Georgina St. Johns
Associate
Georgina St. Johns focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation for clients in the oil-and-gas industry. Georgina’s experience includes indemnity disputes, royalty payment disputes, operator litigation, and other title disputes. Before joining Vartabedian Hester & Haynes, Georgina interned for the General Counsel of a large health care corporation, assisting with closings, M&A transactions, and private equity financing. Georgina also interned at the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, where she assisted with trial preparation for cases involving international war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- Second-chaired a trial and obtained a unanimous jury verdict for a Midland-based royalty owner for attorneys’ fees incurred in a royalty payment dispute.
- Successfully briefed an argument to the Texas Supreme Court on behalf of the respondent in a case concerning the district’s court’s jurisdiction to issue a protective order. The Texas Supreme Court held that the respondent, a non-resident, did not enter a general appearance, and therefore did not waive his right to challenge the district court’s lack of personal jurisdiction.The Texas Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals, which vacated the protective order and dismissed the case.
- Representings operator in defense of a claim alleging the defendants’ saltwater disposal wells washed out the oil and gas reserves from which the plaintiffs’ wells produce.
- Representing clients in prosecuting lease termination disputes, including litigation involving production in paying quantities, retained acreage, and total cessation issues.
- Representing clients in royalty underpayment disputes.
- Representing clients in environmental pollution litigation and indemnity disputes.
Admissions
- Texas
Education
- Vanderbilt University (J.D., 2023)
- Authorities Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
- Women Law Student’s Association
- Law and Business Society
- Vanderbilt in Venice
- University of California, Los Angeles (B.A., 2019)
- Cum Laude
Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- Dallas Bar Association
- Vanderbilt Housing Law Clinic, Fall 2021
- Vanderbilt International Law Practice Lab, Spring 2022