A May 28 program at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston honors 19 in-house lawyers and teams. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are presenting Legal Department of the Year to LyondellBasell’s 65-attorney legal team and its general counsel Jeff Kaplan. That recognition follows a defense that started in 2021, when a chemical release at the company’s La Porte facility killed two workers.
The Award Itself
Houston-region in-house teams compete for the Legal Department of the Year recognition each year. ACC Houston and The Texas Lawbook administer the program based on nomination materials submitted by outside counsel and corporate stakeholders. AZA partners Todd Mensing and Kyle Poelker nominated Kaplan and the LyondellBasell legal department for the 2026 award.
Behind the Recognition
LyondellBasell’s La Porte litigation drove the win. Kaplan’s disposition tally for the matter: 45 cases dismissed on summary judgment, 20 settled at nuisance value, three resolved with indemnitor funds, fatality settlements fully recovered through coverage litigation against the broker and excess insurer, a defense verdict in the OSHA trial, and a state regulatory matter resolved for a nominal amount. Mensing said of the result: “The results were exceptional, and unlike those seen by other companies facing similar claims. LYB was able to resolve those claims with little out-of-pocket money by leveraging legal arguments and trial readiness”.
Another LYB Honoree
Dave Louie, a lead legal counsel at LyondellBasell, was also honored at the May 28 program. Louie reports to Kaplan and has worked under him for more than seven years. He summarized the department philosophy: “Jeff consistently stressed to the department our responsibility to be both trusted partners to the business while balancing our responsibilities as guardians of the company.”
What the Department Has Closed in 18 Months
LyondellBasell’s La Porte case load competed for attention against several other major matters in the same window. Kaplan’s team finalized a multinational transaction selling chemical manufacturing sites in the UK, Spain, France and Germany to a startup chemical business. A French court awarded the company $35 million in environmental remediation recovery from the prior owner of an acquired facility. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy awarded LYB a multibillion-dollar feedstock supply contract. Kaplan’s department also led the relocation of LyondellBasell’s corporate headquarters to the Galleria area. The move took 1,300 employees to new office space in March 2025.
Institutional Reach
Kaplan’s longevity in the role has compounded the department’s institutional memory. He has served three CEOs, four CFOs and four chief human resource officers at LyondellBasell since taking the top legal job in 2015. LyondellBasell executives recently added human resources, government relations and corporate communications to his portfolio. The legal function continues running the case docket on which the La Porte recognition was built.
