**Exhibit
      31.1**





**CERTIFICATION
      OF**


**CHIEF
      EXECUTIVE OFFICER**


**CLAYTON
      WILLIAMS ENERGY, INC.**





**CERTIFICATIONS**





I,
      Clayton W. Williams, certify that:




1.         I
      have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Clayton Williams Energy,
      Inc.;




2.         Based
      on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material
      fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made,
      in
      light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading
      with respect to the period covered by this report;




3.         Based
      on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information
      included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial
      condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and
      for, the periods presented in this report;




4.         The
      registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing
      and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange
      Act
      Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting
      (as
      defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and
      have:




(a)     
        Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
      disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
      ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its
      consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,
      particularly during the period in which this report is being
      prepared;




(b)        Designed
      such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control
      over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide
      reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the
      preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with
      generally accepted accounting principles;




(c)       
      Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and
      procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness
      of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered
      by this report based on such evaluation; and




(d)        Disclosed
      in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial
      reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the
      registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has
      materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
      registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and




5.         The
      registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most
      recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
      registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of
      directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):




(a)      
       All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
      operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably
      likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process,
      summarize and report financial information; and




(b)        Any
      fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees
      who
      have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial
      reporting.







Date:  August
      9, 2007








/s/
                Clayton W. Williams, Jr.Clayton
                W. Williams, Jr.Chief
                Executive
                Officer