Daniel

D. Pipitone

Shareholder
700 Milam Street, Suite 800
Houston, TX 77002-2806

Overview

Dan brings to the Firm more than 30 years of maritime law experience during which time he has represented numerous vessel owners engaged in both ‘blue water’ and ‘brown water’ transportation, crew and supply boat services and dredging activities. Dan has additionally represented various offshore drilling contractors. He is very familiar with the maritime industry and has provided representation with respect to a wide variety of issues ranging from personal injury defense to maritime contract disputes, collisions, allisions and environmental episodes.

During the course of the past five years, Dan has broadened his practice to include the representation of both individuals and companies charged with violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As a result of a rather significant victory in Gate Guard Services, L.P. v. U.S. Department of Labor, Dan has been asked to provide representation when either a class of individuals or the DOL initiates litigation alleging that independent contractors should have been properly classified as employees. Allegations that employees should have been considered non-exempt, as opposed to exempt, have also arisen in other types of litigation Dan has been asked to handle.

Dan's knowledge of the energy industry has led him to serve in an outside General Counsel capacity for many companies in the industry. In this regard, Dan directly reviews Master Service Agreements and other types of similar agreements which are commonplace in both the Energy and Maritime Industries. He is also indirectly involved with various other matters including those of a corporate, real estate, intellectual property and environmental nature concerning which he utilizes the many other attorneys in the Firm who are more directly involved in these specialties.

Education

Admissions

Achievements

  • Woodward/White, Inc. – Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Labor and Employment (2024)
  • Who’s Who LegalWho’s Who of Maritime Attorneys (2008)
  • Memberships

    • American Bar Association
    • Corpus Christi Bar Association
    • Houston Bar Association
    • National Association of Defense Counsel
    • Proctor in Admiralty, Maritime Law Association of the United States
    • State Bar of Texas
    • Texas Association of Defense Counsel
    • Texas Bar Association

Overview

Dan brings to the Firm more than 30 years of maritime law experience during which time he has represented numerous vessel owners engaged in both ‘blue water’ and ‘brown water’ transportation, crew and supply boat services and dredging activities. Dan has additionally represented various offshore drilling contractors. He is very familiar with the maritime industry and has provided representation with respect to a wide variety of issues ranging from personal injury defense to maritime contract disputes, collisions, allisions and environmental episodes.

During the course of the past five years, Dan has broadened his practice to include the representation of both individuals and companies charged with violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As a result of a rather significant victory in Gate Guard Services, L.P. v. U.S. Department of Labor, Dan has been asked to provide representation when either a class of individuals or the DOL initiates litigation alleging that independent contractors should have been properly classified as employees. Allegations that employees should have been considered non-exempt, as opposed to exempt, have also arisen in other types of litigation Dan has been asked to handle.

Dan's knowledge of the energy industry has led him to serve in an outside General Counsel capacity for many companies in the industry. In this regard, Dan directly reviews Master Service Agreements and other types of similar agreements which are commonplace in both the Energy and Maritime Industries. He is also indirectly involved with various other matters including those of a corporate, real estate, intellectual property and environmental nature concerning which he utilizes the many other attorneys in the Firm who are more directly involved in these specialties.

Experience

  • FLSA

    Successfully represented an energy services company in an FLSA against claims a former employee who sued the company for failure to pay overtime wages. Following a four 

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  • FLSA + EAJA

    Successfully represented an energy services company in an FLSA suit against the Department of Labor (DOL), in which the DOL investigated the energy services company 

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  • Personal Injury & Wrongful Death

    Prevailed in a case presented to the U.S. Supreme Court involving an international choice of law issue, as well as issues pertaining to venue and forum non 

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