Integrated Land Services: Land and Title

The West Firm's Integrated Land Services group offers a broad range of legal services to the Oil and Gas Industry. These services range from providing title opinions to assisting operators with curative efforts and contract negotiation, and the representation of operators in administrative and judicial proceedings relating to land issues.

Our land practice handles the negotiation of development agreements, joint venture and joint operating agreements, lease acquisition, pipeline and pipeline right-of-way acquisition, lease and right-of-way dispute resolution, municipal relations, title and curative matters, tax and mortgage foreclosure proceedings, permitting, compulsory integration, the development of division orders, including the calculation of royalty, net royalty, overriding royalty and development/expense interests, and other land-related matters.

The title practice renders drilling, acquisition and division order title opinions. As a full service Oil and Gas firm, our title attorneys bring an understanding of all aspects of exploration, drilling and completion to the process as they work with our clients to resolve title defects and other obstacles to well development.

We also understand our clients' need for efficient title service to keep drilling rigs moving to the next drill site. The Land Services group, therefore, works with its title clients to efficiently and effectively issue title opinions and manage the curative process. This includes working with our clients on ways to efficiently monitor the status of title assignments, customize the form title opinion based on the needs of a particular client and its curative department, and manage abstracting services, if desired. The Firm is presently rendering title opinions in New York and Pennsylvania.

The integration of the Firm's title practice in New York State with the firm's oil and gas regulatory, litigation and government relations practice is particularly beneficial to our clients. The Firm's founder and managing partner, Thomas S. West, was one of the principal authors of the legislation that revamped New York's compulsory integration program in 2005 and was at the forefront of the amendments to well spacing requirements in 2008. Our services include issuing the required notices to the uncontrolled landowners identified through our drilling title opinions and representing operators at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation staff level compulsory integration hearings. The Firm also has extensive experience representing operators in adjudicatory proceedings that can result from disputes at the initial integration hearing and has represented operators in litigation related to the New York program, including the impact of compulsory integration upon subsequent foreclosures and involuntary title transfers.

If you are interested in retaining The West Firm to render title opinions or to handle any land-related matter, please contact Gregory A. Mountain at 518-641-0505.