Sean Elliott, vice president and general counsel at Liberty Oilfield Services.

Covering corporate law departments and in-house attorneys for Texas Lawyer and other ALM publications, reporter Kristen Rasmussen profiles Sean Elliott, vice president and general counsel at Liberty.

Founded in 2011, Liberty is an independent provider of hydraulic fracturing services to onshore oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in North America. Although the company is headquartered in Denver, Elliott is based in San Antonio.

Legal Team

Elliott leads a department with two lawyers, including himself, and a paralegal. Although he said that the small department takes more of a “managerial function” when it comes to its legal work, “we will get directly involved in matters where it takes more of an understanding of our business, culture and philosophy.”

Elliott added: “We're very lean by design. We hire very conservatively because when a downturn happens in our industry, we aim not to let anyone go, just as we were able to accomplish in 2015.”

The second lawyer, who specializes in corporate work, was added after Liberty went public earlier this year, Elliott said.

Outside Counsel

Elliott said he outsources the department's work to several firms: primary outside firm Vinson & Elkins; Willkie Farr & Gallagher for corporate matters and commercial financial issues; Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart for labor and employment matters; Fox Rothschild; Houston-based litigation boutique firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing (AZA) for litigation; and a handful of smaller firms with former top-ranking in-house lawyers as partners.

Daily Duties

In the year or so since he joined Liberty, Elliott said he has spent time advising the business executives, “getting them used to having an in-house legal department and using the legal team and resources effectively and efficiently.”

“It takes time for me to know the business and culture and understand the things they value so that I know how to best advise them,” he added.

Route to the Top

After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, Elliott worked for about five years as a corporate associate in the Dallas office of Haynes and Boone. He then went in-house at Aviall Inc., where he participated in the company's sale to Boeing in 2006. Elliott landed his first GC gig at age 33, when he joined CARBO Ceramics Inc., a position he held for nearly eight years. He moved to Houston with CARBO in 2009. He returned to Haynes and Boone as counsel, this time in San Antonio, and, about a year later, became assistant GC at USAA Real Estate Co. Elliott joined Liberty in March 2017 and currently splits his time between San Antonio and Denver.

Personal

Elliott has three sons, ages 12, 10 and 5.

“A lot of my time is spent keeping up with the children as they grow,” he said, adding that those children also include his girlfriend's 14- and 11-year-old daughters.

Elliott said he also enjoys spending time in the mountains skiing and at his family's lake house outside Dallas, as well as playing tennis and golf.

Last Book

“Raising Men: Lessons Navy SEALs Learned From Their Training and Taught to Their Sons,” by Eric Davis.