Demetri Economou has 15 years of high-stakes oil and gas experience and currently co-chairs KRCL’s Energy, Oil & Gas Practice Group. He is regularly on the front lines of disputes both before and during litigation, and he is a certified mediator.
Demetri provides trusted counsel to KRCL’s upstream, midstream, and oilfield services clients, including in high-dollar royalty litigation and matters involving lease and deed interpretation, joint operations and working interest disputes, and oilfield trade secrets litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Demetri and the KRCL energy team regularly speak on cutting-edge energy law issues throughout Texas.
Demetri is also a founding member of the Energy Mediation Center.
His practice highlights include litigation concerning:
- Calculation and payment of royalties and proceeds from mineral interests, working interests, and net profits interests, and specialty royalty issues including the application of post-production expenses and interpretation of fixed and floating royalty instruments.
- Interpretation of oil and gas leases and other instruments governing mineral, royalty, and working interests, and relationships between owners, such as joint operating agreements, joint development agreements, participation agreements, farmout agreements, and net profits interest conveyances.
- Oil and gas lease compliance and lease termination, including evaluation of cessation of production in paying quantities (PPQ), cessation of operations, compliance with drilling commitments, suspense and escrow requirements, and multi-tiered acreage release requirements.
- Trade secrets including seismic and geophysical data, reservoir data and projections, and drilling plans.
- Operations issues and relationships with vendors.
- Surface use, easements, and rights of way.
Demetri was selected to the Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers list for 2025, and the Rising Stars list from 2017 to 2024.
Practice Areas
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Energy, Oil and Gas
- Intellectual Property
- Litigation
Credentials
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Texas (2011)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas
- Certified Mediator, Texas Mediator Credentialing Association
Education
- South Texas College of Law, J.D., 2011
- The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 2006
Experience
Together with the KRCL team, Demetri has defeated claims involving hundreds of millions of dollars in controversy and has resolved even more through favorable settlements. Whether in state or federal court, at trial or on appeal, KRCL’s attorneys are equipped to handle the toughest legal challenges.
Publications
- Demetri J. Economou, Unfixable: Fixed vs. Floating Royalties at the Texas Supreme Court, 3 J. Energy L. Prac. 1, 14-17 (2024).
- Thomas G. Ciarlone, Jr. & Demetri J. Economou, Mediating at the Speed of Business, TexasBarCLE Oil and Gas Disputes Course (2024), and republished in part by the American Bar Association in “Just Resolutions” (2024).
- Numerous national magazine and presentation articles published by the American Bar Association (ABA), American Association of Petroleum Landmen (AAPL), National Association of Division Order Analysts (NADOA), and National Association of Lease and Title Analysts (NALTA).
Honors
- The Best Lawyers in America® (2025-2026)
- Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2025)
- Texas Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters (2017–2024)
Associations
- State Bar of Texas – Oil, Gas, and Energy Resources Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections.
- Houston Bar Association – Oil and Gas Section.
Presentations
- “Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Oil Patch,” TexasBarCLE Annual Disputes Course (January 2024)
- “Fixed and Floating Royalties: Fall 2023 Update,” Texas Tech University School of Law Energy Law Symposium (October 2023)
- “Fixed and Floating Royalties: Fall 2023 Update,” National Association of Division Order Analysts Institute (October 2023)
- “Winter Storm Uri: Key Litigation Issues,” American Association of Petroleum Landmen Annual Conference (June 2023)
- “Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Issues,” Permian Basin Landmen’s Association Spring Education Seminar (April 2022)
- Devon v. Sheppard: T&F and Other Post-Production Costs,” Permian Basin Association of Division Order Analysts and Permian Association of Lease and Title Analysts Spring Conference (April 2022)
- “Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Issues,” Permian Basin Association of Division Order Analysts and Permian Association of Lease and Title Analysts Monthly Seminar (April 2022)
- "Federal Energy Policy Under the Biden Administration," KRCL Energy & Transportation Webinar (May 2021)
- "Legal Considerations When Recruiting Locally and Nationwide," 1st Annual HR Maximizer Member Conference (August 2018).
- “Trump’s Energy Initiatives: What Are They and Where Do They Stand” (2018).
Community
- Cub Scout Den Leader, Youth Baseball Coach.
Houston Office