Marcellus Shale boom has pressed law firms to boost their staffs, but experts are in short supply
Share with others:
The same year Bill Caroselli finished law school, Bob Dylan first told the world that the times were a-changin'.
A half-century later, the birth of the multibillion-dollar Marcellus Shale industry has transformed the region's legal landscape, pushing lawyers like Mr. Caroselli to practice oil and gas law after decades of specialization in other fields.
Firms that already had oil and gas practices are making them bigger. Firms that didn't have a practice are rushing to create one. Small firms and solo practitioners are also catching up, hoping to represent landowners as Big Law allies with the gas companies.
"All of us were taught property rights and real estate when we were in law school, but haven't really thought about those issues for 20, 30, 40 years," Mr. Caroselli said. "So it's a whole new mindset for what you have to do."
A partner at Pittsburgh's Caroselli, Beachler, McTiernan & Conboy LLC, Mr. Caroselli specializes in fields like personal injury and malpractice law. Now, his practice also represents landowners in legal encounters with the natural gas companies entering the area to drill.
"Just keep reading," he said. "I keep reading statutes, I keep reading articles, I keep reading what the Legislature is doing, and that's what you have to do to stay current."
Staying current is particularly important to Mr. Caroselli and his clients because the lawyers on the other side of the table almost always have more experience in oil and gas law, the body of law that contains most legal issues emerging from development in the Marcellus Shale region and the adjacent Utica Shale.
One of those industry veterans is Michael Joy, who moved to Pittsburgh last month to join law firm Reed Smith. In addition to a law degree, Mr. Joy has a doctorate in geology.
"As a lawyer, I can fundamentally understand what my clients are trying to do," he said. "That has been immensely helpful to me."
Mr. Joy has been practicing gas law since graduating from school 10 years ago.
First Published February 13, 2012 12:00 am
