Horizontal Drilling Presents Unique Leasing Issues
The Legal Inelligencer
June 18, 2013
The modern oil and gas lease is a sophisticated and complex legal instrument that has evolved over the last several decades. This evolution, however, has generally occurred within the "vertical well" context. Recent technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have resulted in unprecedented leasing activity throughout Pennsylvania. Full Text
Is the Natural Gas Industry in Pa. Creating More Legal Work?
The Legal Intelligencer
May 14, 2013
While there is currently debate over whether the rise of the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania has created as many jobs as some had originally projected, there is little disagreement among attorneys and legal recruiters that there is, at the moment, plenty of legal work flowing from the drilling industry and, as a consequence, steady demand for oil and gas lawyers. Full Text
Two Recent Suits Display Scope of Gas Lease Litigation
The Legal Intelligencer
April 30, 2013
Two complaints recently filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania serve as examples of the wide scope of gas lease-related litigation coming out of the state's natural gas plays. Full Text
Pa. Justices Rule Shale, Natural Gas Are Not Minerals
The Legal Intelligencer
April 26, 2013
The state Supreme Court has decided there is no need for a scientific debate over whether shale and the natural gas contained within it fall under the definition of "minerals" for the purposes of deed reservations. Full Text
Marcellus Shale, Revenue Hunt Spur Pa. Firm Mergers
The Legal Intelligencer
April 8, 2013
Pennsylvania firms have frequently been the subjects of law firm mergers in one of the most active quarters for merger activity the industry has seen since the beginning of 2009, according to a report by legal consultancy Altman Weil. Full Text
Shale Drilling Impact Fees Tapped to Fund Conservation Projects
The Legal Intelligencer
March 5, 2013
Five new conservation programs will be the beneficiary of $14 million in new funding from impact fees paid by companies drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, the Corbett administration has announced. Full Text
Factoring Shale Royalties Into Estate Planning
The Legal Intelligencer
February 5, 2013
While the Marcellus and Utica shales present a boon to the Pennsylvania economy, the negotiation of a lease should not be the only legal consideration for a landowner. There are a multitude of estate and income-tax issues to consider both before and after signing a lease and before drilling commences. Full Text
Gas Lawyers Say Price Will Dictate the Practice in 2013
The Legal Intelligencer
February 5, 2013
Energy lawyers in Pennsylvania said the price of natural gas will be one of the main drivers determining which areas of oil and gas law are busy in 2013. Full Text
Spector Gadon Starts Energy and Environmental Practice
The Legal Intelligencer
November 28, 2012
Philadelphia-based Spector Gadon & Rosen has started an energy and environmental practice group with the addition of environmental lawyer Kermit L. Rader, who will chair the group. Full Text
Litigation Over Groundwater Impacts of Natural Gas Wells
The Legal Intelligencer
November 20, 2012
Last month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson in Harrisburg denied a request for a Lone Pine order in a natural gas migration case, Roth v. Cabot Oil & Gas, Civil Action No. 3:12-cv-898 (M.D. Pa. Oct. 15, 2012). That decision offers an opportunity to consider some issues arising from claims that shale gas development (fracking) in Pennsylvania has caused personal injury or property damage as the result of contamination of neighbors' water wells or other migration of natural gas to neighbors' property. Full Text
