A trial lawyer with hands-on advocacy experience beyond her years, Laura Shoemaker McGonagill excels at distilling complex disputes into coherent, understandable themes to present to juries, judges, and arbitrators. She approaches all stages of a dispute to best position her clients to tell their story. From taking and defending depositions of experts, corporate representatives, and fact witnesses, to arguing dispositive and other motions in state and federal court, and ultimately cross-examining and presenting witnesses at trial and in arbitration hearings, she makes the complicated simple. This approach, combined with her trial skills and experience, differentiates her from her peers and has made her a go-to advocate for case teams heading toward trial or final hearing. She has been recognized as a "Leading Associate" in Energy Litigation: Oil and Gas in The Legal 500 U.S. (2025, 2026), in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation and Energy (2025-2027), and as a Texas Super Lawyer-Rising Star (2024-2026). The Houston Association of Women Attorneys Foundation recently honored her as a Premier Women in Law "Rising Star" for 2026, and she was named a 2026 Outstanding Young Lawyer Finalist by the Houston Young Lawyers Association.
Laura focuses her practice on energy litigation and arbitration, complex business disputes, and the defense of large-scale commercial and energy projects. In the energy space, Laura works closely with upstream, midstream, downstream, power, and renewable energy clients on a broad range of issues involving disputes over leases, power purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, joint operating agreements, midstream agreements, master service agreements, and purchase and sale agreements, among others. She also defends commercial and energy infrastructure projects, including pipeline, manufacturing, LNG, and real estate development projects, against third-party community nuisance suits involving emissions exposure, personal injury, trespass, and water diversion and flooding claims, including claims under the Texas Water Code. She has also represented clients in disputes over water permitting issues for the production and transportation of groundwater. Laura is particularly skilled at navigating the intersection of traditional litigation with regulatory proceedings and public relations strategy, including matters involving TCEQ, SOAH, ERCOT, and the PUC.
Laura proudly maintains an active pro bono practice and leadership role in the community. She is a two-time recipient of the Judge Thomas Gibbs Gee Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, including in 2023 for her work to end the tampon tax in Texas, where she testified before the Texas Legislature and balanced administrative, judicial, legislative, regulatory, and public relations priorities to secure repeal of the sales tax on feminine hygiene products. She serves on the Board of Wesley Community Center, and she was named "Most Likely to Never Give Up" by Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the largest provider of pro bono legal services in Harris County, in its 2022-2023 Year in Review.
Energy Litigation
Tort Litigation
Diversion of Water/Flooding
Pro Bono
Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation & Energy, 2025 & 2026
Listed as a "Leading Associate" in Energy Litigation: Oil & Gas by The Legal 500 U.S., 2025 & 2026
Recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer-Rising Star (Thomson Reuters), 2024-2026
Named a Premier Women in Law "Rising Star" by Houston Association of Women Attorneys Foundation, 2026
Recipient, Judge Thomas Gibbs Gee Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2023, 2025