Oil and Gas Expert Witnesses in Texas
The SEAK Expert Witness Directory contains a comprehensive list of oil and gas expert witnesses who testify, consult and provide litigation support on oil and gas and related issues. Oil and gas expert witnesses and consultants on this page may form expert opinions, draft expert witness reports, and provide expert witness testimony at deposition and trial. The issues and subjects these oil and gas expert witnesses testify regarding may include: Explosion, Safety, Drilling, Environmental, Oil And Gas, Blowout, Construction, Drilling Operations, Engineering, Gas, Land, Oil, Petroleum Engineering, Pipeline, and Reservoir Engineering.
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Ralph Cantafio, Esq.
Expert Witness – Oil & Gas and Energy Law
Cantafio Law
Oil and Gas, Legal
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Energy Arbitration, Energy Regulation, Environmental Permitting, Farmouts, Fracking Litigation, JOA Disputes, Land Use & Zoning, Mineral Deeds, Natural Resource Damages, Oil & Gas Law, Oil & Gas Leases, ORR Disputes, Petroleum Economics, Renewable Energy Projects, Surface Use Agreements, Utility Easements, Unitization & Pooling
Ralph A. Cantafio, Esq. is a nationally recognized legal expert and seasoned attorney with more than 40 years of experience in oil and gas law, energy regulation, surface use and mineral rights, natural resources development, and energy-related litigation and arbitration. He regularly serves as an expert witness, arbitrator, mediator, and subject matter educator in complex disputes involving upstream oil and gas operations, royalty underpayment, lease interpretation, joint operating agreements (JOAs), unitization, permitting, and pipeline routing.
Mr. Cantafio is a licensed attorney in Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming, and has practiced before state and federal courts including the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, and Tenth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served as lead counsel in over 100 jury trials and numerous regulatory and administrative proceedings. His expertise is frequently called upon in matters involving hydraulic fracturing regulation, Se...
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Jonathan (Jay) L Beam, B.S, M.S., CSP
Oilfield & Industrial Safety Eng. | Catastrophic
Inertia Consulting Group
Texas
Safety, Oil and Gas
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Oilfield Accident expert, Workplace safety expert, Accident reconstruction, Root Cause Analysis, Technical evidence review, Process safety expert, Safety engineering, Forensic engineering, Production engineering, OSHA compliance expert, Accident investigations, Industrial accident expert, Mechanical Failures
With over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Jonathan Beam is a seasoned Safety and Forensic Engineer recognized for technical depth, investigative rigor, and strategic insight in complex industrial cases. His multidisciplinary background, combining a B.S. in Biology, Minor in Chemistry, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, enables him to bridge the gap between process safety, chemical behavior, and mechanical system performance across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.
Throughout his career, Jay has led and supported accident investigations, OSHA and regulatory inquiries, and root cause analyses involving process safety incidents, mechanical failures, and catastrophic injuries. His analytical and technical expertise extends to regulatory compliance reviews, engineering assessments, and system-level failure modeling.
In addition to his field and technical experience, Jay provides specialized litigation and expert witness support to law firms, insura...
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Cassandra K Moody, M.S., P.E.
Licensed PE-Field Experience-O&G Pipeline Safety
Time For Change, LLC.
Houston, Texas
Oil and Gas, Safety
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Pipeline, PHMSA, Safety, Integrity Management, Gas, Oil, Distribution, Transmission, Gathering, Residential, Procedure, Explosion, Spill, Environmental, Mechanical, Professional Engineer, Construction, 49 CFR 192, 195, Pigging
Cassandra K. Moody, M.S., P.E., is different from other experts in that she actively works as a licensed mechanical engineer with vast hands-on experience who understands the unique challenges legal matters present. She communicates effectively and provides results for the projects she works on.
Mrs. Moody is passionate about engineering risk-informed solutions to safely optimize ROI: Return on INTEGRITY. She conveys visionary leadership, technical competency, and distinctive communication cultivated over fifteen years of midstream operations and integrity engineering experience with a mid-size oil and gas operator.
As a proficient expert with nearly twenty (20) years in the midstream pipeline industry, Mrs. Moody has represented both plaintiffs and defendants on a variety of cases both in the courtroom and through expert opinion reports. Mrs. Moody’s retained engagements as an independent Engineering Expert have resulted in favorable resolutions for 100% of her clients. Mrs. Mo...
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Karym G. Kinnibrugh, Ph.D.
Materials Science Failure Analysis Consultant
Rimkus
Houston, Texas
Failure Analysis, Engineering
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Failure Analysis, Corrosion Control and Diagnosis, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Testing and Characterization, Oil and Gas, Energy Consulting, Advanced Surface Science Expertise, Materials and Interface Solutions, Ceramics and Polymers
Senior Consultant Karym Kinnibrugh, Ph.D., is a materials scientist whose expertise includes failure analysis; corrosion diagnosis, control, and prevention; electrochemical testing techniques; surface science; and ceramics and polymers.
Dr. Kinnibrugh is also a product development professional who has more than 15 years of diverse research and development experience in surfactants, emulsions, colloids, polymer functionalization, biomaterials, surface chemistry, interfacial phenomena, and organic synthesis.
Dr. Karym Kinnibrugh is a Materials Scientist who graduated with a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Materials Science and Engineering and holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Her expertise focuses in the electrochemical and corrosion field which includes electrochemical testing techniques, corrosion diagnosis, failure analysis, and corrosion control and prevention. She is proficient in characterization and analytical techniques such as met...
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Jihye Kim, Ph.D, PMP
Chemical Safety, Product Liability, Patent Dispute
Houston, Texas
Chemistry & Chemicals, Chemical Engineering
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Oil and Gas, Water treatment, Agriculture, Disinfectants/Biocides, Cleaning Products, Surfactant, Formulation Science, Application Engineering, Forensic Analysis & Engineering, Chemical & Hazardous Material Incident, Chemical Burn Fire Explosion, Regulatory Compliance, Process Safety, Patent Dispute, Organic Acids, Herbicide
Ph.D Chemical engineer providing expert consultation and forensic analysis on matters requiring deep scientific rigor, product failure evaluation, and real-world application insights relevant to chemical product development, chemical safety, and intellectual property. Hands-on experience in product formulation, performance testing, regulatory compliance, application engineering, and field adoption across oil & gas, water treatment, agriculture, and home, industrial, and institutional cleaning sectors.
Holder of 10+ issued patents. Author of 14 scientific articles. Recognized reviewer of a peer-reviewed journal in petroleum science and engineering. Invited speaker & panelist at three industry symposiums. A trusted authority in applied chemistry and field performance. Led the development and commercialization of multi-million-dollar technologies that have been successfully adopted in the oilfield. Recognized with industry awards for innovation and manufacturing excellence.
CHEMICA...
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Eugene J Sweeney
Oil and Gas Engineer
Spring, Texas
Oil and Gas, Petroleum Engineering
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well control, well operations, blowout, oilfield accident, petroleum engineering, oil asset valuation, drilling, completions, rig, explosion, refinery, safety, remediation , engineering and operations , oilfield , oil and gas , oil lease , gas lease , gas explosion , rig fire
I graduated with a BS from MIT and have advanced degrees from Texas A&M (Petroleum Engineering) and UMich.
I have over 25 years' experience as a leader in the Oil and Gas industry.
My certifications include:
Licensed Petroleum Engineer (Texas license # 102422)
Certified SPE Petroleum Engineer
Certified Safety Professional (BCSP)
I have performed expert witness and evaluation for both identification of root causes of oilfield accidents and asset valuations.
Exploration and production of oil and gas assets and economic analysis of energy assets. Asset portfolio management and reservoir management.
Leading BP’s global well control team after the Macondo incident to address the institutional risks that had led to the catastrophe. During my 7-year tenure there was a marked 70% reduction in higher level events
Analysis and remediation of oil and gas well accidents- led incident investigations for well control incidents
Numerous publications and patents
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Charles Cusack
Experts in all aspects of upstream oil and gas
Legoil Consulting
Houston, Texas
Oil and Gas, Geology
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Land, Engineering, HSE, Structural mapping, Title, Drilling Operations, Production, Horizontal wells, Geophysics, Completion Operations, Exploration, Reservoir Engineering, Safety, Stratigraphy
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Oil and gas exploration, exploitation, and development
• Proficient in all areas of upstream oil and gas
• Have supervised the drilling, completion, and production of over a thousand oil and gas wells
• Familiar with industry accepted and customary practices
Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, US shale plays
• Have extensive experience throughout these areas
• Have worked 249 distinct trends, fields and prospects (see addendum)
Operational planning and oversight of drilling programs
• Preparing geological prognosis
• Review drilling procedures
• Adherence to state and local regulations
• Monitoring daily mud logs, directional targeting, MWD, and geosteering
• Recommending specific coring and logging programs
• Interpreting well logs, core analysis, and mud logs
• Deciding on major drilling decisions such as whether to complete a well, sidetrack, or plug it
• Review of completion design and procedures including fracking operations
• Review facilities design including ha...
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Nicholas S Cleveland
Operations Engineer/Project Manager - Oil & Gas
New Auburn Energy Management
Fort Worth, Texas
Oil and Gas, Petroleum Engineering
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Oil, Gas, Drilling, Completion, Engineering, Operations, Wellbore, Downhole, Horizontal, Directional, Production, Well Control, Casing Design, BHA - Drilling Tools, Fishing Operations, Multi-Well Pad, Cement Design, AFE/Cost Estimates, Project Management
Results-driven Engineer & Project Manager with over 20 years experience in drilling, completions, and production across major U.S. basins. Proven ability to stand-up operations, minimize drilling costs, optimize well performance, and enhance operational efficiency. Experienced in managing multi-well projects, AFE preparation, vendor & contract negotiations, and wellbore construction. Adept at directional drilling, cementing and casing design to maximize operational success. Technical Expertise includes Wellbore Design & Construction, Horizontal & Directional Drilling Techniques, AFE (Authority for Expenditure) Preparation, Vendor Services, Drilling Rig Optimization, Multi-Well Pad Development, Simultaneous Operations, Fishing Operations.
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Bill Cline
Oil and gas expert reports, valuations, testimony
Cline Energy Advisors LLC
Houston, Texas
Oil and Gas, Economics
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Valuation of petroleum assets, international oil and gas, petroleum contracts and agreements, petroleum sector taxation, petroleum engineering, energy economics, geology, arbitration and litigation, petroleum industry standards and practices, industry expert, drilling, exploration and production
Mr. Cline has acted in the capacity of expert witness particularly with respect to valuation of petroleum properties and/or petroleum industry practices in numerous arbitration, mediation and litigation proceedings including: ExxonMobil vs. Venezuela (ICSID); ExxonMobil vs. Petróleos de Venezuela (ICC); Anadarko Petroleum/Maersk vs. Sonatrach (UNCITRAL); Maersk vs. Algeria (ICSID); Sonatrach vs. Duke (UNCITRAL); Texaco vs. Apache (AAA); Vanco vs. Ukraine (Stockholm Chamber of Commerce); Occidental vs. Ecuador (mediation); CNOOC vs. Talisman (mediation); a series of arbitrations related to Egypt’s natural gas sector (ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and CRCICA); Midland Resources vs. Shtaif et al. (Ontario Superior Court); Total/ExxonMobil/Chevron/Nexen vs. NNPC (Nigerian arbitration); Repsol vs. Chevron (Spanish litigation); Niko vs. Bangladesh (ICSID and Bangladesh litigation); First National Petroleum vs. TNG (Stockholm Chamber of Commerce); Nexen/Occidental et al. vs. Yemen and multiple case...
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Stepan V Eero
Electrical & Corrosion Engineering Expert
Dreiym Engineering PLLC
Coldspring, Texas
Electrical Engineering, Oil and Gas
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Cathodic Protection, Corrosion Control, AC Interference, Stray Current, Arc Flash, Shock, Electrocution, Corrosion Failure, Explosion, AC Mitigation, Anode, Disbondment, Overprotection, Sacrificial, Impressed Current, Fire, Origin, Cause
Stepan Eero is a Senior Corrosion and Electrical Engineer at Dreiym Engineering PLLC who provides litigation support in complex cases involving corrosion failures, electrical hazards, and asset integrity disputes. His work centers on delivering clear, defensible technical opinions that withstand scrutiny in depositions, arbitration, and trial.
With extensive experience in cathodic protection design and evaluation, AC/DC interference analysis, grounding and bonding assessments, and failure investigations, Stepan brings a deep understanding of both corrosion science and electrical systems. He routinely conducts root‑cause analyses, coatings evaluations, and electrical safety assessments for pipelines, industrial facilities, and critical infrastructure, ensuring findings are technically sound and aligned with industry standards such as NFPA, IEEE, OSHA, and AMPP.
Stepan’s litigation support services include preparing comprehensive expert reports, responding to discovery requests, and...
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John R. Puskar, PE, CEM, CIEP
Boilers, Ovens, Furnaces, Natural Gas, Coke Gas
Prescient Technical Services llc.
Texas
Oil and Gas, Fire
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Propane, Boilers, Natural Gas, Furnaces, Carbon Monoxide, NFPA Codes, gas piping, steam, explosions, fires, Industrial Ovens, Coke Oven Gas, heaters, burners, NFPA 54, NFPA 85, ASME CSD-1, NFPA 86, NFPA 56, NFPA 820
President, Prescient Technical Services (Cleveland, OH)
ASME Fellow • AEE Fellow • ASME Uzgiris-Barnett Product Safety Medalist
John R. Puskar, PE, is a mechanical engineer and nationally recognized expert witness in boilers, fuel-gas systems, flammable gas piping, combustion equipment, industrial ovens and furnaces, process heaters, thermal oxidizers, and steam system safety. He specializes in root-cause failure analysis, fire and explosion investigations, carbon monoxide incidents, purging accidents, and code compliance for NFPA 54, NFPA 56, NFPA 85, NFPA 86, NFPA 820, NFPA 59A, and ASME CSD-1. Clients engage him for investigations, reports, deposition, and testimony in matters involving natural gas, propane/LPG, hydrogen, LNG, refinery and petrochemical equipment, utilities, power generation, wastewater treatment, food processing, metals, and automotive manufacturing.
A former Senior Energy Systems Engineer at Standard Oil/BP, Mr. Puskar founded what became the largest ind...
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Greg A. Barnes, PE
Oil and Gas Asset Valuation
Auburn Energy Management
Houston, Texas
Oil and Gas, Appraisal & Valuation
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Reservoir Engineering, Oil and Gas Asset Valuation, Reserves Reporting, Field Development, Prudent Operator, Reserve Damages, Unconventional Reservoirs, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Development Demands
Greg is a petroleum engineer with over 30 years of diverse engineering, operations, and management experience in six states. He has managed a business unit in the Rockies and in the Williston Basin for Encore Acquisition Company of Fort Worth (now a part of Exxon). He was a founding member of Silver Oak Energy, a private equity backed company working in East Texas and the Mid Continent. He is currently an advisor for New Tech Auburn, a global project management firm in Houston, Texas. He provides acquisition evaluation and due diligence reporting, provides internal reserve reports, and helps with asset development strategies for clients in Texas New Mexico, and Oklahoma. He has a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University with a focus on Reservoir Engineering. He has valued assets in the Permian and Scoop/STACK, Bakken, East Texas, and the Eagle Ford Shale. Greg is a registered professional engineer in Texas and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
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Harold E. McGowen, III
Petroleum Engineering/Oil & Gas Operations Expert
Navidad Forensics
Bullard, Texas
Petroleum Engineering, Oil and Gas
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Personal Injury, Securities Fraud, Hydraulic Fracturing, Patent, Operations Failure, Equipment Failure, Safety in Design, Environmental, Drilling Operations, Completions Operations, Horizontal Drilling, Trade Secret, Oilfield Operations, Reserves Projections, Safety Engineering, Machine Design, Root Cause Analysis, Blowout , Explosion
Harold E. McGowen, III is a Registered Professional Engineer with over 40 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry. His business background is robust, having started and been a part of building and selling several companies including working with Private Equity. His bent and background is highly technical, and he has worked as an engineer and manager for several organizations, giving him a broad view of the industry. He has been involved in all steps of the oil and gas exploration and production process.
Harold has provided expert witness services to assist in patent litigation and inter partes reviews related to down-hole tools, materials/chemicals, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and other oilfield-related technologies. Harold has also provided expert witness services related to hydraulic fracturing "crashing", equipment failures, and operational negligence.
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Mark Goldsmith
Field Operations/Well Owner/Drilling Rig Owner
Mark D Goldsmith PE
LIVINGSTON, Texas
Petroleum Engineering, Oil and Gas
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Field Engineer, land man, stored energy, safety, Drilling Contractor, oil and gas lease, construction, cementing, Operator, pipeline, injury, pipe failure, Hands On, workover, decommission, wellhead, upstream, swabbing, abandonment, pumpjack
Petroleum Engineer and Texas Registered Professional Engineer with over 40 years of experience in upstream oil and gas operations, including drilling, completions, hydraulic fracturing, production, pressure control, well integrity, rig operations, and oilfield safety. Former Texas Operator, well owner, consulting engineer, drilling company president, and field engineer/Person in Charge (PIC) with hands-on experience supervising drilling rigs, workover rigs, production facilities, frac operations, pressure testing, and contractor oversight. Experienced expert witness and litigation consultant for plaintiff and defense matters involving wellsite accidents, pressure release incidents, equipment failures, rigging operations, leasehold disputes, mineral rights, and operator standard of care analysis.
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Samuel T Bacot, CPL
Oil and Gas Landman
LĒGOIL Consulting, LLC
Missouri City, Texas
Oil and Gas, Energy
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Land, Title, Ownership, Transactions, Right-of-Way, Mineral Rights, Surface Use, Mineral Servitudes, Production Audits, Contracts, Mineral Valuation, Operations, Lease Maintenance, Regulatory, Royalty, Acquisition and Divestiture, Due Diligence, Encumbrances, Damage Settlements, Revenue and Cost Accounting
Certified Professional Landman with over 20 years experience
Education:
2001 Louisiana State University, E.J Ourso College of Business: Bachelor of Science in Finance, with a Minor
in Internal Auditing
Seak: How to start, build and run a successful expert witness practice
Seak: How to Excel at Your Expert Witness Deposition
Professional:
• Qualified in the United States Western District Court and in the Louisiana State District Court as an
Expert Witness specific to the record title analysis and ownership, financial analysis of production
revenue as same relates to ownership and title, prudent operator standards of the Oil and Gas industry,
overriding royalties, leases and working interests.
• Guest lecturer at the University of Houston Law Center on Due Diligence and the acquisition of oil and
gas assets.
Member of AAPL, HAPL, BRAAPL
Experience:
Recoil Resources July 2016-Present Vice President of Land and Business Development
• Successfully raised $102M in private equity fundi...
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David Sinai
Gas Station-Car Wash-Food Mart - Liquor Store
Senior Lead Consultant
Texas
Automotive, Oil and Gas
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Gas station, Slip and Fall, Car wash, Gas Pump, Truck Stops, Industry Standards, Food Mart, Gasoline, Liquor store, Diesel, Fuel station, Environmental, Product Liability, Management and Operational , Negligence, Service Station, Duty of Care, Personal injury , Foreseeability, Gasoline burn
Mr. Sinai – President, Petroleum & C-Store Management Group®
Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Sinai is the President of Petroleum & C-Store Management Group®, headquartered in Los Angeles, California. With over 24 years of extensive experience in the design, construction, management, consulting, and operation of gas stations, truck stops, convenience stores, liquor stores, and car washes across the United States, Mr. Sinai serves as an expert witness and provides testimony in a broad range of legal matters, including:
Liability & Safety
• Product Liability
• Premises Liability
• Negligence & Duty of Care
• Foreseeability
• Industry Standards Compliance
• Fire & Explosion Incidents
• Vehicle Collisions on Business Premises
• Assault & Security-Related Claims
Operational & Equipment Issues
• Faulty Nozzle Triggers
• Gasoline & Diesel Burn Injuries
• Slip & Fall Accidents
• Gas Pump Malfunctions
• Management & Operational Disputes
• Truck Stop Operations & Compliance
• Car Wash Safet...
You can also find Oil and Gas Expert Witnesses in:
California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia
