Demetri Economou has over a decade of high-stakes oil and gas experience and currently co-chairs KRCL’s Energy, Oil & Gas Practice Group. Demetri is regularly on the front lines of disputes, both before and during litigation, and is a certified mediator.
With over 12 years advising general counsel and business leaders in the energy industry, Demetri brings the experience and resolve necessary to meet any legal challenge. He provides trusted advice to KRCL’s upstream, midstream and oilfield services clients, including in high-dollar royalty litigation and cases involving lease and deed interpretation, surface use, midstream and services contracts, and oilfield trade secrets, including both trial and appellate work. Demetri and the KRCL energy team regularly speak on cutting-edge energy law issues throughout Texas.
Demetri is also a founding member of the Energy Mediation Center, which specializes in alternative dispute resolution for the energy industry. There, he focuses on “Mediation 2.0”: a faster, business-forward alternative to traditional mediation.
He has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for the past seven years, 2017-2023.
Practice Areas
- Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Creditors' Rights
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Energy, Oil and Gas
- Intellectual Property
- Labor & Employment
- Litigation
Credentials
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Texas (2011)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas
- Certified Mediator, Texas Mediator Credentialing Association
Education
- South Texas College of Law, J.D., 2011
- The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 2006
Experience
Representative Experience
- Won complete judgment on behalf of North Dakota mineral owners in dispute with non-participating royalty interest owners
- Represented South Texas working interest owners in royalty litigation with hundreds of millions of dollars in controversy, reaching favorable mediated and private settlements.
- Won complete defense summary judgment for 11 related defendants accused of theft and conspiracy, and over $1 million defense fee award (affirmed on appeal).
- Won bench trial over interpled royalty proceeds and going-forward royalty payments resulting from alleged improper deed interpretation.
- Represented South Texas operator in royalty lawsuits with tens of millions of dollars in controversy, obtaining favorable mediated settlements.
- Won complete defense summary judgment for operator against allegations of improper payment of royalties related to a life estate.
- Represented oilfield valve distributors in complex case involving $2.6 million in debt claims, and $8+ million in breach of warranty, breach of contract, and negligence counterclaims, obtaining dismissal of a number of counterclaims and favorable mediated settlement of the remainder.
- Represented national distributor of oilfield services products in breach of contract dispute, obtaining favorable summary judgment, as well as several favorable negotiated settlements for the same company.
Notable Decisions
- Murphy Oil USA, Inc. v. Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc., No. 3:18-CV-01345-X, 2021 WL 824647 (N.D. Tex. Mar. 3, 2021), aff’d, No. 21-10027, 2022 WL 796179 (5th Cir. Mar. 15, 2022) (trial and appellate counsel obtaining complete defense summary judgment and award of over $1 million in attorney’s fees).
- Thiery v. Coastal Plains Trucking, LLC, ALJ No. 2016-STA-00032, OSHA No. 6-0030-16-010 (Sep. 30, 2020) (administrative trial counsel for oilfield trucking company, obtaining complete dismissal of employee’s OSHA retaliation claims after bench trial).
- Lexington Luminance, LLC v. Elong International USA, Inc., No. 3:20-cv-00532 (N.D. Tex. Sep. 15, 2020) (obtained protective order and quashal of apex deposition of client’s president).
- Goldstein v. Villas on Travis Condo. Owners’ Ass’n, Inc. Bd., No. 03-19-00012-CV, 2019 WL 4068561 (Tex. App.—Austin Aug. 29, 2019, pet. denied) (trial counsel obtaining dismissal of all claims under Texas Citizens Participation Act and award of attorney’s fees and sanctions; decision affirmed).
- Judon v. EP Energy, L.L.C., 756 Fed. Appx. 444, 2019 WL 1092630 (5th Cir. Mar. 6, 2019) (appellate counsel obtaining affirmation of dismissal of FMLA, ADA and hostile work environment claims).
- Thymes v. Gillman Companies, No. CV-H-17-2834, 2018 WL 3025045 (S.D. Tex. June 18, 2018), and 2018 WL 1281852 (S.D. Tex. Mar. 9, 2018) (trial counsel obtaining complete dismissal of consumer identity theft claims).
- FP Stores, Inc. v. Tramontina US Inc., 513 S.W.3d 684 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2016, pet. denied) (counsel on successful appeal in first impression case regarding good faith of a commercial sublessor).
- In re Otto, 509 B.R. 566, 568 (S.D. Tex. 2014) (counsel to successful appellee in first impression bankruptcy appeal concerning the right to setoff).
- Danet v. Bhan, 436 S.W.3d 793 (Tex. 2014) (counsel to amicus curiae in support of successful Supreme Court appeal).
Publications
- Mediating at the Speed of Business, TexasBarCLE Oil and Gas Disputes Course, January 2024.
- The Fix is In: Fixed and Floating Royalties at the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Tech University School of Law Journal of the Energy Law Practitioner (anticipated Spring 2024).
- Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Cases at the Texas Supreme Court: Van Dyke v. Navigator and Thomson v. Hoffman, National Association of Division Order Analysts Quarterly Report, March 2022.
- Law in the Workplace, "How Employers Should Respond to SCOTUS’ “Exceeds Access” Computer Fraud Decision," June 2021
- Energy Law Today, "5 First Day Energy Actions Expected from President Biden," November 2020
- Kane Russell Coleman Logan CARES Task Force Will Provide Legal Guidance to Employers and Businesses to Navigate New Federal Aid for Businesses, Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC, April 2020
- LOCKDOWN UPDATE: Energy Industry Exempted from Harris and Galveston County Stay-at-Home Orders, Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC, March 2020
- LOCKDOWN: "Essential" Oil & Gas Work During Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Orders, Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC, March 2020
- Energy Law Today, "LOCKDOWN UPDATE: Energy Industry Exempted from Harris and Galveston County Stay-at-Home Orders," March 2020
- Energy Law Today, "LOCKDOWN: “Essential” Oil & Gas Work During Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Orders," March 2020
- Energy Law Today, "Goodbye Steel and Aluminum Tariffs! (For Mexico and Canada Metals)," May 2019
- Energy Law Today, "Trump’s Energy Initiatives: What Are They and Where Do They Stand?" August 2018
- Energy Law Today, "“Latent Occupational Disease” Rule Inapplicable to Frac Fluid Exposure Causing Skin Cancer," April 2018
- Energy Law Today, "“Data Dump” Trade Secrets Prosecution Tactics: Untouched by SCOTX in the Oil Patch," April 2018
- Law in the Workplace, "Trump’s Paid Family Leave Plan: What It Is, and What It Isn’t," February 2018
- Law in the Workplace, "How the World Will Change If the ‘Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act’ Becomes Law," December 2017
- Law in the Workplace, "Evacuation Discrimination? Yes, you can be sued for this." September 2017
- Law in the Workplace, "Can I Fire My Employee for Attending a Protest?" August 2017
- Law in the Workplace, "Supreme Court Deals Blow to Ninth Circuit Power to Review EEOC Subpoena Orders," April 2017
- The Ninth Circuit’s Employee ‘Password Sharing’ Decision Applying the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Business Law News, State Bar of California, Feb. 2017, at 12.
- Energy Law Today, "New Chesapeake DOJ Subpoena Might Hint at Criminal Investigation," October 2016
- Law in the Workplace, "DOL “Summertime Blues”: Texas Penalties Highlight Summer Child Labor Woes," July 2016
- Law in the Workplace, "Why the Ninth Circuit’s “Password Sharing” Decision is Relevant for All Employers," July 2016
- Fifth Circuit Decisions, Recent Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation, Intellectual Property (2016 ed.), American Bar Association, at 106-117.
- Energy Law Today, "Supreme Court Reverses El Paso Court, Concludes that Production Payments Cannot Outlive Leases," February 2016
- Energy Law Today, "OxyChem Decision Clarifies Premises Liability, Duty of Care for Prior Owners," January 2016
- Energy Law Today, "Texas SC’s Interpretation of Royalty Devise Could Shake Up Texas Title," December 2015
- Energy Law Today, "3 Collections Tips for Oilfield Services Creditors in a Down Market," November 2015
- Energy Law Today, "DOI’s Greater Sage-Grouse Decision Ruffles O&G Industry Feathers; Lawsuit Filed," October 2015
- Law in the Workplace, "Say What?! Employee Protected Speech Under the NLRA Knows Few Bounds," October 2015
- Energy Law Today, "Can Production Payments Really Outlive Their Oil & Gas Leases? The Supreme Court Will Answer," September 2015
- The Best Kind of Lawyer, The Houston Lawyer, Jun. 2014, at 29-31.
Honors
- Texas Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters (2017 - 2024)
Associations
- State Bar of Texas – Oil, Gas, and Energy Resources Law and Labor and Employment Law Sections.
- Houston Bar Association –Oil and Gas and Labor and Employment Sections.
Presentations
- “Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Oil Patch,” TexasBarCLE Annual Disputes Course (January 2024)
- “Fixed and Floating Royalties: Fall 2023 Update,” Texas Tech University School of Law Energy Law Symposium (October 2023)
- “Fixed and Floating Royalties: Fall 2023 Update,” National Association of Division Order Analysts Institute (October 2023)
- “Winter Storm Uri: Key Litigation Issues,” American Association of Petroleum Landmen Annual Conference (June 2023)
- “Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Issues,” Permian Basin Landmen’s Association Spring Education Seminar (April 2022)
- Devon v. Sheppard: T&F and Other Post-Production Costs,” Permian Basin Association of Division Order Analysts and Permian Association of Lease and Title Analysts Spring Conference (April 2022)
- “Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Issues,” Permian Basin Association of Division Order Analysts and Permian Association of Lease and Title Analysts Monthly Seminar (April 2022)
- "Federal Energy Policy Under the Biden Administration," KRCL Energy & Transportation Webinar (May 2021)
- "Legal Considerations When Recruiting Locally and Nationwide," 1st Annual HR Maximizer Member Conference (August 2018).
- “Trump’s Energy Initiatives: What Are They and Where Do They Stand” (2018).
Community
- Chair, KRCL Law Student Recruiting
- ASPIRE Houston, volunteer
Houston Office