About Us

Tackling energy disputes is what we do.

Hogan Thompson Schuelke is a litigation boutique focused on the energy industry. We work for Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized businesses, and individuals across the country.

Based in Houston, Texas, the trial team at Hogan Thompson Schuelke excels at resolving complex legal disputes in upstream and midstream oil and gas, construction related to energy projects, and renewable energy— with the goal of getting the best results possible for your business.

Energy litigation focus

Founded by Christopher Hogan and Samantha Thompson in 2020, Hogan Thompson Schuelke exclusively handles commercial litigation, with a focus on representing energy companies. Our industry sector experience includes upstream oil and gas, oil and gas midstream, energy-related construction, and real estate. Our key areas of focus include oil and gas litigation, shale litigation, and royalty litigation.

We have experience in resolving commercial disputes of all sizes for Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized businesses, and individuals. Our attorneys have worked on disputes across oil and gas-producing regions in the United States, including the Permian and Delaware Basins, the Eagle Ford Shale, the Haynesville Shale, the DJ Basin, and offshore Gulf of Mexico. 

Our attorneys

Since its founding in 2020, our firm has rapidly grown from two founding partners to an eleven-attorney team representing clients nationwide. Our firm has top-tier talent rivaling any firm in Texas, and every lawyer on our team served as a federal judicial clerk. Our partners, Christopher Hogan, Samantha Thompson and James Schuelke, all graduated from top-ranked law schools and have significant experience in state and federal court and arbitration proceedings. Chambers and Partners has recognized the firm in the 2022-2024 Oil & Gas Litigation (USA – Nationwide) guides, in addition to Christopher Hogan as Band 1 (since 2020) and Samantha Thompson as Band 2 (since 2022).

Founding partner Christopher Hogan has substantial experience in federal court, state court, and arbitration proceedings. He has tried numerous cases as first chair, including jury trials and arbitration final hearings. Chris’ practice niches include mineral rights disputes such as pooling and commingling, ownership, and royalty payment issues. He is a member of the Pattern Jury Charges – Oil and Gas Committee for the Texas Bar Association, a council member for the Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and an officer for the Institute for Energy Law – Litigation and Dispute Practice Committee.

Founding partner Samantha Thompson excels at pinpointing important details in complicated cases and then applying those findings to successful legal strategies. Initially pursuing a career in research psychology, she views each matter as an integral part of her clients’ businesses and is energized by helping them reach a favorable resolution. Samantha’s practice niche includes complex title disputes, including adverse possession, record title and bona fide purchasers, retained acreage clauses, and lease termination claims. She also serves on the Young Energy Professionals Council for the Institute for Energy Law.

Partner James Schuelke brings extensive trial experience in construction, midstream and petrochemical disputes to Hogan Thompson Schuelke. He is known for his ability to handle every stage of a case, from pre-suit negotiations through jury verdicts and final appeals. Both as lead counsel and in key roles on multi-member trial teams, he has represented clients across a broad range of industries in complex litigation and arbitration matters. 

Of Counsel Jennifer Josephson works collaboratively with legal teams, helping to win challenging commercial disputes in state and federal trial and appellate courts. With her clear, persuasive writing style, her deep research skills, and her audience always in mind, Jennifer has successfully spearheaded countless critical trial motions and appellate briefs over the course of her career.

Of Counsel Solace Southwick has practiced trial law for more than thirty years, with her primary focus in contract and commercial disputes. Solace particularly enjoys untangling thorny legal issues in both trial and appellate courts, and she has substantial experience arguing in Texas and federal courts of appeals.  

Senior associate Melissa Esterholm focuses her practice on complex business litigation and appeals, primarily representing energy companies.  She has represented clients in a diverse range of civil disputes, including breach of contract, general business torts, and intellectual property matters.

Senior associate Johnathan Mondel represents clients in a variety of civil matters, with industry experience in energy, trade secrets, financial services, securities, products liability, and railroads. He takes the time to deeply understand his clients’ business intricacies along with the motivations of his opponents.

Associate Nicole Hager Fingeroot has experience litigating high stakes, industry-shaping matters across multiple forums, including federal court, state court, and federal administrative agencies. She thrives at distilling complex fact patterns and legal frameworks into understandable and persuasive arguments.

Associate Cody Rutowski has represented clients from the pleadings stage through presenting oral argument before a court of last resort. He has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Texas, as well as multiple federal circuit courts of appeals, Texas courts of appeals, federal district courts, and state trial courts.

Associate Jessica Pharis has represented clients in federal and state courts across the country and has experience in discovery, hearing preparation, and motions practice. Her recent matters include energy, intellectual property, and contract disputes.

Associate Hannah Warren represents and counsels clients in a wide range of complex commercial disputes, focused primarily within the energy industry. An innate problem solver and keen at distilling information, Hannah excels in her ability to work with clients and experts in complex fields.

Our fee structures

As a litigation boutique, Hogan Thompson Schuelke offers our clients competitive and flexible fee structures. We staff cases leanly and can work more efficiently in our litigation-focused practice to keep costs down without sacrificing quality for our clients.  We work on standard hourly rates as well as alternative fee arrangements (e.g. contingent fees, flat fees and hybrid fees) to serve our clients in a way that suits their needs.