Receive Ernest E. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award From The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law

January 11, 2018 – Locke Lord Partner David Patton, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Energy Practice Group, will be honored with the prestigious Ernest E. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award by The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law (TJOGEL) at its Symposium Banquet on Feb. 1. He will be only the 13th recipient of the award, an accolade presented to individuals for significant contributions to the oil, gas and energy industry.

Patton, who is based in Locke Lord’s Houston office, has nearly 40 years of experience in the energy industry and extensive experience in many areas of the oil and gas industry, including acquisitions and sales of assets or equity interests and drafting and negotiating leases, contracts and agreements related to field operations. He has represented clients in connection with surface use conflicts, day-to-day exploration and development activities and the resolution of oil and gas disputes. 

Patton is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and has served in numerous leadership roles within the State Bar of Texas Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section, including as Chair. He is a frequent speaker on oil and gas issues and is a Trustee and former executive committee member of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. Patton has been recognized by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America for Oil & Gas Law and has been named by the Houston Business Journal to the Who’s Who in Energy list. He serves on the DXP Enterprises Inc. Board of Directors. Active in community service, he has served as President of the Spring Branch Memorial Sports Association and Chair of Baseball USA.

Locke Lord has earned a reputation as one of the world’s preeminent energy law firms. The Energy Practice Group is involved in all aspects of the energy value chain and is prominent in traditional oil and gas and has a strong midstream practice in the United States. Lawyers represent clients in a broad range of M&A and project development activities. The team is also involved in recent trends in the energy business, including wind and other renewable energy projects, LNG, alternative fuels, retail energy and rejuvenated energy trading markets. In addition, Locke Lord lawyers are extremely active in private equity and venture capital transactions and fund formation engagements for energy clients. 

TJOGEL was founded in 2005 to provide a platform for the scholarly discussion of emerging issues in oil, gas and energy law and to cultivate the industry’s future leaders. The award is named after Professor Ernest E. Smith, who is the Rex G. Baker Centennial Chair in Natural Resources Law at the University of Texas School of Law. For more information on TJOGEL and its Symposium, click here. 

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About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service, international law firm of 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 130 years and is a worldwide leader in the middle market sector. Locke Lord advises clients across a broad spectrum of industries including energy, financial services, fund formation, health care, insurance and reinsurance, private equity and venture capital, public finance, real estate, and technology, media and telecommunications, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, tax, regulatory and transactional teams.