People / Lauren Brogdon

Lauren Brogdon

Partner | Chair - Crisis Management Practice Group Houston

T +1 713.547.2006

F +1 713.547.2600

lauren.brogdon@haynesboone.com

Biography

Lauren Brogdon is a partner in the Energy Litigation Practice Group in Haynes Boone’s Houston office and chair of the firm's national Crisis Management Practice Group.

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. To that end, Lauren has the following certifications:

ICS-200 – Incident Command System for Initial Response
ICS-100 – Introduction to the Incident Command System
THUET 5195 – Tropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training

Lauren has significant experience representing energy clients in suits related to hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas operations, mass tort litigation arising from catastrophic industrial accidents, and toxic tort suits involving chemical exposure and environmental contamination. She has handled high-profile cases related to fires, chemical spills, pipeline explosions, 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. She is also a past president of the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

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Selected Client Representations

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.
- Facilitated immediate crisis response for private school regarding missing student.
- Represented a publicly traded medical device company in regulatory investigation and potential litigation related to third-party misuse of medical device resulting in a serious injury of a patient.
- Represented a leading hotel management company on navigating potential blackmail and/or reputational damage by a third party.
- Frequent coordination of legal, regulatory, and communications strategy for energy companies following explosions and environmental releases.
- Conducted legal-led investigation and favorably avoided litigation and environmental liability for renewable energy provider following wind turbine collapse.
- 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.
- Coordinated legal and communications response for public-facing amusement facility following injuries to members of the public on company premises.
- 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:
- Represented an oil company in a matter regarding off site contamination caused by a leaking underground storage tank.
- Represented 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 a large oil and gas company in multiple suits regarding refinery explosion, resulting in complete dismissal of two cases and favorable settlement of four others.
- Advised a discount shopping store on crisis management in the aftermath of an ammonia leak at its distribution center.
- Represented a water utility company in a mass tort suit involving regarding groundwater contamination claims brought by over 500 residents.
- Refinery and Pipeline Explosions: representation of chemical and energy companies in connection with wrongful death, negligence, and premises liability claims and government investigations arising out of explosions, fires, and other industrial accidents.
- Environmental Contamination and Nuisance: defense of energy companies, including exploration and production companies and pipeline operators, against nuisance claims related to alleged loss of use and enjoyment of property and alleged water, soil, and air contamination.
- Chemical Exposure: defense of chemical suppliers and industrial facilities against personal injury and wrongful death claims related to exposure to benzene, butadiene, and other chemicals.
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Injection Wells: defense of exploration and production companies against claims for property damage and personal injury related to drilling activities, including obtaining a favorable settlement in suit alleging connection between fracking and earthquakes and obtaining landmark summary judgment decision holding that fracking was not subject to strict liability in Pennsylvania.
- Environmental Agency Actions: challenge of government actions regarding water and soil remediation before state administrative tribunals and defense in associated litigation alleging natural resource damages.
- Litigation Avoidance and Risk Management Advising: frequent consultation with clients on pre-litigation and pre-crisis product liability, marketing, environmental, and event management issues.

*Some of these representations were handled by Lauren prior to joining Haynes Boone.

Professional Affiliations and Engagements

Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellow, FEMA Emergency Management Institute (Cohort 6)
Houston Area Women’s Center, Executive Committee & Board of Directors (2024 – present)
Houston Bar Foundation Fellows Committee Co-Chair (2023 - 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)
Member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas (2013 - present)
Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, Houston Bar Foundation, and Houston Young Lawyers Foundation
Junior League of Houston
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Awards and Recognitions

Named as a 2025 Breakthrough Woman by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2025
40 Under 40 by 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
President’s Award for Outstanding Service, Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2015-2016

Publications and Speaking Engagements

"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.
“Post-Crisis Litigation Considerations,” panelist, Crisis Management Academy, Jan. 12, 2023 & Feb. 2, 2023.
“Preparing a Crisis Management Playbook,” moderator, Crisis Management Academy, Jan. 12, 2023 & Feb. 2, 2023.
"Ethical Issues in Disaster Responses," 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.
"Doing Business in the Bakken Shale: What In-House Counsel Need to Know in 2022, presenter, Haynes Boone event, May 12, 2022.
"Key Post-Disaster Social Media Strategies For Cos.," author, Law360, Apr. 26, 2022.
“Effectively Responding to a Catastrophic Environmental Event,” presenter, Institute for Energy Law webinar, Mar. 2, 2021.
“The Complex World of Litigation,” speaker, HYLA Hylights Podcast, Oct. 29, 2020.
“One year later, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s applicability to class actions still uncertain,” presenter, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Aug. 15, 2018.
“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.