LeElle B. Slifer

• Kosmos Energy Sao Tome and Principe v. ERHC Energy (BVI) Limited (International Chamber of Commerce (London); Harris County District Court, Texas 157 th Judicial District) – Represented Kosmos in a dispute over rights to conduct oil and gas exploration in the Exclusive Economic Zone off the coast of São Tomé and Príncipe. Oversaw dual-track litigation in the ICC and Harris County. Secured preliminary injunctions in both jurisdictions, summary judgment on liability in Harris County, and a complete victory at the ICC, including attorneys’ fees.
• Torreya Partners LLC v. [Confidential] (American Arbitration Association) – Represented a pharmaceutical marketing firm in a dispute with a pharmaceutical manufacturing company over fees owed under a marketing agreement. After taking over for prior counsel within six months of arbitration, finalized a settlement two days before trial that far exceeded the client’s desired result.
• Pizza Hut Inc. v. Accenture LLP (S.D.N.Y.) – Represented Pizza Hut in a breach of contract action against Accenture for failure to provide a software product. Filed suit immediately after pre-suit mediations ended at an impasse. The very next day, Accenture acceded to settlement demands and the parties executed a final agreement within four months. Obtained a settlement of the entire dispute with nothing more than filing a complaint.
• Megan Thee Stallion v. 1501 Certified Entertainment & Carl Crawford (Harris County District Court, Texas) – Represented record label owner and former MLB player Carl Crawford and his record label in a dispute against music artist Megan Thee Stallion regarding breach of contract and unpaid royalties. Replaced prior counsel after years of contentious litigation and negotiated a complex settlement after several successes in litigation.
• DDR Holdings, LLC v. Hotels.com, L.P., et al. (E.D.T.X.) – Represented inventors and patent holders in a patent infringement suit against seven defendants involving third-party website design features. After a jury trial, won verdicts of infringement against the only two defendants who had not settled. Successfully defended the verdict on appeal to the Federal Circuit on a § 101 challenge—the first case to do so after the Supreme Court issued Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l.
• Stonebriar Commercial Finance v. Zetta Jet et al. (Collin County District Court, Texas 380th Judicial District) – Won complete judgements (including award of attorneys’ fees) against defendants and then pursued enforcement actions in five different states including managing several related actions in Colorado state court and bankruptcy court. Negotiated the exchange of a private aircraft as part of the settlement agreement.
• Stonebriar Commercial Finance v. Griffin Barges (S.D.T.X. and E.D.L.A.) – Seized four multimillion-dollar cargo barges (two in the Houston Ship Channel, two docked in New Orleans) used as collateral to secure a loan. Facilitated the subsequent sale of the barges, the proceeds of which fully covered the entire outstanding debt, and all attorneys’ fees.
• Black Stone Minerals v. Chesapeake, PXP Louisiana, et al. (DeSoto Parish, Louisiana 42nd Judicial District) – Sued Chesapeake and PXP Louisiana (now Freeport-McMoRan) for underpaying royalties on minerals produced in the Haynesville Shale. Reached a favorable settlement with PXP within months of filing suit and with Chesapeake days before trial.
• Black Stone Minerals v. Chesapeake, Total E&P, et al. (part of MDL in Tarrant County District Court, Texas 348th Judicial District) – Sued Chesapeake and Total for underpaying royalties on minerals produced in the Barnett Shale as part of the leadership in multidistrict litigation in Texas involving similar claims made by other royalty owners. Briefed, argued, and defeated multiple case-specific and MDL-wide summary judgment motions which resulted in settlements with all defendants.
• Dilworth v. Chesapeake (McMullen County District Court, Texas 343rd Judicial District) – Sued Chesapeake for underpaying royalties on minerals produced in the Eagle Ford Shale. Secured favorable settlement for the Dilworth family.
• Bell Textron Inc. v. Scott Drennan and Hyundai Motor America (Tarrant County District Court, Texas 96 th Judicial District) – Part of a team that obtained a swift settlement on behalf of Drennan, Hyundai, and all potential defendants in connection with allegations of theft of trade secrets and violations of a non-compete agreement.
• Griffith v. Waters (Dallas County District Court, Texas 134th Judicial District) – After parachuting in as trial counsel on the day of trial, obtained verdict for client through post-judgment briefing and oral argument in a real estate dispute.

LeElle Slifer is a seasoned trial lawyer with experience in a wide range of disputes, including breach of contract, oil and gas, breach of fiduciary duty, patent and copyright infringement, non-competes, theft of trade secrets, class actions, antitrust, securities, RICO, and even the seizure of cargo barges and private jets, to name just a few. LeElle’s clients describe her as their “go-to” lawyer who can handle any problem, “providing time-critical business and strategic counsel that can make all the difference in high stakes litigation.” She understands that getting the best result means more than just the legal outcome, it means focusing on the client’s business goals at every juncture.

LeElle has litigated in federal and state courts nationwide, trying matters before both judges and juries. She has participated in numerous domestic and foreign arbitrations, including before the International Chamber of Commerce in London. One of her trials—DDR Holdings v. Hotels.com, in which her team won a jury verdict of patent infringement in the Eastern District of Texas—was the first case to survive a Section 101 challenge at the Federal Circuit after the Supreme Court issued Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l and was the only case to do so for almost two years. She has also briefed and argued many federal and state appeals throughout the country, including to the Supreme Court in Comcast Corp. v. Behrend.

LeElle knows that litigation forms just one aspect of her clients’ businesses. She thinks tactically, keeping her clients’ objectives and concerns top-of-mind as she counsels them through litigation. And her clients can attest to the success of LeElle’s results-oriented approach:

“I’ve had the privilege of working with many of the country’s top lawyers, and LeElle stands at the very top of that tier. A brilliant strategist and master negotiator, LeElle assesses the moment instantly, calibrates her approach, and then effectively executes with surgical precision and absolute integrity. She moves effortlessly between Wall Street boardrooms and small-town courtrooms—, bringing the same commanding presence and relatable authenticity to both. Put simply, if you’re looking for strong, smart, efficient, business-first advocacy—whether for a bet-the-company case or a simple dispute—I couldn’t recommend her more highly.” – Jason Schwartz, General Counsel for Stonebriar Commercial Finance.