The natural gas deposits in the Marcellus Shale are one of the world’s largest energy finds in the last 50 years, and according to some experts, America’s shale gas reserves could fuel our nation for nearly 100 years. Our group represents businesses, investors, and landowners involved in a wide spectrum of activities relating to the exploration and drilling operations in the Marcellus Shale, such as those providing water treatment, equipment, design, and construction services, as well as infrastructure providers.
As the Marcellus Shale continues to attract new businesses, create new jobs, generate new income sources, and produce much-needed energy, its development presents wide-ranging and complicated legal issues. Many issues are emerging, such as environmental concerns; pipeline construction and rapid expansion of rural roadway systems; and land-use challenges, including the scope of municipal authorities to regulate gas well development. Nevertheless, significant amounts of capital are being contributed to the development of the infrastructure and processes to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale, in anticipation of continued significant return on investment.
We have experience in an array of practice areas including: litigation; construction; energy; environmental regulation; finance; real estate; mergers and acquisitions/joint ventures; corporate; intellectual property; and tax. Our team includes attorneys licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.
Many companies located outside of Pennsylvania are doing business in the state to take advantage of the booming Marcellus Shale industry. Legal issues and litigation specific to Pennsylvania commonly arise. We opened our Pennsylvania office in 1890 and our history in the oil and gas sector traces back to the 1920s.
We have extensive experience litigating cases and resolving disputes throughout Pennsylvania and in each of the federal districts where Marcellus Shale litigation is arising, and has equal breadth and depth in transactional matters. We readily draw upon our firm-wide knowledge in obtaining effective and creative solutions to our clients’ legal issues.
Increased production of oil and gas — in part due to the development of shale resources and fracking — has created new opportunities and challenges for companies in the midstream sector. We assist midstream companies with navigating the complexities of the market while working toward each company's specific business goals. Our attorneys advise on the full spectrum of issues encountered by those operating in the midstream sector — from obtaining financing for new projects and negotiating acquisitions to providing counsel on regulatory developments and defending against litigation when necessary. With experience representing companies in pipeline projects in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and beyond, we understand the midstream industry and work across jurisdictions to ensure our clients' success.
We help property owners and developers obtain necessary planning and zoning approvals, changes and permits, including representing clients in appeals before municipal zoning hearing boards and trial and appellate courts. In addition to land use and zoning approvals, we assist clients in obtaining environmental permits from federal and state authorities. We are familiar with state and local requirements and procedures in dozens of municipalities throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Our attorneys have decades of experience, including service with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, state environmental agencies, and EHS departments in private industry. Many are highly ranked in publications such as Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America. The depth and breadth of our team helps companies find practical solutions to complex issues by starting closer to the right answer.
We assist clients with proactive tax planning, including mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, public offerings, reorganizations, restructurings, liquidations, and structured finance vehicles. We are integrally involved in the structure and formation of partnerships, and have significant experience in private equity funds, hedge funds, mezzanine funds, and their investments.
Mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures involving both financial sponsors and strategic investors are staples of our corporate transactional practice. We routinely advise on structuring acquisitions and dispositions, assist in negotiations and document the transactions. In such transactions, we work closely with other attorneys in the firm who concentrate in tax, environmental law, employee benefits, intellectual property, and other disciplines. We have represented public companies in mergers requiring extensive securities law compliance, as well as private companies acquiring or selling assets for cash. We have advised many companies on design and implementation of shareholder rights (poison pill) plans, standstill agreements, defensive charter and bylaw provisions, specific strategic and tactical advice, and interpretation and creative use of state statutory anti-takeover provisions.
We act as counsel to projects, developers, owners, lenders, subordinated lenders, vendors, and operators. In addition, we represent off-take purchasers in project finance transactions. In our role as project counsel, we work with all the participants necessary to the development, construction, financing, and operation of a project financed facility. In other situations, we act for other project participants. For example, we represent developers in establishing projects and arranging for the participation of others essential to the project. We are one of the few major U.S.-based law firms with a wholly integrated construction practice. The experience of our construction attorneys makes us more cognizant of the relationship of construction to financing projects. In connection with financing projects, we represent senior lenders and subordinated lenders; commercial banks; industrial development agencies and banks, insurance companies and other types of institutional, non-bank lenders; vendors who have provided equity and subordinated financing in the context of their supply arrangements; and true equity participants. We have structured the participation of private investment funds as holders of debt and equity. Several of the projects we have handled involved export financing or other export support, and we have worked on multicurrency projects.
We help clients solve all types of employment-based problems, ranging from collective bargaining disputes to wrongful termination litigation and complex employment issues rising from takeovers and corporate reorganizations. While we aim to help clients minimize risk and avoid liability, we are experienced in handling all aspects of employment litigation. We value long-term relationships with clients, and we strive to find creative ways to deal with problems, including the use of alternative dispute resolution techniques. To keep clients informed of new developments, we produce a periodic newsletter and white papers, and present occasional seminars. We work closely with the firm's corporate and business attorneys in major corporate changes such as acquisitions, mergers, consolidations, and reductions in force. We are experienced in the labor and employment law issues involved in these strategic decisions. We advise on ways to restructure operations and limit exposure for individual and class actions. We also advise clients on important human resources issues such as diversity, glass-ceiling issues, corporate-wide audits by government agencies, and the basic direction of human resources policy.
We are committed to providing clients with clear, imaginative, and practical advice in connection with all types of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and partnering arrangements, restructurings and reorganizations, public and private securities offerings, and venture capital and other financing transactions. Our interdisciplinary groups work together seamlessly to provide the best solutions for clients. For example, our corporate attorneys work closely with our tax attorneys to structure businesses and commercial transactions to give clients maximum tax efficiency. We also works closely with the intellectual property and antitrust and competition attorneys in advising clients on licensing, technology transfer, and other transactions. We seek to build long-term relationships with our clients, and we are dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals without burdening them with undue expense. We build effective transaction teams consisting of our attorneys and representatives of the client, including inside counsel, and that often includes financial, tax and other advisers. Our clients include domestic and international corporations, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs engaged in acquisitions and divestitures involving publicly traded and closely held business organizations.
We have counseled clients in oil and gas matters for decades. Our attorneys not only know the issues, they also know the key industry players and governmental officials. We frequently speak at industry conferences and seminars. We represent clients before local government agencies and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) on a regular basis.