Dick Watt has practiced law in Texas since his admission to the Texas bar in 1972, after completion of both his undergraduate and legal education at The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Watt’s practice emphasizes general civil litigation, oil and gas law, and oil and gas litigation, including extensive trial and appellate work. In oil and gas matters, he has represented clients in all phases of the upstream and mid-stream exploration, development, and production sector, and besides representing parties in these areas, has also served as both an arbitrator and a mediator in numerous energy-related matters. Prior to being a co-founder of Watt Thompson’s predecessor Firm in 2001, Mr. Watt was a founding partner of the Houston firm of Watt, White & Craig, and later maintained a solo practice in Houston from 1991. In 2019, he became of counsel with Pierce & O’Neill. Dick is also active in ranching and oil and gas activities.

• Served both on arbitration panels and representing clients before arbitration panels in arbitrations involving Joint Operating Agreements, Exploration Agreements, gas contracts, gas plants, offshore oil and gas facilities, and similar oil and gas contracts and joint ventures
• Served as a mediator in numerous disputes, mostly related to Energy, Oil and Gas or Real Estate
• Representation of party in arbitration over pipeline construction contract in the Arabian Sea
• Disputes over contracts and production sharing agreements in the Gulf of Guinea offshore West Africa
• Defense of independent oil company against fraud and theft of trade secret claims
• Representation of major oil company with regard to OCSLA lease interpretation
• Representation of royalty owners in class action regarding crude oil pricing
• Representation of royalty owners in class action regarding royalties on natural gas
• Representation of pipeline company in acquisition of easements and condemnation claims
• Representation of pipeline company in defense of water claims by water rights owners
• Representation of landowners against pipeline companies in eminent domain proceedings
• Defense of independent producer against class action claims asserted by property owners claiming damages to homes resulting from seismic shoot in urban area
• Representation of producers in take-or-pay litigation against pipeline companies
• Representation of working interest owners in dispute over terms of acquisition agreement
• Defense of independent oil company over royalty owner fraud claims
• Arbitration in dispute between parties over construction of operating agreement
• Defense of oil company against royalty owner concerning lease terms
• Representation of bank trust company in dispute with trust beneficiaries over oil and gas royalty claims
• Representation of mineral owners under Padre Island National Seashore against National Park Service in multiple matters
• Representation of parties in probate proceedings involving duties of trustee and executor
• Arbitration of dispute between partners of a large law firm regarding provisions of the Partnership Agreement
• Representation of parties in will contest involving significant oil and gas assets
• Representation of drilling contractor against manufacturer of weight indicator on drilling rig
• Representation of large MLP pipeline company in defense of class action by shareholders