Chris Halgren

Chris is a problem solver whose practice focuses on an array of business disputes. A lawyer’s job is to find the best solution to the problems faced by his client. Chris has spent his career zealously representing his clients in courthouses, boardrooms, and anywhere else he can press his client’s cause. Chris takes an aggressive yet practical approach to meeting his clients’ needs, carefully considering the unique legal and business issues presented.

The courtroom is where Chris is most comfortable. He has argued cases in rural Counties, federal courthouses in major cities, bankruptcy courts, the Texas Supreme Court, and other jurisdictions in and out of Texas.

Chris represents clients across a variety of industries, including lenders, energy companies, real estate developers, and many others. Much of Chris’s practice has involved the oil and gas industry, where he has represented various companies in the oil path including upstream companies (both operators and non-operators), landowners, and service companies. Chris has published papers and spoken at numerous conferences on various issues impacting oil and gas development in Texas.

Oil & Gas/Energy Litigation

Chris’s oil & gas/energy litigation experience includes:

• Representing oil and gas lessee against landowners asserting lease termination and various claims of breach of fiduciary duty and successfully obtaining order dismissing all claims prior to trial.
• Representing oil company sued by landowner claiming a variety of surface damages and accounting issues to obtain resolution prior to trial.
• Representing landowners in South Texas to obtain an approximately $45 million judgment based on most favored nations clause and successfully defending the judgment through the Texas Supreme Court.
• Representing ranch owner in easement dispute with neighboring ranch and successfully obtaining summary judgment which was upheld by the court of appeals and Texas Supreme Court.
• Representing lessors in an oil and gas lease dispute concerning royalty and pooling-related claims in Jefferson County, The court reaffirmed previously entered orders and rendered a final judgment in favor of clients.
• Representing parties in deed construction dispute related to royalty reservation in South Texas property wherein final summary judgment was granted in clients’ favor by the 81st District Court in Karnes County, Judgment also granted attorneys’ fees in favor of the clients.
• Managing docket of over 100 lawsuits as lead counsel to determine title to surface and mineral rights in South Texas to recover ownership of hundreds of valuable surface and mineral rights in the Eagle Ford play.
• Representing an independent oil and gas company in the prosecution of claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of license agreement and others.
• Representing an offshore oil producer prosecuting claims for breach of production-handling agreement, along with tort claims related to damage done to underlying reservoir.
• Representing a large oil and gas company in the prosecution of a commercial lease audit dispute.
• Representing a large oil and gas company in defense of an action that alleged breach of contract, along with various business torts related to the delivery of and accounting for natural gas at a gas processing plant.

BUSINESS Litigation 

Chris’s business litigation experience includes:

• Lead counsel through trial and appeal defending senior care community against claims brought by bondholders alleging breach of loan and security agreement.
• Lead counsel in breach of contract and conversion action for national lending institution for recovery of debt and intentional destruction of secured property wherein case was resolved favorably for client in pre-trial mediation.
• Lead counsel in the defense of a limited partner as a defendant in an action alleging breach of a personal Client received favorable settlement prior to trial.
• Defense of a transportation company in federal district court against allegations of breach of transportation management agreement and breach of fiduciary duty, among other claims.
• Defense of government sub-contractor in multi-million-dollar dispute tried before the London Court of International Arbitration.
• Prosecution of breach of contract action for seller of industrial equipment.
• Co-counsel in defense of claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, among other claims, related to home foreclosure.
• Co-counsel in the representation of an international company in the prosecution of a breach of contract action decided by the London Court of International Arbitration.
• Co-counsel in the enforcement of a non-compete agreement on behalf of nationwide hospitalist company wherein a final arbitration award was granted in favor of client.

BANKRUPTCY LITIGATION AND REPRESENTATION

Chris's bankruptcy litigation and representation experience includes:

• Representing pre-petition secured lender and post-petition financing lender in Chapter 11 proceeding involving complex oil and gas assets located in Utah and Colorado.
• Representing pre-petition secured lender in successfully defeating multiple attempts by the Debtors-in-Possession to obtain priming liens superior to client’s real property collateral located in Missouri and Texas.
• Representing post-petition lender and obtained stalking horse status prior to successfully prevailing in auction to obtain title to significant oil and gas assets located in the Texas panhandle.
• Representing and managed significant docket of cases for multiple secured lenders in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 proceedings across Texas.
• Representing judgment creditors in complex Chapter 11 proceeding to prosecute objection to proposed plan of reorganization in multi-week confirmation trial.
• Representing pre-petition secured lender in dispute with developer that filed Chapter 11 to avoid foreclosure of property.
• Special counsel to defend Debtor in adversary litigation pending in the Southern District of New York with claims. Debtor was a Texas oil and gas company facing numerous challenges to title and allegations of wrongdoing.

News

Publications

• Benchmark Litigation, 40 and Under Hot List (2021)
• Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, a Thomson Reuters service, Business Litigation (2014-2021)

• Houston Bar Association: Oil, Gas & Mineral Law Section
• Bayou City Fellowship Church