Energy Law Firm of Burleson LLP Opens Denver Office to Serve Companies in Resource Plays Throughout Rocky Mountain Region

DENVER, Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Houston-based energy law firm of Burleson LLP, which has experience in every major U.S. shale play, announced the opening of a new office in Denver to serve companies with interests in resource plays throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

Jack R. Luellen, a seasoned oil and gas lawyer, will serve as managing partner.  

The Denver location is the third office Burleson has established outside of Houston in the past two years, a growth fueled by the firm's broad understanding of issues related to unconventional resource plays and other oil and gas exploration. Initially, Burleson will occupy 6,700 square feet in the Wells Fargo Center located at 1700 Lincoln Street, Suite 3950, with an option to double its space.

In 2009, Burleson opened its Pittsburgh office, which has since grown to 26 lawyers who focus on the Marcellus and Utica formations.  Last year, Burleson opened a San Antonio office, which now has 22 attorneys serving companies in the Eagle Ford Shale play.  

"We believe the Niobrara and Bakken formations have important roles to play in the U.S. energy future," said Rick Burleson, managing partner, "and we have the skills, knowledge, and resources to support companies that want to maximize the vast potential of the Rockies. Denver is the logical next step in our national growth strategy, and I'm pleased to have an accomplished and highly qualified attorney like Jack Luellen lead our efforts in this region."

Prior to joining the firm, Luellen practiced at Kutak Rock LLP and Beatty & Wozniak, P.C. in Denver.  He has represented a spectrum of exploration and production and midstream companies in financing and transactional matters, and has litigated a range of concerns related to operations, royalties, contracts, and the environment.  

Also joining Burleson's Denver office are:

• Ronnie Benson, who has been with Burleson's Houston office, will relocate to Denver and will hold the position of managing associate, oil & gas title, of the Denver title practice group.  His background includes preparing and analyzing transactional instruments such as leases, assignments, and other industry agreements affecting title and the ownership of mineral and surface estates, royalty interests, and working interests. Mr. Benson has conducted due diligence on various upstream and midstream assets, and has performed stand-up title examinations and the rendering of original drilling and acquisition opinions.
• Brent Chicken, whose experience includes title examinations, complex commercial transactions, administrative law and procedure, and commercial litigation.  He has prepared comprehensive drilling, division order, and acquisition mineral title opinions, and has drafted an assortment of mineral and surface title instruments.  
• Katharine Fisher, who focuses her practice in oil and gas law, including analyzing records, deeds, and other documents for defects or encumbrances that may affect ownership, royalty interest, or title status. She also has experience in drafting and enforcing security instruments, analyzing various title products, and representing national mortgage lenders in civil litigation in state and federal courts.
• Heather Hanna, who is licensed in Colorado and Wyoming, and focuses her practice on oil and gas law. Prior to joining the firm, she served as law clerk for the Honorable Scott W. Skavdahl, chief U.S. magistrate judge, and the Honorable William C. Beaman, chief U.S. magistrate judge (retired), both in the District of Wyoming.
• Ron Lev, who focuses his practice in oil and gas law. He is experienced in analyzing and interpreting deeds, contracts, agreements, assignments, and other title instruments affecting surface and mineral estates, royalty interests, and developmental interests, as well as various other complex oil and gas matters.  He has more than eight years of experience in contract and settlement negotiations, including operating agreements, co-tenancy agreements, and indemnity issues.
• Joshua R. Neely, who has been working as a landman for a Colorado land title company, generating ownership reports and performing title curative and due diligence work for asset acquisitions and divestitures. He has managed leasing plays in McKenzie and Williams Counties, North Dakota.  
• Christopher Scolari, who focuses his practice in oil and gas law.  He has worked as an independent landman for several years, determining private/state title for land covering a four-county area in the Bakken basin, and preparing runsheets, division order reports, held-by-production reports, lease status reports, and abstracts. He handled curative work and brokered state land, HBP private land, and unleased private land in Weld and Lincoln Counties in Colorado. Scolari also has negotiated leases for over 3,000 privately held acres in Cheyenne and Rawlins Counties in Kansas.
• Simon Tolbert, who focuses his practice in oil and gas law.  He has over six years of experience as a petroleum landman, preparing runsheets and working on the curative team for East Texas and North Texas.

The burgeoning Niobrara stretches primarily through northern Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, and has been estimated to hold as much as 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves. Reserve estimates of the Bakken, which is located in North Dakota, Montana, and Canada, have put its yield potential at more than 3 billion barrels of recoverable oil.  

In addition to work related to the Niobrara, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Marcellus, and Utica Shale formations, Burleson has also represented clients in the Barnett, Fayetteville, Haynesville, and Woodford plays, as well as companies with a presence in the Permian Basin.

About Burleson LLP

Burleson LLP has earned a reputation as the energy law firm the energy industry goes to. It has grown significantly in recent years and now includes over 100 attorneys in offices in Houston, San Antonio, Denver, and Pittsburgh, as well as an international network of affiliate law firms across the globe. Serving clients in the upstream and midstream segments, the firm provides counsel to oil and gas producers, transportation companies, storage and processing businesses, and energy service providers. Burleson's far-reaching experience includes mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; finance; private equity; venture capital; securities; corporate governance and compliance; patents and intellectual property; title review; real estate; litigation; and bankruptcy/restructuring, land use, and environmental law. For further information, visit www.burlesonllp.com.

SOURCE Burleson LLP