Pete Vermillion started out as a petroleum geologist working for Marathon Oil Corporation and a small independent before attending SMU law school and graduating in 1997. He was a partner at Thompson Knight and Kelly Hart and Hallman law firms where he focused on oil and gas litigation. In 2010, Mr. Vermillion went in-house with Chesapeake Energy. Over the past 10 years he has helped manage litigation for the company in the Barnett, Haynesville, Fayetteville, and Eagle Ford Shale plays. From 2016 to 2019 Mr. Vermillion was part of a small legal team primarily handling royalty litigation. In 2019 he moved into the role of Managing Attorney for the South Texas Business Unit where he manages litigation and provides legal support, including assisting with production sharing, water use, and subsurface easement agreements and coordinating with joint working interest parties.