Everything Geoff Gannaway does is geared toward persuading a judge and jury.
He works with each client to develop a strategy for success in the courtroom, and then weaves together every deposition taken, every motion filed, and every jury argument made. At the onset of a new case, Gannaway never loses sight of the end goal: distilling factual details into persuasive themes to present to a jury, ultimately making the most complicated cases understandable and the client’s position clear.
Gannaway honed an attention to detail in Rice University’s engineering program, and now uses an engineer’s discipline to serve his clients as a lawyer. The more complex the case, the more Gannaway relishes the challenge. The subject matter of cases he has handled spans a broad array of industries and legal issues.
After a successful jury verdict, Tom Moogan, CFO for Advance International, explained: “From the intense level of preparation, to his collaboration with us to understand the particular complexities of our case, it was clear that Geoff worked to make this a case that a jury would hear and decide in our favor.”
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | Commercial Litigation, Class Actions, Energy Disputes |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Energy Lawyers | 2025 | Energy Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2025 | Commercial Litigation, Class Actions, Energy Disputes |
Representative Experience
- Represented Cameron International Corporation (blowout preventer manufacturer) in the Gulf Oil Spill Multidistrict Litigation. After six weeks of trial, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana found that Cameron was not liable to any claimant related to the Deepwater Horizon incident and entered an order completely dismissing Cameron from the litigation.
- Represented major oil and gas company as lead counsel in confidential arbitration proceeding in which supplier claimed breach of contract. The three-arbitrator panel returned a unanimous award in favor of Gannaway’s client.
- Defended oil and gas exploration company against allegations that it agreed to enter into a partnership to manage oil and gas projects in the Fayetteville shale after the plaintiff introduced defendant to a financing source. Joe Redden was lead counsel at trial, with Gannaway presenting the opening statement, cross-examining several witnesses, and successfully arguing for directed verdict on some claims. The plaintiff sought millions of dollars in damages, claiming breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and quantum meruit. After a six-day jury trial, a unanimous jury returned a defense verdict on all but one cause of action. On the plaintiff’s quantum meruit cause of action, the jury awarded $16,700. In post-judgment motions, Beck Redden argued that the quantum meruit finding should be thrown out. The Court agreed, and entered a take-nothing judgment. On appeal, the Fort Worth Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the judgment. The case is styled The Strickland Group, Inc. v. Pathfinder Exploration, LLC, No. 02-12-00187-CV.
- Obtained defense verdict for Memorial Hermann Hospital System in a major antitrust lawsuit in Texas state court. David J. Beck was lead counsel at trial, with Geoff cross-examining a number of witnesses over the course of a trial that lasted almost two and a half months. The plaintiffs, who were physician-investors in a now defunct physician-owned hospital in West Houston, claimed that Memorial Hermann was responsible for their hospital’s failure and asserted antitrust claims and claims for tortious interference with prospective and existing business relationships. The plaintiffs sought millions in actual damages, plus several millions in attorneys’ fees. The jury entered a complete defense verdict.
- Served as lead trial lawyer in securing a favorable verdict for his client, an importer of seasonal decorations, in a breach-of-contract dispute with a major retail chain. After a three-day trial, the jury returned a complete defense verdict for Gannaway’s client, and, in addition, awarded damages to the client after finding on the counterclaim that the retailer had breached three separate contracts. The retail chain appealed the judgment. Houston’s Fourteenth Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment with a significant holding about liquidated damages provisions under the Uniform Commercial Code. The court held that the liquidated damages provisions in the retail chain’s standard vendor contracts are unenforceable penalties. The case is styled Garden Ridge, L.P. v. Advance International, Inc., No. 14-11-00624-CV.
- Obtained summary judgment for major law firm accused of legal malpractice related to patent prosecution.