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SHREVEPORT, LA -- Kean Miller is pleased to announce its combination with Hargrove, Smelley & Strickland and the addition of five attorneys in its Shreveport office. The firm welcomes Paul A. Strickland, T. Issac Howell, Jonathan E. Love, and Jonathan J. Rose as partners, and Catherine B. Kendall as an attorney, effective January 31, 2026.
The addition of these energy industry heavyweights reflects Kean Miller’s continued regional growth and significantly enhances its capabilities in key service areas, including oil and gas transactions, mineral title, energy regulatory, Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy matters, business and corporate, real estate, and commercial litigation.
With this combination, Kean Miller now offers a highly experienced regional oil and gas practice spanning from resource-rich south Louisiana to the Haynesville Shale, and from East Texas to the Permian Basin. Kean Miller now boasts a 10-attorney upstream and midstream transactional team from offices in Shreveport, Lafayette, and The Woodlands. Our extensive energy expertise is now coupled with our North Louisiana-based real estate, corporate, construction, labor and employment, commercial litigation, and CCUS practices.
“We are fortunate to welcome these outstanding attorneys to our Shreveport office as we continue to strategically expand our energy sector capabilities,” said Linda Perez Clark, Managing Partner. “Their collective experience, industry knowledge, and depth further strengthen our ability to provide high-quality legal counsel and exceptional client service to oil and gas clients across the region.”
“We are excited to combine our long-standing practice with Kean Miller and leverage the depth of resources the firm provides.” said Paul A. Strickland. “Together, we are positioned to serve energy clients throughout the region’s most important oil and gas markets.”
For all inquiries related to Hargrove, Smelley & Strickland, P.L.C., please contact Savannah Fuller at 318.429.7200.
Paul is one of the leading oil and gas attorneys in Louisiana. He has focused his practice on energy and oil and gas projects, significant E&P developments, mineral title, and upstream transactional matters for more than 40 years. A key member of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, Paul brings a wealth of experience and insight to energy industry leaders, E&P companies, and mineral buyers. He also has experience in real property matters.
Paul and his team have been instrumental in assisting clients with some of their most important projects for decades. From traditional drilling projects to the Haynesville Shale, and from fracking technology to directional drilling techniques, he has advised some of the largest players in the oil and gas community across the state of Louisiana.
Paul earned his J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 1980 and his B.A. in History from LSU in 1977.
Issac helps clients obtain, acquire, and transfer ownership of energy assets across Louisiana. He focuses his practice on the Louisiana energy industry and routinely represents clients in significant upstream mineral title transactions, large-scale mineral buying projects, title opinions, mineral leases, surface agreements, leasehold title opinions, and purchase and sale agreements. Issac’s clients rely on him for sound due diligence and documentation for transformational energy projects throughout North and South Louisiana.
Issac earned his J.D. and Bachelor of Civil Law from the LSU Law Center in 2005 and his B.S. in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Louisiana Tech University in 2002.
Jonathan is a trusted advisor to energy industry leaders and represents many of the region’s most influential and respected oil and gas operators. He focuses his practice on oil and gas, regulatory, real estate, and transactional business matters. Jonathan has extensive experience in oil and gas title examination, including drill site and division order title opinions, due diligence, and title curative projects. He is one of a handful of Louisiana attorneys who regularly practices before the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy and represents operators on unitization, well approvals, and permitting matters. Jonathan is a licensed title insurance agent for First American Title Insurance Company.
Jonathan earned his J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 2011, his M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 2007, and his B.B.A. from Baylor University in 2004.
Jon is a go-to oil and gas attorney and is relied upon for many of his clients’ most high-profile and complex mineral title matters. His practice spans oil and gas law, mineral title, upstream transactional, energy, commercial litigation, and general business and real estate matters. Jon has extensive experience representing clients in connection with title opinions, farm-out and farm-in agreements, joint operating agreements, large-scale mineral buying projects, mineral leasing, surface use agreements, and other transformational title projects for some of the largest operators in Louisiana.
Jon earned his J.D., cum laude, from the LSU Law Center in 2011 and his B.S. in Finance from LSU in 2008.
Catherine is an experienced energy sector attorney, focusing her practice on oil and gas law, mineral title, upstream transactional, energy, commercial litigation, and general business matters.
Catherine earned her J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 2014 and her B.A. in English from Texas A&M University in 2010.
About Kean Miller
Kean Miller is one of the largest and best recognized law firms in the Gulf South region. For 43 years, the firm has been innovating and growing, revolutionizing the standards for excellence in client service and earning numerous awards for market-leading practices and thoughtful, creative legal representation. Consistently named to the National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 and the Law360 Top 400 lists, Kean Miller is Mansfield Certified for the sixth consecutive year in recognition of the firm’s commitment to increasing diverse representation in law firm leadership. The firm’s collaborative culture, people-first approach, and devotion to quality are foundational to the firm’s continued success, reflecting its reputation in the market. From the firm’s eight offices in Shreveport, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Houston, and The Woodlands, and more than 240 attorneys, Kean Miller delivers sophisticated and meaningful counsel to Fortune 500 leaders, national businesses, and local companies.
