Law firm Winstead PC hired energy attorney Jon R. Ray, the previous head of Cox Smith Matthews’ energy and natural resources department. Ray is a well-known energy attorney in the San Antonio/South Texas region with 35 years of experience representing operators and producers in exploration and production aspects of oil, gas and mineral law. Ray will work as a shareholder in Winstead’s energy and environmental law practice group.

“We are very pleased that Jon has joined the Winstead team,” said Paul Martin, managing shareholder of Winstead’s San Antonio office. “Jon is known as a leading attorney in oil, gas and mineral law in the region and Winstead clients will benefit from his experience. He makes an excellent addition to Winstead’s steadily growing energy and environmental practice areas.”

Board certified in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Ray represents clients in all aspects of energy exploration programs, including leasing, acquisitions, title matters, regulatory compliance and litigation. Clients rely on his proficiency in oil, gas and mineral law contracts and negotiations and his skilled experience with exploration industry agreements, financing arrangements and purchase and sale transactions. His background includes significant involvement in shale and unconventional resource plays, most recently in the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas and the Bakken Shale in the Northern United States.

Ray is a member of the American Bar Association, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, the State Bar of Texas, the San Antonio Bar Association and the American Association of Professional Landmen. He has been named both a Texas Super Lawyer and to Best Lawyers in America. In 2012, he was named Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year for Natural Resources Law in San Antonio. Listed frequently in San Antonio Business Journal and Scene in SA magazine as a noted energy attorney and ‘Who’s Who in Energy’, Ray received his J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

www.winstead.com