People

Louie Layrisson
Louis "Louie" Layrisson
Partner | Department Chair - Litigation (Houston) and Practice Group Chair - Energy Litigation (Firmwide)
Louie Layrisson
Louis "Louie" Layrisson
Partner

Overview

"He has a great strategic mind."

Chambers USA 2022

Louie Layrisson is firmwide Co-Chair of the Energy Litigation Practice and Chair of the Houston Litigation Department at Baker Botts. His broad trial practice includes complex commercial disputes in the oil and gas, power and renewables, manufacturing, and technology sectors. Louie also advises clients on risk mitigation for energy transition projects.

Louie is ranked nationally in oil and gas litigation by Chambers USA, 2020-2023 (Band 2), where he has been described as an "absolutely fantastic" advocate. Lawdragon shortlisted Louie in its Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Energy Lawyers rankings (2023-2024) and Thomson Reuters has recognized Louie as a "Texas Super Lawyer" (2020-2024).

In the energy industry, Louie works closely with investors, developers, manufacturers, operators, service companies, transporters, marketers, and refiners across the U.S. on operations advice and disputes across all energy sectors. Louie has handled disputes related to the energy supply chain and force majeure, leases and power agreements, joint ventures and partnerships, title, royalty obligations, surface disputes, environmental issues, transportation agreements, indemnity, and insurance recovery.

"He's a very good leader and manager of cases. He produces insightful strategies for trials."

Chambers USA 2023

"He is responsive, very sharp, has fantastic instincts and really digs into the details."

Chambers USA 2022

Louie serves as the Hiring Partner for the firm's Houston headquarters. Louie is also active in the Houston community, serving as the Chair of the Houston Bar Association's Litigation Section, and on the Board of Directors for non-profit organizations including the Memorial Park Conservancy, Wesley Community Center and the Benjamin Blanchard Memorial Foundation.

Before joining the firm, Layrisson served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jay C. Zainey of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Admissions & Affiliations

  • State Bar of Texas
  • Louisiana State Bar
  • United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
  • United States District Courts for the Middle, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • Houston Bar Association, Chair, Litigation Section, 2023-2024
  • The Institute for Energy Law, Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Annual Energy Conference
  • Houston Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
  • J.D., Louisiana State University Hebert Law Center 2008
    magna cum laude
    Member, Order of the Coif
    Senior Editor, Louisiana Law Review
  • B.A., Louisiana State University 2005

Experience

Energy Litigation

  • Renewable and traditional power generators – lead counsel in various commercial disputes and MDL litigation arising out of Winter Storm Uri
  • Energy transition clients – advice to various clients regarding risk mitigation associated with CCUS projects along U.S. gulf coast and renewable fuels projects
  • International energy technology company – representation in energy construction dispute arising out of multi-billion dollar greenfield manufacturing project
  • Fortune 500 power generator – lead counsel defending against claims seeking to enforce right of first refusal and block $1.8B asset sale.
  • Oil & gas producers – advice regarding U.S. operations in Eagle Ford, Permian, Haynesville, Bakken, and Marcellus shale plays, including traditional oil and gas litigation matters, nuisance, royalty disputes and class actions, commercial disputes, midstream transportation disputes, environmental legacy and coastal erosion litigation, and related operational issues
  • Energy investors – advice regarding private equity investment risk mitigation, including portfolio company disputes and corporate counseling
  • International E&P company – defense of royalty class action claims involving allocation and commingling claims, resulting in denial of class certification in 2019 and subsequent summary judgment dismissals of opt-out lease claims
  • Oilfield services suppliers – litigation arising from oil and gas well incidents, contract disputes, indemnity and insurance issues, and major greenfield facility construction disputes
  • Frac services provider – tried property damage and insurance coverage bad faith dispute to verdict in 2019, granted $5.3 million-dollar judgment including treble damages and attorneys' fees
  • Energy manufacturer – defense of breach of contract, conspiracy, trespass, and fraud claims arising out of frac sand supply dispute
  • International energy investors – jurisdictional challenges to U.S. venue for various international energy disputes.
  • Public exploration and production corporations – provided in-house legal counsel as secondee related to shale and deepwater operations, compliance, commercial agreements, and supervision of litigation dockets across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wyoming and North Dakota
  • Petrochemical company – representation in crisis response and insurance recovery of $750M arising out of plant explosion
  • Midstream manufacturers and transporters – advice regarding force majeure declarations and subsequent disputes arising out of COVID-19 pandemic
  • Product manufacturers – represented multiple clients in crisis response, governmental enforcement defense, and multiple class action lawsuits arising out of industrial incidents
  • Major refining companies – advice regarding various disputes relating to personal injury, products liability, and contract disputes arising out of downstream operations in Texas and Louisiana
  • Major integrated oil and gas corporation – assisted in multistate defense of federal class action alleging product liability claims, trial team obtained denial of class certification
  • Fortune 100 refining corporation – defense of toxic tort suit relating to benzene exposure claims, including 2016 decision striking plaintiff's experts and dismissing case, unanimously affirmed by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • International commodity marketing companies – advice regarding anti-corruption compliance and marketing disputes

Commercial Disputes

  • Technology consulting firms – advice regarding partnership disputes, trade secret protection, employment and procurement issues, venture capital, and corporate governance matters
  • Manufacturing companies – representation in various business litigation involving product liability claims, force majeure claims, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, control of business, tortious interference, and antitrust claims
  • Commodities traders – defense of breach of contract, fiduciary duty, conspiracy, and fraud claims in domestic arbitrations and bankruptcy adversary proceedings
  • Fortune 500 retailer – defense of claims through federal jury trial in suit alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition
  • Professional sports organization – assisted in products liability action against arena sign manufacturer; case tried in Texas state court to verdict
  • Fortune 500 power generation company – arbitration of management-labor disputes in connection with power generation plants throughout Texas, including favorable arbitration awards as first-chair counsel
  • Regional insurance company – defense of first-party and third-party personal injury and property damage claims
  • Pro Bono Veteran Client – received full reversal of administrative benefits denial by Veterans' Affairs, relief retroactive to 2005 for Iraq War veteran

Representative and Reported Decisions

  • First-chair trial counsel for Compass Well Services in jury verdict exceeding $8 million and exemplary damages against insurer in a complex oil and gas incident dispute involving disputed indemnity and bad faith insurance claims, affirmed on appeal (Great American Insurance Company of New York v. Compass Well Services, LLC, 2020 WL 7393321 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth, Dec. 17, 2020, pet. denied))
  • Defeated class certification in putative royalty class action involving nearly 4,000 royalty owners in Eagle Ford shale (Regmund v. Talisman, No. 4:16-CV-02960, 2019 WL 2863926. Southern District of Texas)
  • Obtained dismissal of private nuisance and negligence claims alleging injuries from odors, noises, and emissions from oil and gas operations in the Eagle Ford, in trial and appellate opinion holding that plaintiffs failed to present qualified expert testimony to support such claims (Cerny v. Marathon Oil Co., 480 S.W.3d 612 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2015, pet. denied))
  • Excluded Plaintiffs' expert witnesses and obtained dismissal in toxic tort suit relating to benzene exposure claims, unanimously affirmed by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (Konrick v. Exxon Mobil Corp., Civil Action No: 14-524, 2016 WL 439361 (E.D. La. Feb. 4, 2016), aff'd, 670 F. App'x 222 (5th Cir. 2016))


Awards and Community

Recognized for Nationwide Oil & Gas Litigation in Chambers USA, 2020-2024

Recognized as a "Next Generation Partner" by The Legal 500 U.S., 2023 & 2024

Recognized in Lawdragon 500-Leading Energy Lawyers, 2023-2024

Recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer (Thomson Reuters), 2020-2024

Recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer-Rising Star (Thomson Reuters), 2015-2019

Recipient, President's Award, presented by Houston Bar Association, 2015 & 2018

Recipient, Judge Thomas Gibbs Gee Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2019