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Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Ken earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Centre College in June, 1998. Ken then attended Texas A&M University where he earned a Masters degree in Agri-Business in May, 2001, graduating second in his class. Ken was also selected for membership in the Phi Kappa Phi and Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Societies during his graduate studies at Texas A&M. Ken then attended South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, where he graduated cum laude and as a member of the Order of Lytae in May, 2006. During law school, Ken was a Director of the South Texas College of Law Board of Advocates, President of the Federalist Society Law Student Chapter and member of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Honors Society. 

Ken’s primary practice area is Admiralty and Maritime Law, where Ken has wide-ranging experience in representing offshore drilling, exploration and production companies and dredging operators in Jones Act and other litigation under the General Maritime Law in both State and Federal Courts.  Ken also practices in commercial litigation, with an emphasis in construction and complex business-related litigation, as well as professional liability litigation. 

Ken is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice before the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ken is also an active member of the Garland Walker American Inn of Court, the Houston Federalist Society and the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

Representative Matters

• Represented numerous energy exploration and drilling clients throughout Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi against claims under the Jones Act, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act ("OCSLA") and 905(b) of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act ("LHWCA").
• Represented various clients in marine construction, construction defect, maritime contract and maritime tort litigation. 
• Won dismissal of Jones Act claims for energy exploration and drilling clients based upon lack of vessel status of deepwater floating gas production, drilling and quarters platform.  (slip copy: 2011 WL 3021043)
• Represented ship building, fabrication and heavy construction facility in multi-phased litigation regarding alleged defects in construction of offshore drilling platform.
• Represented maritime client in action for damages sustained to wharfage and pier structures.
• Counseled maritime construction and fabrication client regarding construction lien practices in connection with construction and modification of offshore structures.
• Successfully prosecuted claim for hull and loss of use/profits damages on behalf of maritime client resulting from vessel allision.
• Represented international pipeline company in catastrophic injury litigation following pipeline installation accident.
• Achieved complete dismissal of claims in wrongful death lawsuit brought by seaman's survivors under the Jones Act.
• Successfully represented maritime client in achieving favorable settlement in wrongful death and survival claim litigation following accident in the Houston Ship Channel. 
• Represented numerous clients in premises liability and Jones Act toxic tort litigation in connection with alleged fume and chemical exposure claims.
• Represented energy exploration and drilling company in litigation arising from fatal accident occurring in territorial waters of Angola. 
• Counseled numerous clients in vessel lease agreements and drafting of charter party agreements.
• Counseled international maritime client regarding manning requirements and immigration issues under OCSLA.
• Represented freight forwarder in contact, quantum meruit and promissory estoppel litigation.
• Counseled and represented client in environmental permitting process under Texas Clean Water Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA").
• Counseled client in partnership dissolution procedure and drafting of dissolution agreement.
• Counseled client in share buyback and purchase transaction and drafting of buyback agreement.

Seminars & Presentations

• "What do You Mean They Can Have my E-Mails?  And my Text Messages?  And my ….  Electronically Stored Information and the Revised Federal Rules of Civil Procedure."  Houston Claims Association CLE Presentation and Paper, 2007.
• Libertarian Paternalism: The Cocaine Vaccine as a Test Case for the Sunstein/Thaler Model, 3 Rutgers J.L. & Urban Pol 'y 1 (2005) (research assistant to author Professor Dru Stevenson).

Professional Affiliations

• Texas Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section.
• State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section.
• State Bar of Texas Litigation Section.
• Houston Young Lawyers Association
• Houston Young Lawyers Foundation
• Texas Young Lawyers Association
• American Inns of Court, Garland Walker Inn