![Mazzone Michael](/-/media/project/haynesboone/haynesboone/people/m/mazzone-michael/mazzone_michael_1100x1100.jpg?h=1100&iar=0&w=1100&rev=81c9310e83c8456387072dfbeccb9738&hash=AF23201165C42F0FF1B19ADC27439C68)
Michael J. Mazzone
Michael J. Mazzone is an accomplished trial lawyer who has tried jury cases against prominent trial lawyers in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico, and has handled cases pending in courts in North Dakota, Mississippi and Montana. Michael represents energy companies in environmental contamination, indemnity and toxic tort cases. He also represents owners, builders and energy companies in a range of construction and real estate disputes in court and in arbitration. Michael is board certified in civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Ranked by Chambers USA, 2015-2024 (Chambers and Partners) as a leading lawyer in environment law in Texas, clients describe Michael as “practical, knowledgeable and down-to-earth. He doesn't overreact, and he takes a very reasoned approach to everything... he is the epitome of a good litigator; he doesn't depend on fireworks, he just gets up and does a good job."
A longtime client notes that “Michael is a go-to trial lawyer for our company who regularly achieves successful outcomes, including first-chairing a recent jury trial victory on a consequential matter. In addition to his masterful trial skills, Michael is a pleasure to work with. He’s a true team player, always responsive and accommodating of the demands of corporate clients.”
Michael is often called upon to speak on topics related to trial advocacy, arbitration and litigation. He has made presentations at oil and gas industry conferences, bar association seminars, the Texas Environmental Superconference and the University of Texas Law School.
Michael is a member of the American Arbitration Association's National Panel of Construction Arbitrators, where he is regularly called on to preside over numerous construction arbitrations. He has been a speaker at the AAA's National and Regional Panel Retreats, providing training to AAA arbitrators.
For five years, Michael taught in the trial advocacy program at the University of Houston Law School as an adjunct professor of law, and he has served on the editorial board of the Houston Lawyer magazine, a publication of the Houston Bar Association. He oversaw the firm’s Volunteer Prosecutors Program in which lawyers in the firm tried misdemeanor jury trials for the cities of Houston and Arlington.
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- American Arbitration Association
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- Houston Bar Association
- State Bar of North Dakota
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas Oil & Gas Association
- Construction Lawyers Society of America, Fellow
- Recognized by Chambers USA, Chambers and Partners, as a leading lawyer for Environment (Texas), 2015-2024
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., in Commercial Litigation, 2015-2025; Litigation - Construction, 2020-2025
- Recognized in Legal 500 U.S., 2019-2024
- Recognized in Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2023
- Martindale Hubbell® Law Directory with a Peer Review Rating of AV® Preeminent™
- “Texas Environmental Law,” co-author, Volumes 45-46, Chapter 30 Torts, Thomson Reuters, 2020-2021.
- “Litigation Alleging Personal Injury or Property Damage from Fracking,” speaker, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation’s Special Institute on the Law of Fracking, Westminster, Colorado, January 23, 2019.
- “Construction Litigation”, chapter author, Adrogue & Baker, Texas Business Litigation, §24 at 1501 (2019 ed.)
- “Recent Developments in Nuisance Law,” speaker, 31st Annual Energy Law Institute for Attorneys and Landmen, Houston, Texas, August 30, 2018.
- “Recent Developments in Nuisance Law,” presenter, 29th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference, Austin, Texas, August 3, 2017.
- “Client Selection and Control,” Presenter, 6th Annual Advanced Trial Strategies Course hosted by the State Bar of Texas, February 9, 2017.
- "Letters of Intent," Speaker, Client Presentation, Houston, Texas, October 24, 2016.
- "Thinking Fundamentally about Judicial Review -- A Book Review," author, Judicature magazine, Summer 2016.
- "Litigation Trends," panelist, Water Acquisition and Management for Oil & Gas Development: Legal and Regulatory Requirements, Houston, Texas, April 7, 2016.
- "The Energy Sectors Environmental Challenges," panelist, 5th Annual Compliance and Ethics Summit, Noble Energy, Inc., Houston, Texas, November 19-20, 2014.
- “What is Going on Down There? Hydraulic Fracturing Issues,” panelist, 32nd Annual Water Law Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 4, 2014.
- “Technology and In-House Counsel,” conference co-chair, Corporate Counsel Institute, Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, October 4, 2013.
- “Comparative Law Forum,” speaker, Shell Global Litigation Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, September 19, 2013.
- “Potential Obstacles to Natural Gas Development,” program co-developer and moderator, The General Counsel Forum, Houston Chapter 2nd Quarterly Event, Houston, Texas, April 17, 2013.
- "American Law and Jurisprudence on Fracing," co-presenter with Andy Weissman, United States Energy Association Policy Series, Membership Briefing, Washington, D.C., January 30, 2013.
- "In-House from the Inside," conference co-chair, Corporate Counsel Institute, Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, September 14, 2012.
- "Hydraulic Fracturing Litigation," 58th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, July 19-21, 2012, Newport Beach, California.
- "Non-Technical Risks in Projects and Other Developments," program developer and moderator, The General Counsel Forum, Houston Chapter 3rd Quarterly Event, June 20, 2012, Houston, Texas.
- "Changing Times Bring Conflict With Surface Owners," The American Oil and Gas Reporter, December 6, 2011.
- "Recent Litigation Related to Oil and Gas Drilling," Better Than Barnett: New Developments in the Legal and Regulatory Issues in the Eagle Ford Shale, October 18, 2011, Houston, Texas.
- "Oilfield Litigation: 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,'" 23rd Annual Texas Environmental Superconference, August 4-5, 2011, Austin, Texas.
- "American Law and Jurisprudence on Fracing," with Thomas Kurth, Mary Mendoza, and Christopher Kulander, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Journal,Vol. 47, No. 2, 2010.
- "Hydraulic Fracturing - The Legal Issues," 3rd Annual Unconventional Gas International Conference, October 5-7, 2010, Fort Worth, Texas.
- "Assessing the Claims Asserted in the Global Warming Debate," presented to the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, January 10, 2010.
Education
J.D., Suffolk University Law School, 1983
College of Arch. and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 1978
B.S., Business Administration, University of South Carolina, 1977
Admissions
Louisiana
Massachusetts
North Dakota
Texas
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota
Haynes and Boone, LLP earned high marks in The Legal 500 U.S. 2024 directory, including a hall of fame inductee, dozens of ranked or recommended lawyers and 10 noted practice groups. The directory, now in its 37th year, analyzes the capabilities of law firms and lawyers in various markets, based on surveys of more than 300,000 buyers of legal services. The Legal 500 is an independent guide; firms [...]
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Haynes Boone Earns Most Rankings for Lawyers and Practices in Firm History in Chambers USA 2024
June 06, 2024