Blog Post 05.15.25
Jillian Marullo represents clients across industries in all aspects of commercial litigation, with a focus on environmental, energy and maritime matters.
Jillian handles toxic tort and environmental litigation, including suits arising under CERCLA and the Clean Air Act. She also advises clients on environmental regulatory matters. She frequently provides advice to oil and gas industry clients pertaining to state and federal statutes and regulations, including the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Texas Natural Resources Code and related regulations, and represents clients in both onshore and offshore regulatory disputes and appeals.
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Jillian’s experience in commercial litigation includes all matters of contractual disputes affecting energy and maritime companies, including disputes over insurance and indemnity and arising under mineral leases, farmout agreements and joint operating agreements. She also defends energy and maritime companies in personal injury suits arising from catastrophic events and pursues related indemnity and insurance claims. Jillian’s broad litigation capabilities also include property damage and trespass cases, labor and employment disputes, products liability and breaches of warranties, and other general contract disputes, such as tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment. She has worked on defamation, business disparagement, unfair competition and employment matters, including those related to non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of fiduciary duty.
Representative Experience
- Advises global mining company on aspects of portfolio management for U.S. environmental liabilities, including administrative and judicial action, as well as stakeholder and political engagement.
- Obtained reversal of dismissal of marine transportation company’s contractual indemnity claim against shipyard in Jones Act case.
- Obtained reversal of order denying motion to compel neuropsychological examination of Jones Act plaintiff.
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- Obtained multimillion-dollar arbitration award on behalf of major oil and gas company in indemnity dispute.
- Represented major oil and gas company in hundreds of personal injury lawsuits filed as a result of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and oil spill.
- Submitted amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Texas Oil & Gas Association in Key Operating v. Hegar in the Texas Supreme Court.
- Submitted amicus curiae brief on behalf of EOG Resources, Inc. in Southwest Royalties, Inc. v. Hegar in the Texas Supreme Court.
- Negotiated settlements of cases involving damage to commercial infrastructure, personal injuries, and oil and gas royalty, commercial lease and other contractual disputes.
- Successfully argued multiple dispositive motions in a variety of cases, including contractual, oil and gas lease, and commercial lease disputes, as well as Clean Air Act, toxic tort and employment law cases.
- Represented energy clients during audits and in appeals and administrative proceedings before the Interior Board of Land Appeals and the Texas General Land Office.
- Represented clients pro bono in guardianship proceedings and mediation, resulting in their appointment as permanent guardians of the person of three minors.
Professional Highlights
- Named a Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers, 2022
- Named to Best Lawyers Ones to Watch, 2021
- Named a Top Lawyer by Houstonia Magazine, December 2016
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- Memberships & Associations
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Houston Young Lawyers Foundation
- Board Member, Houston Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section
- Board Member, Houston Area Coalition for Suicide Prevention
- Councilmember, Houston Bar Association’s Energy Law Section Council
- Inaugural Class Member, The Institute for Energy Law Leadership Class
- Women’s Energy Network
- The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
- CASA Court-Appointed Child Advocate Volunteer
- State Bar of Texas – Environmental and Natural Resources Section, Oil Gas & Energy Resources Section, and Litigation Section
- Houston Young Lawyers Association, Pro Bono/ Service Committee, Co-Chair
- Houston Bar Association, Campaign to End Homelessness & Hunger Committee
- Houston Bar Association, Gender Fairness Committee
- Awards & Recognition
- Recognized by The American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily as Litigator of the Week Runner-Up (February 2024)
- Achieved top score on the Texas Bar Exam, February 2013
- Recipient of Houston Young Lawyers Association’s Associate Member Praise Award, 2011
- Recipient of South Texas College of Law Student Bar Association’s President Award, 2011 – 2012
- Presentations
- “Legal Ethics and Natural Resource Damages Representation,” Law Seminars International: The Tenth Advanced D.C. Conference on Litigating Natural Resource Damages, April 25, 2025. Panelist.
- “The Implications of Loper Bright in Environmental Law,” HBA Environmental Law Section, November 20, 2024
- “Case Law Update,” 36th Annual Texas Environmental Superconference, August 1, 2024
- “Overcoming Career Road Bumps,” Women Leading Together, June 22, 2023
- “Federal Discovery in the Age of Technology,” TexasBarCLE, May 12, 2023
- “Unpacking a Year of Extremes: New Takeaways in Force Majeure Analysis,” April 8, 2021
- “Courting the Court: Ethical Implications of Judicial Campaign Contributions,” November 11, 2015
- “Enbridge In-House Seminar Casualty and Spill Response: How Things Have Changed!” October 15, 2013
- Selected Publications
- “States Introduce 'Climate Superfund' Laws Amid Growing National Trend and Legal Challenges,” The Real Estate Finance Journal, April 2025
- "Revisiting Force Majeure: The Texas and Louisiana Perspectives," Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Natural Resources Law Network, April 2020
- "Yanny or Laurel? Black & Blue or White & Gold Dress? Fixed or Floating Royalty? The Texas Supreme Court Decides Another Fixed or Floating Royalty Case," Oil & Gas E-Report Issue 3, A Publication of the Institute for Energy Law, October 8, 2018
- “Ethical Considerations in Government Investigations of Corporations,” Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Special Institute on Federal Offshore Regulatory Enforcement, January 20 – 21 2016, Houston Texas
Education
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J.D., South Texas College of Law, 2013
summa cum laude; Valedictorian; Information Editor, South Texas Law ReviewB.S., Resources and Environmental Studies, Texas State University, 2008
magna cum laudeB.S., Criminal Justice, Texas State University, 2008
magna cum laude
Admissions
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Texas
Courts
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U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas