David Leonard
Partner

I take great satisfaction in rolling up my sleeves and working alongside sophisticated clients to solve their most intractable business challenges.  In so doing, I leverage my real-world experience with evidentiary hearings, trials, and arbitrations in state and federal courts across Texas. 

David Leonard takes the lead through every phase of the dispute resolution process, from internal investigations and pre-suit negotiations, to fact and expert discovery, trial, and appeal.  He also has deep experience handling evidentiary hearings, including hearings on applications for temporary restraining orders and injunctions.

David’s clients range from high-net-worth individuals to multi-national corporations across many industries, with an emphasis on the oil and gas and real estate industries. David also has substantial experience handling partnership disputes and disputes under non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.  He also has experience representing heavy equipment dealers and car dealerships.
  
David’s oil and gas practice focuses on disputes under contracts such as joint operating agreements, oil and gas leases, gas gathering and processing agreements, master service agreements, division orders, and vendor agreements.
  
His real estate practice focuses on representation of landowners (retail, medical, industrial and office) in disputes under contracts such as leases, easement agreements, restrictive covenants, access agreements, option agreements, title policies and broker agreements. 
 
In 2023 and 2024, David was recognized as a “Top 100” Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters company).  He has maintained the Rising Star designation for ten years.

He is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Texas and New Mexico.

Thought Leadership / News
February 23, 2023 
 Speeches and Presentations
Trends in Oil and Gas Litigation

Texas Journal of Oil, Gas & Energy Law 2023 Symposium

July 15, 2022 
 Speeches and Presentations
What Commercial Landlords Need to Know About Lease Defaults

State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course 

Honors
  • Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Commerical Litigation (2025)
  • Named a Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters company) as published in Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers magazines (2015 - 2024)
    • Up-and-Coming 100:Texas Rising Stars Top List (2023 - 2024)
  • Named a Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer in Houston (2019 - 2023)
Key Representative Experience
  • Private arbitration in Harris County, Texas for an E&P company in a dispute with gatherer-processor over calculation of theoretical gallons of natural gas liquids.
  • Jury verdict in Karnes County, Texas for an E&P company in a payment dispute with a working interest owner.  
  • Jury verdict in Harris County, Texas for a publicly-traded waste disposal company in a payment dispute with a staffing vendor.
  • Final Judgment in Matagorda County, Texas for a publicly-traded owner of an underground natural gas storage cavern after a two-week bench trial in an ad valorem property tax protest.
  • Final Award for a global manufacturer of nutritional supplement manufacturer in a payment dispute with its South African distributor after a final hearing administered under the AAA Rules.
Organizational Involvement
  • St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
    • Board of Directors, St. Martin's Episcopal Preschool
  • Texas Exes Houston Chapter
Education
  • J.D., The University of Texas School of Law, Managing Editor, Texas Journal of Oil, Gas & Energy Law (2011)
  • B.A., with honors, The University of Texas at Austin, Phi Beta Kappa (2008)
Bar Admissions
  • Texas
  • New Mexico
Court Admissions
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court, Western District of Texas
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • United States District Court, District of New Mexico
When I Feel Most At Home
  • Spending time with my wife and two young boys
  • Traveling to the mountains or the beach
  • Attending sporting events (preferably the Astros and Longhorns!)