For over three decades, Bob Davee has provided reliable counsel and effectively represented his clients in litigation, both large and small, in State and Federal Court.
Bob was born in Houston and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast. In addition to his legal education and two years spent as a briefing attorney for a Federal District Judge, Bob financed his education through work in the offshore oilfield and maritime industry. That experience gave him a grounding in how operations are actually conducted aboard drilling rigs, harbor tugs and in an industrial setting. This has all translated into effective representation of both Plaintiffs and Defendants in ship and barge collisions and allisions, maritime personal injury and wrongful death claims involving commercial boats and recreational vessels, claims arising under the Jones Act, general maritime law and the Longshore & Harborworkers’ Compensation Act. In addition to litigation and arbitration arising out of vessel construction and repair agreements and cargo losses and significant insurance claims involving fire and storm losses, Bob has also represented electrical utilities and regularly handles claims involving various chemical contractors and contractors and assists them in the review and preparation of key contracts, sales and supply agreements. He has represented those chemical manufacturers and vessel operators in significant ad valorem or property tax litigation and in litigation and claims involving fire losses and storm and property insurance claims. In addition and as an avid sailor with over 4,000 miles of open ocean sailing experience, he regularly defends claims involving recreational vessels and has spoken to other lawyer groups regarding the handling of such litigation.
Bob is also an essential part of the local business and education community. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. He has been active for many years in the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and, in particular, that organization’s Education and Business Workforce Committee. He was elected to and served four consecutive three-year terms on the Clear Creek Independent School Board and he served a number of years as that Board’s president. He also served on the board of directors and as chair of the board of directors of the Galveston County Central Appraisal District and was a member and president of board of Communities in Schools-Bay Area which, in partnership with the Clear Creek and Dickinson Independent School Districts, private donors and the State of Texas provides support to at risk and economically disadvantaged students. He also serves as an elected member of the City Council of the City of Taylor Lake Village. This has given him a strong connection with the larger Galveston-Houston community, its component private and governmental organizations and their broad and particularized goals and needs.
Education
- University of Texas School of Law – J.D., 1985
- Texas Tech University – B.A., 1982
Admissions
- Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Recognition and/or Publications
- Briefing Attorney U.S. District Judge Ross N. Sterling 1985-87
Professional Activities and Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- Maritime Law Association
- Galveston County Bar Association
- Texas Association of Defense Counsel
Civic Involvement
- Clear Creek Independent School District
- Board of Trustees (2001-2013)
- President (2009-2011)
- Vice-President (2007-2009)
- Secretary (2005-2007)
- Galveston County Appraisal District
- Director (2004-2005)
- Chairman of the Board of Directors (2003-2005)
- Communities in Schools – Bay Area
- Officer and Director (2011 – 2020)
- Clear Chamber of Commerce
- Board of Directors (2015- present)
- City of Taylor Lake Village City Council
- Member (2015- present)
- Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership
- Member (2005- Present)
- Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Education and Workforce Committee (2006 – Present)
Representative Cases
- Representation of a shipyard in the in rem arrest, auction and successful prosecution of deficiency claims against a semi-submersible drilling rig and its owners for several million dollars in costs associated with a failed conversion plan;
- Representation of a shipyard in a unique Rule B attachment against a vessel’s bunkers and in successfully securing a summary judgment which was affirmed on appeal by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals;
- Representation of an electrical utility in the successful prosecution of claims and defeat of a towboat operator’s limitation of liability action arising from an allision and resulting destruction of a 348Kv electrical transmission tower which temporarily closed the Houston Ship Channel;
- Representation of a drydock owner and operator in the successful recovery of incurred removal costs and property loss against an insurer’s issued maritime coverage;
- Representation of a shipyard in the successful arbitration of a major dispute over the new construction of a series of towboats;
- Representation of a chemical plant operator in the successful recovery of damages resulting from the dockside capsize of a fully loaded sulfuric acid barge;
- Representation of recreational and commercial vessel owners and operators in claims involving serious personal injuries and claims for insured losses in both State and Federal Courts, including the trial to verdict of injuries resulting from a passenger’s broken back;
- Representation of construction contractors in State and Federal Court including the successful trial to verdict of a dispute between the construction contractor, owner and engineer resulting from the subdivision wide failure of installed roadways;
- Representation in State and Federal Court of chemical plants, waste disposal facilities, shipyards and the owners and operators of other industrial facilities of serious personal injury and wrongful death claims;
- Representation, as lead counsel fire of a 10 acre public warehouse and its chemical and plastic contents which resulted in claims by numerous warehouse depositors and adjoining landowners and hundreds of nearby residents;
- Representation of Texas vessel operators and industrial facilities and plants in ad valorem tax litigation, including the successful trial to verdict of claims involving the proper taxable situs of a fleet of harbor tugs operating in multiple Texas Ports.
