The recent boom in oil and natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania and West Virginia has created a need to protect your land and mineral rights. Your oil and gas lease may have expired, could be set to expire or you may not yet have negotiated a lease. Unfortunately, whatever the situation, many landowners do not get the help they need from a lawyer to negotiate a fair lease and make an informed decision. This can lead to getting less than what you should be getting and even worse could lead to costly litigation at some point in the future.

If you are a landowner interested in selling or leasing your mineral rights to a mining or drilling company, it is important to have an attorney to protect your interests. This includes maximizing the obvious financial goals but also involves minimizing the impact of drilling on land and water for future generations. I will represent landowners who have oil, gas, coal or other natural resources under their land. I can provide representation to property owners to help negotiate leases or sales of their property and mineral rights for oil or gas development and extraction to ensure they are fair. I can proactively identify and avoid potential pitfalls that frequently arise such as royalty rates, provisions addressing surface damage, lease terms, warranties and/or assignments.

Likewise, I can help landowners with land use agreements; mineral, oil, gas and coal litigation (quiet title actions); royalty and other lease disputes; reclamation concerns; and with your estate planning needs to ensure that your family benefits from your good fortune for years to come.