Eva Fromm O'Brien, who joined the firm in 1986, is a partner in the firm's Houston office, where she Chairs the firm's Environmental Law Practice and is a Member of the Firm's Executive Committee. Her legal practice focuses on:
- environmental consulting and advising on various aspects of environmental law, including solid and hazardous waste, Superfund, offshore issues, hydraulic fracturing, natural resource damages, wetlands, underground storage tank, wastewater, and remediation issues;
- environmental auditing programs - development, conducting audits, and evaluating environmental audit programs,
- Superfund and natural resources litigation;
- property damage, toxic tort, and catastrophic litigation;
- advising on environmental aspects of business transactions;
- contested permit matters, and
- administrative and civil enforcement cases.
Eva has also handled several criminal enforcement matters. Her administrative practice before the environmental agencies includes handling contested permit hearings and enforcement proceedings, oversight of remedial actions under various federal and state programs, and contribution/cost recovery actions. She also regularly provides advice to clients on questions involving regulatory interpretations. In addition, she utilizes her engineering background in conjunction with her legal experience to conduct and supervise environmental compliance audits.
Eva also assists the firm's corporate, real estate, and trust and estate attorneys with the environmental aspects of mergers and acquisitions and problems that arise from management of contaminated properties. She conducts the environmental aspects of the due diligence in these transactions, provides necessary contract language, and supervises the environmental consulting firms to ensure that the appropriate investigations are accomplished. In trust and estate matters, Eva provides counseling on management and ownership issues concerning contaminated or industrial properties.
Having a dual assignment in the firm's Litigation Department, Eva also handles environmental and toxic tort litigation. She has represented plaintiffs and defendants in superfund contribution and cost recovery actions. She represents clients in property damage and toxic tort matters where the damages result from air, water, or soil contamination.
- Represented a unit of a major Chinese petrochemical company in connection with its purchase of an undivided 33.3% interest in, and the development of, approximately 1.2 million acres of oil and gas properties located in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale in Mississippi, the Niobrara in Colorado and Wyoming, the Mississippian in Oklahoma, the Utica Shale in Ohio and the Michigan Basin
- Represented the U.S. subsidiary of a major French oil and gas company in connection with its purchase of an undivided 25% interest in, and the joint development of, 619,000 net mineral acres of oil and gas properties located in the Utica Shale of eastern Ohio
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas, Environmental Law Section
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Houston Bar Association - Environmental Law Section
- Past Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary
- American College of Environmental Lawyers, Fellow (Inducted 2009)
- Chambers & Partners USA - Environment, Texas (2003 - 2012)
- The Best Lawyers in America
- Texas Super Lawyers (2006 - 2012)
- "Texas Top Rated Lawyer," LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell (2012, 2013)
- "Women in Business Law," Environment, Expert Guides (2012)
- Who's Who in American Law
- Who's Who in American Women
- Who's Who in America
- Who's Who Legal - Environment (2010)
- Co-author, "EPA Stay Vacated—Boiler MACT and CISWI Rules Now Effective," Fulbright Alert, January 12, 2012
- "Shale Gas: the Plays and the Playing Field," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Energy, June 2011
- Co-author, "Offshore Oil & Gas Drilling: Getting Going Again in the Gulf of Mexico," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Offshore Oil & Gas, May 18, 2011
- Co-author, "EPA Enforcement In 2011: No Penalty Left Behind," Law 360, January 24, 2011
- Co-author, "Getting Going Again in the Gulf - Part 2 - New Rulemaking and Legislative Outlook," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Energy, November 10, 2010
- Co-author, "How to Stem Risks In Sea Of Uncertainty Over Drilling," Environmental Law 360, September 20, 2010
- Co-author, "Overview of Oil Spill Financial Responsibility Required Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 for Vessels and Offshore Facilities," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Offshore Oil & Gas Task Force, August 2010
- Co-author, "An Eye On Congress: Legislative Activity in the Wake of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill," Fulbright Briefing, July 30, 2010
- Co-author, "Supreme Court Holds That Corps of Engineers Was Correct Agency to Grant Permit to Coeur Alaska, Inc.," Fulbright Briefing, June 24, 2009
- Co-author, "Catastrophic Litigation - Are You Prepared? Responding to Government & Regulatory Inquiries," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Catastrophic Litigation, November 10, 2009
- Co-author, "Supreme Court Narrows 'Arranger' Liability and Upholds Apportionment of Liability in CERCLA § 107 Action," Fulbright ALERT, May 5, 2009
1985 - J.D., University of Houston Law Center
1978 - B.S., Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University
Eva was admitted to practice in Texas in 1985.
Eva is an avid boater and enjoys spending time on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. She also enjoys making jewelry in her spare time.
- Texas
- United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, Alexis de Tocqueville Society and Women's Initiative
- Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, former Board of Directors (2005 - 2010)
- Houston Area Women's Center, former Board of Directors
- French - Limited Proficiency
- German - Limited
