People / Lauren Brogdon
Lauren Brogdon

Lauren Brogdon

Partner | Chair - Crisis Management Practice Group Houston

Biography

Lauren Brogdon is a trial lawyer and crisis management attorney who is trusted by some of the nation’s largest companies to apply her legal knowledge to real-world situations and craft tailored solutions that align with their business goals.

Certified in Crisis Leadership, Lauren brings a robust understanding of the challenges that her clients face during both routine emergencies and unprecedented incidents. She applies this knowledge and experience to planning and implementing response plans and assisting clients with crisis recovery, all with an eye toward avoiding liability. She has multiple crisis and incident command certifications through both the National Incident Management System and FEMA. 

When litigation cannot be avoided, Lauren has significant experience representing clients in the most high-stakes disputes. She has handled high-profile cases related to catastrophic industrial accidents, environmental spills and releases, live event fatalities, and other disasters. She also frequently advises boards, C-suites, and business unit heads on a range of litigation avoidance, product liability, and marketing strategies.

Throughout the course of her career, Lauren has devoted significant time and resources to charitable activities and pro bono litigation. She has successfully represented dozens of clients in divorce and child custody suits and disputes involving domestic violence. Lauren is on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Houston Area Women’s Center and previously served as chair of Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the largest provider of pro bono services in Harris County. 

Expand All
  • Crisis Management
    • Represented one of the largest global players in renewable energy in a matter related to a collapse of a wind turbine.
    • Successfully represented a recreational company in the immediate aftermath of a highly publicized accident on their property involving injuries to children.
    • Advised on incident response best practices related to a mass shooting.
    • Facilitated immediate crisis response for school regarding student disappearance.
    • Advised a leading hotel management company on navigating potential blackmail and/or reputational damage by a third party.
    • Conducted legal-led investigation and favorably avoided litigation and environmental liability for renewable energy provider following arc flash.
    • Advised medical device manufacturer on legal and communications strategies following misuse of product by third parties.
    • Advised live entertainment company on potential civil and criminal liability for planned nightlife events.
    • Frequent representation of executives and public officials in civil litigation and litigation avoidance related to open records requests, employment issues, family law, and other disputes.
  • Litigation
    • Represent a chemical supplier in multi-district litigation alleging personal injuries and wrongful death arising out of chemical exposure to trichloroethylene and other materials.
    • Served as lead counsel for an international energy company in multiple suits regarding refinery explosion, resulting in complete dismissal of two cases and favorable settlement of four others.
    • National trial counsel for international gasoline manufacturer in cases involving allegations of chemical exposure. 
    • Represented petrochemical companies in multi-district groundwater contamination litigation across several states arising from use of MTBE.
    • Represented a water utility company in a mass tort suit involving regarding groundwater contamination claims brought by over 500 residents.
    • Defense of exploration and production company against nuisance claims related to drilling in residential area.
    • Defense of oil and gas exploration and production company against claims for property damage and personal injury related to drilling activities, including obtaining a landmark summary judgment decision holding that fracking was not subject to strict liability in Pennsylvania.
    • Negotiated favorable settlement for energy company in suit alleging connection between hydraulic fracturing and earthquakes.
    • Represented large manufacturing and energy companies in successful challenges to government actions regarding water and soil remediation before state administrative tribunals and defense in associated litigation alleging natural resource damages.
 *Some of these representations were handled by Lauren prior to joining Haynes Boone.
  • Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellow, FEMA Emergency Management Institute (Cohort 6)
  • Houston Area Women’s Center, Executive Committee & Board of Directors (2024 – present)
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association (President 2017 - 2018)
  • Houston Volunteer Lawyers (Board Chair 2018 - 2019)
  • Houston Bar Association (Board Director 2017 - 2019)
  • Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA), Young Friends Advisory Committee (2021 - 2022)
  • Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, Houston Bar Foundation, and Houston Young Lawyers Foundation
  • Junior League of Houston
  • St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
  • Client Service All-Star (BTI Consulting Group), 2025
  • Finalist, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Texas Lawyer, 2025
  • Breakthrough Woman (Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce), 2025
  • Finalist, Best Mentor, Texas Lawyer, 2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants (Woodward/White, Inc.), 2025-2026
  • 40 Under 40 (Houston Business Journal), 2023
  • "Ones to Watch" Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., for Energy Law 2021-2024, Environmental Law 2023-2024, Litigation - Environmental 2023-2024, and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants 2024
  • Rising Star, Class Action/Mass Torts (Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters), 2017-2022
  • Women's Edition Rising Stars, (Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters), 2023
  • Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Creative Partnership with Chevron Corp. (The Texas Lawbook), 2020
  • Crisis Management: Controlling the Narrative, Advanced In-House Counsel Conference, TexasBarCLE, Aug. 21, 2025.
  • Impeachment in Personal Injury Cases: Advanced Strategies and Techniques, Strafford Publications, Aug. 23, 2024.
  • Nuclear Verdicts Impacting the Energy Industry, Institute for Energy Law, Aug. 21, 2024.
  • "PFAS Prognostication? Recent SCOTUS Decision Leaves Climate Change Case Analysis Open to Lower Courts," co-author, The Energy Dispatch, Institute for Energy Law - The Center for American and International Law, March 2024.
  • Crisis Management, speaker, 26th Annual Permian Basin Oil and Gas Law Seminar, March 1, 2024.
  • Working with Emergency Services: Tips for Frontline Attys,” co-author, Law360, Nov. 2, 2023.
  • "Crisis Management Beyond Emergency Response: Attorney Ethics, Candid Communications, and Adaptable Guidelines,” presenter, State Bar of Texas: 15th Annual Business Disputes CLE, Sept. 27, 2023.
  • "Crisis Management: Recalls and Beyond," presenter, FMI Legal Regulatory & Compliance Conference, July 17, 2023. 
  • "Ethical Issues in Disaster Response," presenter, Ethics in Employment Law, Haynes Boone event, Nov. 3, 2022.
  • Maintaining Confidentiality in Internal Investigations,” co-author, The Advocate (State Bar Litigation Section Report), Sept. 21, 2022.
  • "The Use of Experts in Environmental Crisis Litigation," panelist, 34th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference, Aug. 5, 2022.
  • Arkema Explosion Cases Demonstrate Need for Coordination on Both Sides of the V,” author, The Houston Lawyer, May 16, 2022.
  • "Key Post-Disaster Social Media Strategies For Cos.," author, Law360, Apr. 26, 2022.
  • “Nuisance Cases Against Energy Companies in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Other Areas with Significant or Developing Oil and Gas Exploration,” author, Texas Journal of Business Law, May 2018.

Education

Vanguard Executive Leaders Fellowship, FEMA Emergency Management Institute, 2024, Cohort 6, 2024

J.D., Columbia Law School, 2012, Notes Editor, Columbia Journal of Environmental Law

Certificate, Executive Education, Harvard Kennedy School, 2023

B.A., Policy Studies and English, Rice University, 2009, cum laude

Languages

Spanish

French

Italian

Admissions

Texas

Pennsylvania

Court Admissions

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 Eastern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas