Energy Law Firm of Burleson Cooke Continues Growth in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The energy law firm of Burleson Cooke continues to broaden its services and capabilities for companies in the Marcellus Shale, adding nine attorneys and naming Kevin Colosimo as Managing Partner for the firm's office in Pittsburgh.

With the new attorneys, the firm expands and complements the oil and gas title work that was at the core of Burleson Cooke's move into Pittsburgh in late 2009. The Pittsburgh office now offers business litigation, dispute resolution, corporate mergers and acquisitions, tax, and land use – all related to the oil and gas industry.

To accommodate this growth – which has occurred in less than a year – the firm plans to lease an additional 4,800 square feet of space in its Southpointe Centre location, its third expansion.

Managing Partner Rick Burleson said the added capabilities enable Burleson Cooke to meet its strategic objective of becoming a full-service firm for the oil and gas industry in the Marcellus Shale.

"We originally came to Pittsburgh because our clients were looking for attorneys with energy-specific experience," he explained. "The response has been overwhelming, and has allowed us to grow and attract lawyers with great skills and credentials, like Kevin Colosimo. As a result, we now have the ability to accommodate an even broader range of client needs."

Colosimo, who was previously a partner with Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP in Pittsburgh, attributed his decision to join Burleson Cooke to the firm's vision and experience.

"Everybody wants to get involved in the Marcellus," he explained. "Burleson Cooke is the one firm with the vision on how to make it happen. The firm has tremendous experience in unconventional resource plays, great energy expertise, clients who are already active in the Marcellus, and close connections to the oil and gas industry. For anyone interested in doing this kind of law, Burleson Cooke is where the real opportunities are."

Colosimo concentrates his practice in the areas of business litigation, energy law, and commercial and contract law. He is a certified mediator in the Western District of Pennsylvania; has experience in international trade and creditors' rights; and provides counsel to clients on a range of other matters that include risk management alternatives, claims assessment, and litigation strategy.

At Thorp Reed & Armstrong, he led the international law practice group. Prior to that, he served as a director of Houston Harbaugh, also based in Pittsburgh.

Colosimo is also active in the community. He is a founding director of the Allegheny Parks Foundation; a member of the Tocqueville Society leadership committee of the Allegheny County United Way; and a member of the board of trustees of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh XXII, and he works with a number of other civic charities.

In addition to naming Colosimo Managing Partner, the firm has appointed Keith Zabela – one of the original attorneys in the Pittsburgh office – as Managing Associate. He concentrates his practice in oil and gas title and due diligence for oil and gas transactions.

Other new members of Burleson Cooke and their primary areas of practice are:

• Brian Boyer (oil and gas title)
• Cheryl David (corporate and securities; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; finance; business; contracts; oil and gas title)
• Kerri Frederick (real estate; corporate and securities; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; oil and gas title)
• Melissa Hall (commercial litigation; oil and gas title)
• Matthew Hutnick (oil and gas title)
• Ayanna Lee (real estate; corporate and securities; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; oil and gas title)
• Michael Vennum (zoning and land use; real estate; oil and gas title)
• James Weaver (taxation; corporate and securities; mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; oil and gas title)

About Burleson Cooke

Burleson Cooke L.L.P. has earned a reputation as the energy law firm the energy industry goes to, and has grown significantly in recent years by focusing on and leveraging its core strengths in energy law. Serving clients in the upstream and midstream segments, it provides counsel to oil and gas producers, transportation companies, storage and processing businesses, and energy service providers. Burleson Cooke's far-reaching experience includes mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; finance; private equity; venture capital; securities; corporate governance and compliance; patents and intellectual property; oil and gas title; real estate; litigation; bankruptcy/restructuring and environmental law. For further information, visit www.burlesoncooke.com.

SOURCE Burleson Cooke