Mitby Pacholder Johnson PLLC (MPJ), a Houston-based litigation boutique focused on complex commercial and intellectual property disputes, is pleased to announce that Johnathan “John” Mondel has joined the firm as of counsel.

Mondel is an accomplished commercial litigator whose practice encompasses all aspects of complex business litigation, with a particular emphasis on upstream and midstream oil and gas and energy disputes. He represents clients in high-stakes matters involving underground trespass, retained acreage, royalty disputes, Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) disputes, nuisance claims, property damage, and other complex commercial controversies in state and federal courts and before arbitration panels.

“John is an exceptional trial lawyer with deep experience handling sophisticated energy and commercial disputes,” said Steven J. Mitby, a founding partner of Mitby Pacholder Johnson. “His ability to develop winning litigation strategies, manage complex cases from inception through appeal, and effectively advocate for clients in high-stakes matters makes him an outstanding addition to our firm. As demand continues to grow for experienced trial counsel in the energy sector, John’s background further strengthens our ability to serve clients throughout Texas and across the country.”

Mondel has extensive experience managing every stage of litigation, from early case assessment through trial and appeal. He regularly drafts and argues dispositive motions, discovery motions, pretrial filings, trial briefs, mandamus petitions, and appellate briefs while developing litigation strategy and overseeing complex third-party document reviews. He has taken and defended numerous fact and expert witness depositions, including technical experts in trade secret litigation and accountants in royalty underpayment disputes, and has prepared witnesses for trial in complex commercial matters.

Throughout his career, Mondel has played a significant role in several notable energy and construction disputes. Most recently, he presented and directed two fact witnesses and an expert witness during a complex construction arbitration before an American Arbitration Association® panel. Thanks to Mondel’s advocacy, the panel recently issued an eight-figure award in favor of his client. He also served on the trial team in a landmark underground trespass case that resulted in one of the Top 15 Verdicts in Texas in 2023, where he conducted expert and fact witness depositions and examined and cross-examined expert witnesses at trial.

His experience also includes representing clients in multiple royalty underpayment disputes involving both oil and gas and wind energy projects. In addition, he drafted an amicus brief on behalf of an industry association addressing ownership of produced water before the Eighth Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Texas.

Mondel has substantial appellate experience as well. He served as the principal drafter for briefing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit involving the Deepwater Horizon Court-Supervised Settlement Program and helped prepare and coordinate a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court involving the Carmack Amendment.

Before entering private practice, Mondel served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edith Hollan Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Honorable Robert B. Kugler of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

“I am excited to join Mitby Pacholder Johnson and collaborate with a team known for its exceptional trial work and client-focused approach,” Mondel said. “The firm’s reputation for handling complex commercial and energy litigation aligns perfectly with my practice, and I look forward to helping clients navigate their most challenging disputes.”

Mondel earned his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School, where he received Gerald Gunther Prizes for Outstanding Performance in Legal Research and Writing, and White Collar Crime. He served as Senior Finance Editor of the Stanford Law Review and Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford Law & Policy Review. He was also president of the Federalist Society and a Bradley Fellow with the Stanford Constitutional Law Center.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Policy, summa cum laude, from the College of William & Mary, where he was recognized as a James Monroe Scholar.