About John
John McFarland is a shareholder at Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody in Austin, Texas. He has been practicing law in Texas since 1975, specializing in real estate, energy, oil and gas, and environmental law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Yale University in 1972 and his Juris Doctor from The University of Texas School of Law in 1975, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif. In 1986, Mr. McFarland became board certified in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has represented land and mineral owners in oil, gas, and mineral law, water law, and environmental law issues for over four decades.
His practice includes negotiating oil and gas leases, seismic survey permits, data use licenses, purchase and sale agreements, pipeline easements, and financing agreements. He has also litigated title and royalty cases. Mr. McFarland has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in multiple categories, including Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Natural Resources Law. Oil & Gas Law, from 2008 to 2024. He has also been listed in Texas Monthly's Super Lawyers from 2009 to 2020.
He is a member of the Austin Bar Association's Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Section, the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section, and the State Bar of Texas's Oil, Gas, and Energy Law Section. He is also a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. In 2025, Mr. McFarland was recognized in Austin Monthly magazine's "Top Attorneys" list in the Energy Oil and Gas category. He has also served as the firm's president from January 2018 until recently, when he stepped down to focus on his practice. Mr.
McFarland is the author of the Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog. He shares insights and updates on oil and gas matters in Texas. He is admitted to practice in Texas and is board certified in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He can be reached at Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody, 401 Congress Avenue, Suite 2700, Austin, TX 78701. His direct phone number is 512-480-5618, and his email address is [email protected]. For more information, visit his firm's website at
