Kelly H. Leonard

Kelly principally serves clients in the energy and manufacturing industries with a focus on contract interpretation and construction. She has successfully advised clients in disputes related to purchase and sale agreements, joint operating agreements, trespass to try title, natural gas processing and gathering agreements, rights of first refusal, company agreements, trade secrets, non-competition agreements and tortious interference with contract, among other matters.

Kelly has state and federal court experience, including second-chair trial experience, taking and/or defending depositions, drafting and arguing dispositive motions and handling all aspects of pre-trial preparation. Kelly's experience also extends to appellate work, including briefs in the United States Supreme Court, Fifth Circuit, Texas Supreme Court and Texas intermediate courts of appeals. With trial and appellate experience under her belt, Kelly is well-versed in every phase of the litigation process. She is able to critically evaluate the facts of each case to achieve an efficient resolution. For some cases, that involves exploring a business outcome to resolve a dispute prior to trial. For others, it means preparing legal arguments to strike expert witnesses, limiting another party's claims or contentions through motions for summary judgment or evaluating complex damage models or defenses.

Before entering private practice, Kelly served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jane Bland of the First Court of Appeals at Houston, Texas.