Current association: Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Past associations: Bricker Graydon LLP; Dinsmore & Shohl LLP Law School: Capital University Law School Undergraduate: Ohio University Spouse: Jaime Children/Grandchildren: 5 Children – Olivia, Grace, Aubrey,...
December Member Spotlight: Helena Jackson
Current association: HRJACKSONLAW PLLC Past associations: During the last 21 years, I have worked in the energy space in various capacities; Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, PLLC and James River Coal Company are the two most relevant to the EMLF, as they were in Lexington...
December Member Spotlight: Andrew Ellis
Current association: General Counsel at GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance, Inc. Law School: West Virginia University Undergraduate: B.S. in Mining Engineering, West Virginia University Spouse: Summer Ellis Children: Claire Ellis Current Hometown: Morgantown, WV Favorite...
W. Va. Appellate Court Vacates Unitization Order and Remands
Keith B. HallLSU Law CenterIn Hull-Wright v. Arsenal Resources, LLC, 2026 WL 125974 (W. Va. Ct. App. 2026), four owners of mineral royalties (“Petitioners”) appealed a unitization order from the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission of West Viriginia.BackgroundIn May...
Pennsylvania Federal Court Decides Issues in Lease Formation Dispute
Keith B. HallLSU Law CenterIn Warner v. Shell Legacy Holdings, LLC, 2025 WL 2783702 (W.D. Pa. 2025), the court resolved several issues in ruling on motions for summary judgment. The Warner plaintiffs alleged that the defendants failed to pay bonuses due under oil and...
On rehearing, West Virginia’s Top Court Sticks to Expansion of Marketable Title Rule
Keith B. HallLSU Law Center In Romeo v. Antero Resources Corp., 917 S.E.2d 26 (W. Va. 2025), the plaintiffs brought a class action in state court, arguing that Antero Resources had underpaid the royalites owed under oil and gas leases covering land in Harrison County,...
46th Annual Institute a Smashing Success
Nearly 200 registrants gathered Sunday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at The Westin Nashville for the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation’s 46th Annual Institute. The attendees included a record 22 law students who attended using Schetroma Travel Grants, as...
Spotlight on Professor Mark ‘Buzz’ Belleville
Current association: Appalachian School of LawPast associations: Woods & Rogers PLC (Blacksburg, Va.) and Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP (Cleveland and Columbus)Law School: Ohio State University College of LawUndergraduate: Miami University (B.A.,...
Sandra Fraley Receives the 2025 John L. McClaugherty Award
The Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (EMLF) is proud to announce it has presented its 2025 John L. McClaugherty Award to Sandra K. Fraley. The McClaugherty Award is the Foundation’s highest honor and recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of energy and...
Market Enhancement Clause in Ohio Lease Did Not Authorize Lessee’s Disputed Deductions
Keith B. Hall LSU Law School In The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero Resources Corp., 133 F.4th 605 (6th Cir. 2025), the United States Sixth Circuit held that the market enhancement clause in certain oil and gas leases in Ohio did not authorize the lessee to deduct the costs...