Title: Attorney and Counselor
Company: Paul Yale Law PLLC
Location: Belmont, North Carolina, United States
Paul Yale, attorney at Paul Yale Law PLLC, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements and leadership in Oil, Gas and Energy Law.
Mr. Yale has established a distinguished career as an attorney and counselor, currently leading Paul Yale Law PLLC since 2025. After relocating to North Carolina from Texas to be closer to his grandchildren, he launched his solo practice, leveraging decades of experience in oil, gas and energy law. Operating remotely with minimal overhead, Mr. Yale has found renewed professional satisfaction and flexibility, maintaining a robust client base and focusing on his core values of excellence, responsiveness and generosity.
Before founding Paul Yale Law PLLC, Mr. Yale served as an energy attorney and partner at Gray Reed, a full-service Texas law firm headquartered in Houston, from 2009 to 2024. During his tenure, he was recognized for his expertise in natural resources law and played a pivotal role in the firm’s energy practice. Mr. Yale was also a partner at Burleson Law Firm in Houston between 2007 and 2009, where he continued to build his reputation as a leading attorney in energy law.
Mr. Yale’s legal career began in private practice in 1977 as an associate attorney specializing in civil litigation at law firms in Texas. He then joined ExxonMobil Corporation in 1980 as an entry-level landman in Denver, Colorado. Over the course of more than 25 years, Mr. Yale advanced through the ranks to become the land manager for the United States, overseeing all operations outside Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. His leadership roles included land supervisor, district land manager and positions within the company’s international group. Mr. Yale considers surviving and excelling at ExxonMobil, where the workforce shrank from 500,000 to fewer than 90,000 during his tenure, a significant professional achievement. He retired from ExxonMobil at age 55 in 2007 and immediately transitioned back into private law practice.
Following high school, Mr. Yale earned a Bachelor of Arts in American studies, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1974. He then completed a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in 1977. Mr. Yale was admitted to practice by the numerous bar associations, including the North Carolina, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming and Colorado Bar Associations. Shortly after retiring from ExxonMobil and returning to private practice, Mr. Yale also achieved board certification in oil, gas and mineral law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 2007, a distinction held by fewer than half of those who attempt the exam, and received credentials as a certified professional landman through the American Association of Professional Landmen.
Throughout his career, Mr. Yale has been actively involved in industry organizations. He is a sustaining member of the State Bar of Texas’s oil, gas and natural resources section, and holds memberships in the American Bar Association’s and the North Carolina Bar Association’s environment, energy and natural resources law section. Mr. Yale is also a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a former chair of the energy law section of the Houston Bar Association and a former trustee of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law.
Mr. Yale’s commitment to service extends beyond his professional work. Since 2023, he has volunteered as a reading tutor with the Augustine Literacy Project in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as a volunteer attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc.
An accomplished author and thought leader, Mr. Yale’s publications include numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Natural Resources and Energy Journal. Notably, “To Waive or Not to Waive? Analyzing Oil & Gas Title Opinion Requirements” was recognized as the best published article in AAPL Magazine for 2009-2010.
In recognition of his professional excellence, Mr. Yale has been awarded numerous accolades. He has received AV Preeminent ratings from Martindale-Hubbell in the field of natural resources law, was named a Super Lawyer by Texas Super Lawyers and Texas Monthly every year between 2013 and 2023, and received recognition for his pro bono service when he was named among the six outstanding pro bono lawyers in North Carolina in 2025. Mr. Yale was also selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Energy for 2026.
Mr. Yale credits his perseverance, preparation and commitment to excellence for his professional success. He remains dedicated to upholding his core values both professionally and personally, striving to make meaningful contributions to his field while balancing his responsibilities to family and community.
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