Meghan Dawson McElvy

Partner

Meghan McElvy has over 13 years of experience representing a wide range of clients in the energy industry. She also worked in the industry for two years at a large fuel storage and terminalling complex in South Florida prior to attending law school. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed learning about all manner of energy and power facilities — be they wells, pipelines, gathering and processing plants, tank farms, refineries or electrical transmission and distribution equipment — and working with the people that keep this vital sector of the U.S. and world economies going and continue to innovate and improve it. No matter the context, Meghan prioritizes delivering business-oriented advice to help her clients achieve their goals.

Meghan’s practice focuses on energy litigation and her trial work spans state and federal courts, as well as domestic and international arbitral forums, including AAA, CPR, IADR, ICC and UNCITRAL. She has served as a first or second chair trial lawyer on over a dozen cases or arbitrations during her career, and has been recognized by ChambersUSA for “Nationwide Oil and Gas Litigation” since 2020 and by Texas Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” from 2014-2021. Meghan also previously has been named among “Acritas Stars” based upon a survey of outside counsel at large organizations who have worked with her and described her legal representation as outstanding.

As part of her national and international energy practice, Meghan has advised energy clients on most aspects of legal and operational issues arising from the development of shale plays and drilling throughout Texas and elsewhere in the United States, including disputes involving oil and gas leases, joint operating and joint development agreements, participation agreements, royalty obligations, surface use rights, mineral title, mineral liens, oilfield services and gas gathering and processing facilities. She also has represented clients with midstream assets, renewable assets and LNG companies. Her energy practice extends offshore where she has litigated disputes arising under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act involving decommissioning of assets in the Gulf of Mexico.

Meghan is experienced in high-stakes commercial litigation, including multimillion-dollar personal injury claims involving energy or power infrastructure, and in construction litigation and mechanic’s and materialman’s lien disputes.

In addition to her active litigation practice, Meghan has represented clients in contested regulatory proceedings for over a decade before the Texas Public Utility Commission and Texas Railroad Commission concerning rates and licensing of government-regulated energy infrastructure. 

Prior to law school, Meghan worked as a distribution analyst for Motiva Enterprises in Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Immediately following law school, Meghan clerked for United States District Judge Andrew S. Hanen in the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division.