Ben Barnes is Dowd Bennett’s Dallas Managing Partner and leads the firm’s Texas practice. He represents companies in significant commercial disputes, with particular experience advising clients in the energy, chemical, petrochemical, and industrial sectors. Clients rely on Ben for practical business judgment, meticulous preparation, and trial-ready strategy in cases where outcomes materially affect operations, contracts, and enterprise value.
Ben’s experience spans complex contract and business tort disputes, fiduciary and governance conflicts, fraud and unfair competition claims, antitrust-related issues, restructuring-adjacent litigation, and other commercial disputes with substantial business consequences.
Ben is actively involved in litigation before the Texas Business Court, where he has handled large commercial disputes and litigated threshold jurisdictional and early-case issues. He helps clients and counsel navigate the forum efficiently while maintaining a clear focus on leverage, case trajectory, and trial positioning. Ben also writes and speaks regularly on the Business Court and its developing body of decisions.
Ben works with clients across a range of industries beyond his core energy and industrial focus, including real estate, financial services, and consumer products. When it serves the business objective, he also structures alternative fee arrangements, including contingency and hybrid models, to align incentives and manage risk.
Ben’s work has been recognized by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, The Legal 500 United States, and Lawdragon, including recognition by Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial — Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds.
Before entering private practice, Ben clerked for the Honorable Raymond W. Gruender of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Ben has served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve since 2010 and most recently served as a policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy. He is also a member of the National Council of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, his alma mater.
Lummus Technology LLC v. Honeywell International, Inc.: Trial counsel for Honeywell in an unfair competition dispute in the Texas Business Court.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. v. Wolfspeed, Inc.: Trial counsel for Air Products in a breach-of-contract dispute in the Texas Business Court.
Trial counsel for U.S.-based fuel producer in environmental contamination and trespass dispute. Obtained complete defense verdict.
Trial counsel for U.S.-based fuel producer in anticipated coordinated Texas state-court litigation arising from an incident at a refinery.
Trial counsel for utility services contractor in catastrophic injury matter.
ChaseCorporation v. Arcanum Support Services, LLC: Trial counsel for Chase Corporation in force majeure dispute arising from July 2024 tornado in Osage County, Oklahoma.
Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. v. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: Trial counsel for Air Products in an infrastructure development dispute.
Constellation Energy Generation, LLC v. Newark Acquisition I, LP: Trial counsel for Newark in natural gas supply dispute.
Lydia Harris v. Universal Music Group: Trial counsel for MNRK Music Group and Hasbro Inc. in commercial litigation concerning alleged rights arising from the sale of a music business.
Air Products, LLC v. EDF Energy Services, LLC: Obtained approximately $40 million judgment for Air Products in power sale dispute against EDF Energy Services arising from the February 2021 Texas winter storm.
Columbia Medical Center of Lewisville Subsidiary, L.P., et al. v. Multiplan, Inc., et al.: Trial counsel for Blue Bell Creameries, Inc. in a breach-of-contract case with a hospital system concerning reimbursement rates.
Concluded representations undertaken prior to Ben’s affiliation with Dowd Bennett:
In re: East Palestine Train Derailment: Trial counsel for GATX Corporation in class-action and CERCLA litigation arising from the February 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio.
Public Utility Commission of Texas v. Luminant Energy Company, LLC: Appellate counsel for intervenor TexGen Power, LLC in Luminant’s challenge to emergency orders issued during the February 2021 Texas winter storm.
Coalition of PJM Capacity Resources v. PJM Interconnection, LLC: Counsel for coalition of capacity resources in the PJM Regional Transmission Organization in challenge to penalties assessed by PJM during Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022.
Peaker Power, LLC v. Shell Energy North America (US) L.P.: Trial counsel for Peaker Power in $45 million dispute against Shell arising from the February 2021 Texas winter storm.
In re Winter Storm Uri Litigation: Trial counsel to multiple power generators and midstream companies in Texas multidistrict litigation involving claims arising from the February 2021 Texas winter storm.
Red Lion Medical Safety, Inc., et al. v. General Electric Company: Trial counsel to GE Healthcare in trial against 17 plaintiff independent service providers in an antitrust matter. Obtained a take-nothing judgment against two plaintiffs and obtained a new trial against the remaining plaintiffs, leading to a favorable confidential settlement.
Trial counsel for international law firm in lawsuit involving legal malpractice and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims. Secured dismissal of all claims brought directly against firm and successfully defended judgment on appeal.
Texas
Colorado
J.D., magna cum laude, Washington University School of Law
B.M., New York University
Hon. Raymond Gruender, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Major, United States Marine Corps Reserve, 2010–Present
Chambers USA, Litigation: General Commercial – Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds, 2026
Benchmark Litigation, Future Star, 2025
The Legal 500 United States, City Elite – Dallas, Energy Litigation, 2025
The Legal 500 United States – Energy Litigation: Oil and Gas, 2023
Dowd Bennett is a litigation firm with extensive courtroom experience. Led by trial-seasoned lawyers, including former federal prosecutors and judicial law clerks, our team shares tenacity, a passion for seeing cases through trial and a complete commitment to client service.
