Oil and Gas Law

Lester Greevy and Dale Tice are well recognized for their experience representing landowners on the many complex issues relating to development of the Marcellus shale.  Whether you are a landowner considering signing an oil and gas lease, or have received notification that a well is going to be drilled on your property, Greevy & Associates can provide guidance and assistance in working with the gas companies to reach your goals.

Oil and Gas Leasing

At first glance, an Oil and Gas Lease may appear to be written in a foreign language. The various terms of art used in the lease, from delay rental to force majeure, have a unique meaning that has evolved over years of industry practice. As a landowner thinking about signing a lease, you need to understand what each of these terms means for you in a practical sense. 

The attorneys at Greevy & Associates have extensive experience reviewing leases from all of the major gas companies leasing in the Marcellus shale. We know which provisions are negotiable, and which are not.  We understand how your ability to negotiate a lease that will protect you as a landowner can change as the leasing environment evolves. Our office has helped hundreds of landowners who have signed leases with each of the major companies in the Marcellus play.

The bottom line: make sure you understand everything before you sign anything.


Long Term Planning

The gas companies are drilling in the Marcellus shale right now. This means that many landowners who have signed Oil and Gas leases are going to receive royalty payments over the coming years. The receipt of gas royalties may be a life changing experience.  Landowners may need to consider strategies to protect these royalties for future generations, while ensuring that they retain control over their land.  We can provide guidance in the long term planning to address these issues, and determine if the use of a Family Limited Partnership or a Trust would be of benefit.

Title Issues

Many landowners don’t realize that oil and gas rights can be held as a separate estate from the surface rights. These property rights can become very splintered as they pass down through succeeding generations. The typical residential title search will go back fifty years and may miss oil and gas reservations from older deeds.

Our office performs thorough title searches specifically searching for oil and gas rights. If we find a potential title issue, we can evaluate the possibility of bringing an Action to Quiet Title to clear the cloud on the title. We have helped landowners in central Pennsylvania recover their oil and gas rights, allowing them to sign a gas lease.

Royalty Management

How does a royalty owner know if she is being paid the total amount due? Is the gas company taking the various deductions out properly? The typical Division Order specifying each landowner’s royalty interest is calculated to eight decimal places.  Is your royalty calculated correctly?

Greevy & Associates can help you answer all of these questions.  We will review your Division Order, free of charge.  We have the expertise to review your royalty checks to ensure that all of the deductions are proper, and that you are receiving the entire royalty payment you are entitled to.