Managing Partner
M. Ryan Kirby
M. Ryan Kirby is one of the Founding Partners of KMW. Prior to focusing exclusively on Oil, Gas and Energy Law in 2006, Mr. Kirby worked for several litigation firms, focusing on toxic torts, products liability, personal injury, fraud, and general civil litigation. From 2006 forward, he has rendered and supervised a variety of title opinions in Texas for acquisitions and divestitures, exploration and production, and carbon capture. Additionally, Mr. Kirby serves as the fee attorney for First American Title – Kirby Escrow, where he is responsible for residential and commercial closings. He is also a former Adjunct Professor at South Texas College of Law, where he lectured the Texas Oil, Gas and Land Titles Course. At KMW, he focuses his practice on title examination for clients with Texas oil and gas exploration efforts. His clients have run the gamut from large, publicly traded multinationals to smaller, private E&P companies.
J.D., South Texas College of Law (2002)
B.A., University of Texas - Dallas, Government and Politics (1998)
Co-managed the generation of several hundred opinions for multiple MIPA units in Reeves County, Texas for a publicly-traded E&P client.
Managed multiple Mineral Receiverships in Reeves County for a privately-owned E&P client.
Published Opinions –
Sultan v. Mathew, 178 S.W.3d 747 (Tex. 2005)
Tan v. Lee, Tex.App.LEXIS 1398 (Tex.App.— Houston [14th], Feb. 27, 2007, no pet.)
Cornerstone Land, Ltd. V. Pierce No 10-10-00151-CV, 2010 WL 4243677 (Tex.App..—Waco Oct. 27, 2010, pet denied)(mem. op.)
Case Law Update, North Houston Association of Professional Landmen Half-Day Seminar, February 25, 2021
Case Law Update, Houston Bar Association Energy Law Section luncheon, January 28, 2021
What Were they Thinking – Making Sense of Idiosyncratic Language in Title Instruments
Ark-La-Tex Association of Professional Landmen Education Seminar, February 22, 2019
Houston Association of Professional Landmen Technical Workshop, April 12, 2016 (M. Ryan Kirby, Vy “Tina” Huynh & Phuong Vy Do)
American Association of Professional Landmen Field Landman Seminar, November 19, 2015 (M. Ryan Kirby & Vy “Tina” Huynh)
Houston Association of Professional Landmen Shale Play Symposium, October 15, 2015 (M. Ryan Kirby & Vy “Tina” Huynh)
Association of Lease and Title Analysts Monthly Luncheon, July 28, 2015 (M. Ryan Kirby & Vy “Tina” Huynh)
Ratification: Beware!, North Houston Association of Professional Landmen Luncheon, October 2017 (M. Ryan Kirby & J. Brian Davis)
Things You May Have Missed – Houston Association of Professional Landmen Shale Play Seminar, September 27, 2018 (Gerald Walrath and M. Ryan Kirby)
To Suspend or Not to Suspend? That is the Question!, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Annual Fall Saturday Seminar, October 17, 2015 (M. Ryan Kirby & Vy “Tina” Huynh)
The Mineral/Royalty Conundrum - M. Ryan Kirby and Bryan Mathews, American Association of Professional Landmen Field Landman Seminar, February 26, 2015
Curative: When You Need to Resort to the Courts, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Annual Fall Saturday Seminar, September 27, 2014
Preparing and Reviewing Oil & Gas Title Opinions - Association of Lease and Title Analysts Luncheon, June 24, 2014 (Gerald Walrath and M. Ryan Kirby)
Pooling: The Unintended Consequences,
North Houston Association of Professional Landmen Half-Day Seminar, February 27, 2014
Houston Association of Professional Landmen Monthly Luncheon, February 20, 2014
Davis v. COG Operating, LLC: The Estate-Misconception Issue, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Newsletter, March 2023 (M. Ryan Kirby, Timothy Truong, & Julia Salzman)
BlueStone Nat. Res. II, LLC v. Randle: Another Bite at the Post-Production Cost Apple, Houston Association Division Order Analysts Newsletter, 2021 Q2 (M. Ryan Kirby & Timothy Truong)
The Interplay of Anti-Washout Clauses and the Rule Against Perpetuities, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Newsletter, October 2020 (M. Ryan Kirby, J. Brian Davis, & Gina Hong)
Piranha Partners v. Neuhoff: A Review, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Newsletter, September 2020 (M. Ryan Kirby, J. Brian Davis, & Timothy Truong)
To Suspend or Not to Suspend? That is the Question!, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Newsletter, September 2015 (M. Ryan Kirby & Vy “Tina” Huynh)
Why You Should Run Title to the Sovereign, Dallas Association of Petroleum Landmen Newsletter, May 2015 (M. Ryan Kirby & Vy “Tina” Huynh)
Pooling: The Unintended Consequences & Alternatives, Dallas Association of Petroleum Landmen Newsletter, December 2014 (M. Ryan Kirby & Andrew Potts)
Oil & Gas Title Opinions: A Brief Synopsis, Dallas Association of Petroleum Landmen Newsletter, October 2014 (M. Ryan Kirby & Gerald Walrath)
Pooling, The Unintended Consequences , Houston Association of Professional Landmen Newsletter, March 2014
Texas (2002)
Texas Eastern Bankruptcy Court
Texas Eastern District Court
Texas Northern District Court
Texas Southern District/Bankruptcy Court
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