The Firm’s pipeline and infrastructure practice is built on a combination of legal experience, engineering training, and direct involvement with pipeline projects and energy-related business transactions. That background allows the Firm to evaluate pipeline and condemnation matters from both the legal and technical sides of the dispute.
Mr. Overton has worked as an attorney and engineer in matters involving crude oil, natural gas liquids, refined products, chemicals, natural gas, and industrial gas pipelines. His experience includes pipeline company management, investment banking, permitting, design, construction, operations, maintenance, safety, contracts, and project development.
Technical and Commercial Pipeline Experience
The Firm has drafted and negotiated pipeline and project agreements involving sales, acquisitions, corporate governance, throughput, construction, tie-ins, operations, and commercial risk allocation. That experience is useful because pipeline disputes often turn on practical facts: how a system was designed, what was constructed, how it operated, what risks were allocated by contract, and what consequences follow from a failure, delay, access dispute, or operational limitation.
Condemnation and Right-of-Way Experience
The Firm has experience with pipeline, highway, and municipal utility district condemnation matters, including right-of-way acquisition, easements, surface-use restrictions, mineral reservations, access, noise, severance damages, structured damage and compensation payments, insurance issues, and related property impacts. The Firm has also pursued and obtained injunctive relief in condemnation-related matters when immediate legal attention was required.
Expert Witness and Consulting
Attorneys have sought Mr. Overton’s assistance to review cases, analyze technical issues, prepare reports, and testify regarding pipeline safety, design, construction, operations, maintenance, right-of-way issues, and damages. His combined legal and engineering background allows him to evaluate documents, testimony, construction facts, operational history, and industry practices in a manner useful to lawyers, clients, mediators, and courts.
Governance, Regulatory, and Project Experience
Mr. Overton has served in officer and corporate secretary roles for entities owning and operating major Gulf of Mexico pipeline systems and related infrastructure. His experience includes corporate governance, regulatory compliance planning, homeland-security-related compliance, FERC tariff issues, market-based rate matters, and comments on proposed federal regulations affecting offshore oil and gas transportation.