Steven B. Harris, managing partner of the firm’s Houston office, focuses his practice on trials in state and federal courts, domestic and international arbitration and appeals of corporate, commercial and energy-related litigation matters. He is particularly experienced in litigation relating to energy, construction, shareholder and partnership disputes and intellectual property. Mr. Harris has represented clients in litigation relating to energy infrastructure construction and operation, onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration, production and transportation as well as matters concerning marketing, sales and acquisition of oil, gas, LNG and refined products. He also has represented various commercial clients in disputes relating to e-commerce, employment, insurance coverage disputes, product liability and toxic tort class actions, shareholder claims and proxy contests, corporate mergers and acquisitions, technology and data licensing and patent, trade secret, trademark and copyright issues. In addition to conventional litigation and arbitration, he has represented clients in various class actions, qui tam proceedings, mass tort cases, contested state and federal administrative proceedings and original actions before courts of appeal.

In addition to numerous jury and nonjury trials in federal and state courts, Mr. Harris has represented clients in domestic and international arbitrations conducted under the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the AAA International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers), the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution and JAMS. He has also handled appeals before the United States and Texas Supreme Courts, United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth and Tenth Circuits and eight of the 14 district courts of appeals in Texas.

Mr. Harris is board certified in civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

He is a member of the Litigation, Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law, Intellectual Property Law and Appellate Practice Sections of the State Bar of Texas and the Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Harris is also an associate member of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen and a member of the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, The College of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists. He also handles pro bono representations through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.

代表性執業經驗

• Representing the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor in domestic arbitration of consolidated disputes relating to construction of a 790 MW power plant.
• Representing the EPC contractor in litigation of claims relating to construction of multiple pipeline compressor stations.
• Representing the system owner in international arbitration (ICC) of disputes relating to design and construction of a 180 km LPG pipeline system and related facilities in Mexico.
• Representing the buyer in international arbitrations (UNCITRAL) relating to enforcement and repricing of long-term LNG supply agreements.
• Representing the host nation in international arbitration relating to enforcement and termination of oil and gas exploration and production concessions.
• Representing the licensor in multiple disputes relating to breaches of commercial software license agreements.
• Representing the owner of an industrial facility in a dispute with the general contractor relating to defective design and construction of a major containment facility for toxic materials.
• Representing landowners and exploration & production (E&P) companies in disputes relating to title and enforcement of mineral leases.
• Representing a domestic gas marketer in litigation involving claims for underpayment of royalties.
• Representing a domestic gas marketer to pursue creditor claims in multiple industrial bankruptcy proceedings.