M. Ryan Kirby attended South Texas College of Law, graduating in 2002 with a Juris Doctorate.  Thereafter, Ryan worked for several litigation firms before changing his focus to oil and gas law in 2006, and thereafter founded Kirby, Mathews & Walrath, PLLC, in February of 2013.  Ryan has conducted title examinations for a variety of conventional and unconventional plays in Texas, has negotiated and drafted numerous documents for oil and gas companies, as well as continuing to litigate matters related to oil and gas.  Ryan is a frequent speaker at continuing education seminars for with landmen and Continuing Legal Education seminars.  Ryan has also served as an Adjunct Professor at South Texas College of Law from 2012 to 2023, where he lectured on the subject of Texas Oil, Gas and Land Titles.

Robert W. (Eli) Kiefaber is a founding partner of Kiefaber & Oliva LLP. Eli focuses his practice on mineral title issues, oil and gas transactions and litigation, real estate matters and business litigation. His practice includes title opinions, division order opinions, joint operating agreements, acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas assets, federal leases, pooling and unitization, environmental and regulatory matters, and energy and environmental litigation, including the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Eli has an extensive background in oil and gas matters and business litigation. He has prepared hundreds of title opinions, including drilling title opinions, division order opinions, supplemental title opinions and acquisition title opinions. Eli’s experience also extends to complex business litigation where he has represented Fortune 500 companies in environmental litigation, real property disputes, breach of contract matters, and a variety of other business disputes in state and federal courts.

Eli is also a regular speaker on issues relating to the development of unconventional shale plays and has given presentations regarding legal issues of oil and gas development in Texas, Ohio, Colorado and other shale play states. He is also active in the oil and gas community and an active member of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen, Houston Association of Petroleum Landmen, the North Houston Association of Petroleum Landmen, the Houston Bar Association – Oil and Gas Section, and the State Bar of Texas – Oil and Gas Section. Eli is also a member of The College of the State Bar of Texas.

Eli earned his B.A from Kenyon College and his J.D., with honors, from Marquette University Law School. Eli is licensed to practice law in Texas, Ohio and Colorado. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Rob Shultz, CPL graduated from the University of Texas in 1973 and worked briefly for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C before joining Exxon Co. USA in 1979 as a roustabout in West Texas. Over the next 34 years, Rob filled various professional and supervisory roles for both Exxon and ExxonMobil in Houston, Los Angeles, Tyler, and Dallas, Texas. For his last three years before retiring in March 2013, he served as Professional Development Advisor to about 200 ExxonMobil Commercial and Land employees globally. 

Rob has been involved with real estate and real property interests essentially his entire career. He’s been a certified ethics instructor with the International Right of Way Association and is a longtime member of the AAPL. Rob and his wife Cindy have four children, three grandchildren, and make their home in Tyler, Texas.