Oil and Gas Lawyers
Since the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale boom started in 2005, Gold, Khourey & Turak’s oil and gas lawyers helped hundreds of people across West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania maximize the value of their oil and gas minerals and negotiate agreements that protect and favor them over the gas companies.
At GKT, we know that a landowner’s most valuable asset may be their oil and gas minerals. Our oil and gas lawyers take that seriously and do everything to obtain the very best deal possible for their clients. Whether it’s an oil and gas lease or a pipeline negotiation or something else, what that that means is putting more money into the pockets of our clients—even after our fees are taken into account.
And when a dispute arises between a landowner and an oil and gas company, GKT’s oil and gas lawyers are ready to provide immediate assistance and fight for our clients’ rights. Whether it’s a dispute over royalty deductions, a mineral trespass claim, or a quiet title lawsuit, our oil and gas lawyers have the knowledge and experience to handle any oil and gas lawsuit.
That’s why if you’re contacted by a landman for any reason or believe you’ve been wronged by an oil and gas company, you should call the oil and gas lawyers at Gold, Khourey & Turak. Our oil and gas lawyers can provide immediate assistance to anyone owning oil and gas in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. GKT’s oil and gas lawyers are available 24 hours a day and can be contacted by calling or texting (304) 845-9750, by Live Chat at GKT.com, or online. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
About Gold Khourey & Turak Oil and Gas Lawyers
Since 2005, Gold, Khourey & Turak has been one of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania’s premier oil and gas law firms. We have represented hundreds of landowners and their families and collected millions of dollars on their behalf. Our oil and gas lawyers represent landowners. Our focus is fighting to obtain the very best deal for our clients and putting money in our clients’ pockets.
At GKT, our oil and gas clients always come first. After all, our oil and gas lawyers live in the communities in which they serve. Thus, our clients aren’t just clients—they’re our neighbors, friends, and family. Moreover, each of our oil and gas clients are unique and deserve individual attention and prompt communication. You can count on us to be there for you and your family. When you need legal help, ask your friends and neighbors about us. Our oil and gas lawyers are licensed to practice in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
That is why if you’ve been approached by an oil and gas landman or believe an oil and gas company has wronged you, hiring GKT’s oil and gas lawyers may be the best decision you can make. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas – Transactional Practice
At GKT, our oil and gas lawyers represent landowners on a variety of negotiations with oil and gas companies. Whether it’s an oil and gas lease negotiation or a pipeline negotiation, our oil and gas lawyers fight for the very best deal for our clients and an agreement on their terms.
Below are some of the more common oil and gas negotiations our attorneys handle. Just because your oil and gas case is not in one of the categories below does not mean that our oil and gas lawyers can’t help. Contact GKT today to learn more. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas Lease Negotiations
GKT’s oil and gas lawyers have represented hundreds of landowners throughout West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in oil and gas lease negotiations. Collectively, we have obtained well over $100,000,000 in oil and gas lease bonus payments for our clients. That’s in addition to the hundreds of millions in royalty payments due now and in the future. Our oil and gas lawyers get results.
While the industry will often claim there is a “going rate” for oil and gas leases, our oil and gas lawyers know that each lease negotiation is unique. The more leverage you have in the negotiations, the higher bonus and royalty rate you can reasonably expect. However, learning how much leverage you may have is no easy task. Our oil and gas lawyers perform extensive research into each and every lease file to understand how to maximize a client’s leasing opportunity. That’s the GKT difference.
GKT’s oil and gas lawyers handle all phases of lease negotiations. First, our oil and gas lawyers negotiate the bonus rate, royalty rate, the royalty clause/term of the lease (how royalties will be paid and whether deductions are permitted), and other key terms such as surface use, arbitration, etc. Once those key terms are agreed to, our oil and gas lawyers then negotiate all other terms of the oil and gas lease.
Throughout this process, our oil and gas lawyers maintain constant contact with our clients, and, most importantly, no counteroffer or decision is made without their express authorization.
Learn more about GKT’s Oil and Gas Lease Negotiations practice by clicking here.
If you have been approached to sign an oil and gas lease in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Pipeline Negotiations
GKT’s oil and gas lawyers have represented hundreds of landowners who have been approached by an oil and gas company to install a pipeline on their property. Our oil and gas lawyers’ pipeline negotiations have resulted in over $20,000,000 in total compensation for West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania landowners. Our oil and gas lawyers know how to deliver results for their pipeline clients.
Like lease negotiations and despite what a pipeline company may tell you, there is no “going rate” for pipeline negotiations. What a landowner can reasonably expect in compensation, again, depends on the leverage they have. The amount of leverage depends on a variety of factors, such as, the starting point and ending point of the pipeline, the type of pipeline to be installed, the length and location of the pipeline through the property, terrain and geography, and the specific company constructing the pipeline. GKT’s oil and gas lawyers have the knowledge and experience to understand the nuances of a pipeline negotiation and ensure that our clients receive top dollar.
Our oil and gas lawyers all steps of the pipeline negotiation process. That begins with understanding the landowner’s property, how it would be affected by the proposed pipeline route, and whether any adjustments need to be made. Then, GKT’s oil and gas lawyers call upon their research and negotiate the price per foot and other compensation and any other key terms of the pipeline agreement. Once the compensation and any key terms are agreed to, our oil and gas lawyers fight to obtain a fair agreement that offers the client the protection they deserve.
Again, our oil and gas lawyers maintain constant contact with our clients and no counteroffer or decision is made without the client’s authority. That’s what you can expect from the oil and gas lawyers at GKT.
Learn more about GKT’s Pipeline Negotiations practice by clicking here.
If you have been approached about a pipeline on your property in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Well Pad and Surface Use Negotiations
In addition to pipeline negotiations, GKT’s oil and gas lawyers also handle a wide array of oil and gas surface use negotiations, including well pad negotiations and compressor site negotiations.
Whereas oil and gas pipelines are buried under ground, well pads and other facilities are permanent, above ground structures. While obvious, that distinction is of the utmost importance when negotiating with an oil and gas company. A landowner must fully understand the nature of the well pad, compressor, or other facility and how it will affect the use of their property and their life.
The oil and gas lawyers at GKT know this and make sure our clients are fully informed before making any decisions. Additionally, our oil and gas lawyers will investigate the particular circumstances of a proposed well pad, compressor, or other oil and gas facility, and make sure to obtain the very best deal possible. That means more compensation and an agreement on our client’s terms.
If you have been approached about a well pad, compressor site, or other surface use on your property in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas Mineral Sales
The oil and gas lawyers at GKT also represent landowners who wish to sell their oil and gas minerals. While many landowners think selling their oil and gas minerals is an easy and straightforward process, it’s oftentimes anything but that. An experienced oil and gas lawyer will not only help a landowner navigate the pitfalls and traps of selling their oil and gas but can also obtain competing offers that often surpass the one they have.
Why is that? At GKT, our oil and gas lawyers know the industry, the market, and the mineral buyers. Because our oil and gas lawyers have years of experience to draw upon, they can estimate what a legitimate mineral buyer may pay for a landowner’s oil and gas minerals. A knowledgeable oil and gas lawyer will factor in whether the oil and gas acreage is leased or unleased. If leased, the best oil and gas lawyers will want to know whether royalties are being paid or expected to be paid in the near future, the royalty rate and royalty clause of the lease, and the current lessee, among other information.
Our oil and gas lawyers can then solicit offers from legitimate mineral buyers who have proven over time to pay top dollar and negotiate from there. That way you can be all but assured that you’re receiving the best possible price for the sale of your oil and gas minerals.
In addition, GKT’s oil and gas minerals negotiate the terms of any purchase and sale agreement and the deed to consummate the sale. The importance of these documents cannot be understated. For example, if a landowner signs a deed containing a general warranty and it is discovered that they don’t own the oil and gas minerals, they could be faced with a lawsuit commenced by the buyer to recoup the sales price. Unfortunately, this is far from an infrequent occurrence.
If you are interested in selling your oil and gas minerals in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas – Litigation Practice
The oil and gas companies have millions, if not billions of dollars and an army of attorneys at their disposal. That’s why when a landowner has a dispute with an oil and gas company, hiring a knowledgeable and experienced oil and gas lawyer can make all the difference. A skilled oil and gas lawyer, like those at GKT, will fight for their clients and make sure they receive the compensation they deserve.
While many lawyers will handle oil and gas cases on the side, GKT has a dedicated oil and gas practice lead by partner and oil and gas lawyer Christian E. Turak. That means GKT’s oil and gas lawyers almost exclusively handle oil and gas cases and have the experience to back it up.
Below are some of the more common oil and gas disputes and lawsuits in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. If you have a dispute with and oil and gas company, call the oil and gas lawyers at GKT for a free consultation. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas Royalty Disputes
As the oil and gas industry matures in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, more and more landowners will start receiving oil and gas royalties. Unfortunately, oil and gas royalty statements are difficult to understand, and it’s not always easy to determine whether you’re receiving the correct amount of royalties.
Some of the more common questions GKT’s oil and gas lawyers are asked include:
- Are deductions being taken from my royalties?
- Is the oil and gas company allowed to take deductions from my royalties?
- How do I know whether the oil and gas company is reporting accurate volumes?
- How do I know whether the oil and gas company is reporting an accurate price?
- Is my decimal interest correct?
Unfortunately, these questions can be extremely difficult to answer. GKT’s oil and gas lawyers have the experience necessary to help answer these questions. And, if there are suspected royalty underpayment issues, GKT has contacts with industry experts to make sure every penny is accounted for.
GKT’s oil and gas lawyers have helped numerous landowners obtain the royalties they are due, recovering millions of dollars in the process.
If you believe you are not receiving the oil and gas royalties you are owed in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas Lease Expiration Disputes
In industry lingo, the typical oil and gas lease is referred to as a 5 + 5 lease. What that means is that the primary term of the lease is 5 years, and the oil and gas company will have the right to extend the lease for an additional 5 years.
Notwithstanding that, leases will have an indefinite term once the oil and gas company commences operation on the property or lands pooled or unitized therewith. In the simplest terms, if the company takes action to produce oil and gas, the lease will maintain in effect as long as oil or gas is being produced. In the Marcellus and Utica regions of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, production can last 20, 40 years or longer.
When and how an oil and gas company commences operations depends on the precise language of a lease. Unfortunately, the language of a typical oil and gas lease is purposefully vague on this point.
Sometimes an oil and gas company will claim that it has commenced operations without having done so in an effort to avoid paying a new bonus or agreeing to better royalty terms. When that happens, an oil and gas lawyer is key protecting your rights. The oil and gas lawyers at GKT routinely represent landowners who claim their lease has expired, securing millions of dollars in new bonus payments and better royalty rates and royalty terms.
If you believe your oil and gas lease has expired in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Quiet Title Lawsuits
Oil and gas title examinations are sometimes more art than science, and who owns certain oil and gas minerals isn’t always clear. Deed language, including reservation and exception language, can be susceptible to many different interpretations.
Is an oil and gas reservation an actual reservation of oil and gas or is it merely a part of the property description from a prior deed?
Is an oil and gas reservation a reservation of the executive interest, royalty interest, both, or some other interest in the oil and gas?
These questions and others cannot always be easily answered. When they are not, a quiet title lawsuit is required to fully and finally settle the matter. In a quiet title lawsuit, all parties who may have a claim to the disputed oil and gas are made a part of the case. At the conclusion of the quiet title lawsuit, the judge, or sometimes a jury, will decide who the rightful owner is.
You may need a quiet title lawsuit to establish your rightful ownership of oil and gas minerals if any of the following occur:
- You’ve signed an oil and gas lease but the company refuses to pay you the bonus payment.
- You’ve signed a lease, know that the company is producing oil and gas, but have not received royalties.
- An oil and gas company tells you that they are holding oil and gas royalties in suspense or royalties in escrow.
- An oil and gas company tells you that you need to pursue a quiet title lawsuit.
Quiet title lawsuits can be extremely complex, and landowners should seek out an experienced and detail-oriented oil and gas lawyer like those at GKT.
If you believe you need an oil and gas quiet title lawsuit in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas Trespass Claims
Oil and gas companies must have a valid lease to drill through your property. When drilling occurs without a lease, the landowner has an oil and gas mineral trespass claim against the company.
Most often, an oil and gas company’s trespass is due to issues involving title. The company did not identify the correct owner and had another person sign and oil and gas lease for property they did not own. However, sometimes an oil and gas company is aware that they do not have a valid lease and continues drilling nonetheless.
The damages a landowner can expect to obtain in a mineral trespass lawsuit depend on the amount of oil and gas produced without a lease, and whether the oil and gas company made an honest mistake or intentionally trespassed. A knowledgeable and experienced oil and gas lawyer can make sure that a mineral owner receives the compensation they deserve.
If you believe an oil and gas company has drilled your property in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania without a lease, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
Oil and Gas Property Damage Claims
As long as there is oil and gas production in our communities, there will be property damage. Most often, oil and gas activities disrupt the natural lay of the land and vegetation, causing landslides or “slips.” Slips most often occur as a result of pipeline installation.
When oil and gas activity causes property damage, GKT’s oil and gas lawyers can help make sure the company is held accountable.
If you believe your property has been damaged by an oil and gas company in West Virginia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, contact GKT today. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
How Much does an Oil and Gas Lawyer Cost?
Can I afford an oil and gas lawyer? What fees does an oil and gas lawyer charge? Simply put, how much does it cost to hire an oil and gas lawyer? No matter how the question is phrased, when considering whether to hire an oil and gas lawyer, many people are concerned about the cost.
Beware of Hourly Rates
Some oil and gas lawyers charge hourly rates for their services and require thousands of dollars in retainer fees. In West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, hourly rates for an oil and gas lawyer can be as high as $400 per hour. The oil and gas lawyer is entitled to those fees regardless of the outcome of the case. That means if an oil and gas company withdraws a lease offer or pipeline offer, and the client receives no compensation, the client still owes attorneys’ fees. This does not happen at GKT.
Moreover, because an oil and gas lawyer working on an hourly rate receives fees no matter the outcome, there is no financial incentive to obtain the very best deal possible. The attorney is paid the same rate whether they get a bad deal or whether they fight to get the best deal possible. At GKT, we do not operate in this manner.
Oil & Gas Contingency Fees
At GKT, our oil and gas lawyers do things differently. Our oil and gas lawyers don’t charge an hourly rate but instead represent landowners on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is simply a percentage fee based on the overall amount obtained by our oil and gas lawyers. If there is no recovery, our oil and gas clients don’t owe anything.
No two oil and gas cases are the same. The percentage our oil and gas lawyers charge depend on the type of case and a variety of other factors. The goal is to always come to a fee arrangement that is fair to the client but also adequately compensates the oil and gas lawyer for the anticipated work and risk of any given case.
The best part of a contingency fee basis is that it aligns the motives of the oil and gas lawyer with the landowner client. The oil and gas lawyer is financially motivated to obtain the most compensation possible. The more money the oil and gas lawyer obtains for the client, the more money they earn as a fee.
Oil and Gas Lawyer Christian E. Turak’s Dedicated Practice
Many attorneys claim to be oil and gas lawyers but, in practice, only do it on the side. However, GKT oil and gas lawyer Christian E. Turak is different. He is one of only a few lawyers in West Virginia and Ohio who dedicates nearly 100% of their practice to oil and gas cases. What other lawyers may treat as a side practice, oil and gas lawyer Christian E. Turak has dedicated his career to representing landowners and mineral owners throughout West Virginia and Ohio.
It’s no surprise then that Christian has been recognized as a leading oil and gas lawyer in West Virginia and Ohio and is a frequent presenter at different oil and gas conferences and other events. When other lawyers have oil and gas questions, they turn to Christian for his knowledge and experience. Christian’s focus on oil and gas law in West Virginia and Ohio is unparalleled.
When it comes to finding the best oil and gas lawyer for you, that’s the difference you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in West Virginia and Ohio.
Our Oil and Gas Lawyers Get Results
Our oil and gas lawyers understand that results are the top priority of any case. They understand that results are measured not just by the total compensation received but by how much compensation our clients have in their pocket at the conclusion of the case—after fees are taken into consideration.
GKT’s oil and gas lawyers have been proud to bring value to their clients’ cases since the start of the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale boom.
At GKT, a consultation and case review with one of our oil and gas lawyers is always free and without obligation. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis which means we don’t charge a fee unless we obtain results for you.
If you’re facing an oil and gas issue, contact GKT’s oil and gas lawyers today. We are available 24 hours per day by phone or text at (304) 845-9750 or by Live Chat or online form at GKT.com. Need help? Get help. Get GKT.
