Pamela L. Hemphill

Pam specializes in patent and technology-related complex commercial litigation.

Prior to attending law school, Pam worked for Exxon Co., U.S.A. as a Senior Engineer specializing in formation evaluation, reservoir management, producing field operations, infill drilling programs and producing property acquisitions. Pam previously practiced as a litigation associate with Baker Botts, L.L.P., and her litigation experience and educational background as an electrical engineer have positioned her to assist numerous clients in energy-related patent and performance disputes.

Representative Experience

• Global Tubing v. Tenaris Coiled Tubes. Obtained a complete defense victory in connection with seeking a declaratory judgment that Global Tubing’s quench-and-tempered coiled tubing products – key to its business – did not infringe three Tenaris patents. Over the six-year dispute, we defeated several motions to dismiss, obtained a discovery ruling that used the crime-fraud exception to order Tenaris to produce attorney-client communications related to a key prior art document, and an opinion sanctioning Tenaris for violating the protective in prosecuting follow-on patents. The district court granted our client’s motion for summary judgment and found all the patents unenforceable due to Tenaris’s fraud on the Patent Office.
• Successfully represented international oil and gas professional in multi-million dollar contractual dispute involving an origination bonus for securing a lucrative oil concession in the Middle East.
• Assisted client in pre-suit investigation involving offshore drilling equipment failure by conducting detailed fact investigation and assessing its potential liability.
• Berge Helene v. GE Oil & Gas Technical lead in $52 million breach of warranty and fraud case involving the performance of reciprocating gas compressors aboard an FPSO off the coast of Mauritania. The five-week bench trial in Houston federal court resulted in take-nothing judgment on behalf of GE Oil & Gas.
• Represented clients in cases involving allegations of patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, products liability, toxic tort, tortious interference and negligence associated with technologies including blowout preventers, downhole tools for oil and gas wells, drill bits, natural gas compressors, cutting disposal, wind.

Presentations & Publications

• “Five Ways To Win Patent Litigation,” GE Oil and Gas Views & News, November, 2012 (co-author)