Client Advisory Archive
Saunders Published in March/April 2012 Edition of The Pennsylvania Lawyer
The Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine, the bi-monthly publication of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, has released an issue entitled, “Special Report on the Impact of Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Boom” which includes an article by Steve Saunders, “Weighing the Risks and Rewards – The Impact of Leases and Natural Gas Development on Real Estate Transfers in Pennsylvania” in which he explores the intended and unintended consequences of developing the oil and gas found in Pennsylvania’s vast natural gas deposits. Now that the leasing craze in Pennsylvania has peaked and low natural gas prices are here for the foreseeable future, the focus of lessees has shifted to the type of activities that will insure the continuation of leases in their exisitng portfolios. Saunders explores the challenges that lawyers will face when clients present plans to buy or sell land in the Marcellus Shale region.
The Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine has a circulation of nearly 30,000 and is distributed to all members of the Pennsylvania bar including private practice and government attorneys, judges and law school professors.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Interviews Saunders on Increased Need for Oil & Gas Law Experts
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an in-depth article about the tremendous growth in the field of oil and gas law in Pennsylvania and how the legal community is reacting. The Post-Gazette spoke with a number of industry attorneys from the Pittsburgh area who gave their perspectives on how large law firms representing exploration and petroleum companies are responding. Saunders was sought out for his opinion as a leading oil and gas lawyer whose practice is limited to counseling land and mineral rights owners. The story’s author highlighted Saunders’ role as the Course Planner, an Author and Presenter for an upcoming Pennsylvania Bar Institute continuing legal education conference on the Fundamentals of Oil and Gas law that will be presented across the Commonwealth in March. Read the Course Brochure.
The PBI has a goal of increasing awareness in and knowledge of oil and gas law by attorneys who are new to the field. Saunders was quoted as saying “One of the big messages that we’ll convey is that this isn’t an area in which people should dabble. It takes a lot of work to learn any area of law and people who want to practice in this area for a career really need to be willing to put in the time to learn the full scale of oil and gas law.” The Pennsylvania Bar Institute is the continuing legal education arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and according to the PBI, its programs are “taught, and our books are written, by practicing lawyers, judges, and law professors who are widely recognized as the leading experts in their field, and who have proven their abilities as teachers, public speakers, and writers.”