Current association: Vice President, Legal & General Counsel, Pennsylvania General Energy
Company, L.L.C. (2014-present)
Past associations: Private Practice, LexisNexis, Coppolo & Coppolo, Eckert Seamans
Cherin & Mellott, Public School Employees’ Retirement System
Law School: The Dickinson School of Law, Carlisle, PA
Undergraduate: St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA; Central College, London
Spouse: Gregg
Children: Alexandra (29), Meaghan (27), Alec (25), Emma (24), and Sophia (23)
Home: Warren, PA
Favorite restaurant: Locally, Stella: A Kitchen and Bar. All time? Eden at the Rimrock Resort in Banff
EMLF Involvement: Member, event speaker, and fan of scholarship program
Community Involvement: After many years of volunteering for my children’s school-related
activities (Odyssey of the Mind and Junior Achievement should be in every school!), I turned my focus to professional activities. I very much enjoy serving as a mentor through the Pennsylvania Bar Association Environmental and Energy Law Section, and I serve as Chair for a number of energy-related committees. I’ve taught and planned CLE programs for several decades. Locally, I volunteer at various community events, and I belong to a women’s investment club that has taught me more than I ever thought I would know about finance and investing.
Many of the cases you have handled through the years have been in mineral and natural
resources law. How did you get involved in this area of law? I started in toxic tort and
commercial litigation, but I’d moved to a small town to join a small general practice to enjoy
more work/life balance. I was asked if I’d be interested in working on a few oil and gas litigation matters for an upstream operator, and I was instantly drawn to the challenge of the work, given the dearth of case law in Pennsylvania at the time (2006). From there, my practice expanded to oil and gas title, which I have often compared to Sudoku based on the necessity of piecing together land tracts and heirship. Gradually, oil, gas, and mineral law became my focus, and it’s the most enjoyable and rewarding area of law I’ve practiced.
Over the years, you have been very active in various mineral or energy organizations. What has EMLF meant to you? Has your involvement had a positive effect on your career? When I began practicing oil and gas law, I needed to get up to speed quickly. The educational materials from the legacy Eastern Mineral Law Foundation and from the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation were fundamental to my practice. EMLF’s programming is top notch, addressing legal, practical and technical issues so essential to my continuing education in this field. To this day, I consider the Annual Institute materials an essential part of my research. I also truly enjoy the networking opportunities. As a Pennsylvania practitioner, I appreciate that EMLF hosts its annual Appalachia Energy Law Conference in Pittsburgh.
Do you find time to travel for fun? Do you have a favorite place to visit? Absolutely! R&R is a must for attorneys with stressful, busy practices. A few years ago, my husband and I bought a Sprinter van, and we travel to state parks, our favorite being Dreher Island on Lake Murray, South Carolina. This year, we took a bucket list trip with some friends on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff, which I highly recommend. Next year, I will be traveling to Scotland to celebrate my oldest daughter’s 30th birthday. There’s simply not enough time to go everywhere I want!
Favorite books/authors, genre? Other hobbies? I love to read for pleasure, and I am a voracious consumer of Audible books. I enjoy a broad spectrum of genres, but Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favorite book. I loved the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. I could read it over and over. I’m a fan of the Classics (really, you should read Dickens, particularly Great Expectations and David Copperfield, but don’t bother with Moby Dick – it is dreadfully dull). Recent favorites include Demon Copperhead and the Poisonwood Bible, Snowflower and the Secret Fan, Pachinko, The Covenant of Water, The Goldfinch, and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.
You have been practicing law for a number of years and have had substantial success. Is there any advice you would give to new lawyers and law students who are about to become lawyers?
— Love what you do because if you don’t, it will impact every facet of your life. Think about
why you wanted to become a lawyer. Most attorneys I know didn’t go to law school for
the salary. They went because they wanted to help individuals, companies, or government
to resolve problems, establish businesses, protect the environment, right wrongs, establish laws to better our country, and for myriad other reasons. Focus not on how lucrative your practice might be, but how fulfilling your practice is to you, and don’t hesitate to make a change if your chosen practice area is coming up short.
— Never compromise your ethics and integrity. Ever. For anyone.
— Network! Go out of your comfort zone to do it. I have my current position because I was
Chair of a local chapter of the American Inns of Court and met someone looking for General Counsel.
— Make time for work/life balance. Trite? Not a bit. You’ll never get back the time to spend with your family. “I wish I had worked more,” said no one ever on their deathbed. Yes, devote yourself to your clients. Be a zealous, diligent advocate. BUT, don’t let the practice of law consume your entire life. Take that vacation time!! Easier said than done, but worth the effort.