Ellen Earl Gillis

Ellen Earl Gillis focuses her practice on commercial litigation and appellate work, with particular emphasis on antitrust, finance, private equity, healthcare, real estate, and pre-litigation strategy. She is admitted to practice in Texas, including the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Ms. Gillis represents a broad range of clients—including lenders, healthcare service providers, real estate investors, private equity firms, and universities—in high-stakes litigation across both trial and appellate courts. She has experience handling claims involving breach of contract, business torts, antitrust violations, and other complex commercial disputes. In addition to her litigation work, she advises clients on early risk mitigation strategies designed to resolve disputes before they escalate.

A member of the firm’s Energy, Antitrust, and Appellate Practice Groups, Ms. Gillis serves as a liaison between the Energy and Antitrust teams. She has a particular interest in oil and gas and energy litigation and is actively engaged in expanding her practice in that area.

Since joining the firm in 2023, Ms. Gillis has devoted over 300 hours to pro bono service. Her pro bono work includes securing a favorable settlement in a decade-long child custody dispute involving due process violations, on behalf of an indigent father.

Ms. Gillis earned her J.D. from Texas A&M University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Texas A&M Law Review. She earned her B.A. in Political Science, with honors, from Texas State University.

She is an active member of the Dallas Bar Association, where she served as Chair of the Programming Committee for the Allied Bars Equality Committee (2024), as well as the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association, and the Higginbotham (2023-2024) and Mahon (2025) Inns of Court.

Outside of the office, Ms. Gillis is a proud mom of two, former competitive bodybuilder, and an avid runner. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time outdoors with her family.