Best Lawyers in America for Natural Resources Law
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“The object is not for me to win your case in court; the object is for us to win in such a way that we do not need to go to court.” The name Brian P. Barger is well known in the surface mining industry for his decades of work on its behalf which includes: twenty-five years as legal counsel to the Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association. former executive with one of the state’s largest aggregates and industrial minerals producers where he was involved with all f...
J. Craig Smith, Esq., is a founding member of the Salt Lake City firm of Smith Hartvigsen, PLLC, where he practices in the areas of water law, land use, and redevelopment law. He has argued more than 30 appeals before the Utah Supreme Court. Mr. Smith is listed in Utah Legal Elite, Superlawyers and Best Lawyers publications. Major accomplishments include, lead counsel for the development of the Amangiri Resort in southern Utah and obtaining the passage of federal legislation to obtain water r...
Fredric N. Goldberg practices in the area of corporate and business law, with an emphasis in transactional practice, and in the area of college and university law. In addition, he has developed substantive expertise in the field of water law and the law of natural resources generally. He was recently recognized in the 2010 Best Lawyers publication for his water law expertise. Fred is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He received his bachelor's degree ...
William M. Kerr, Jr. has more than three decades of experience in commercial transactions, with particular emphasis on acquisitions, financings and divestitures of oil and gas related concerns. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where he received his bachelor of arts degree, cum laude , in 1979, as well as of the University of Texas School of Law, where he received his juris doctor, with honors, in 1981. Mr. Kerr is a fourth generation Texas lawyer and practiced for many years...
For over four decades, Chris has been a leader in the fields of water law, land use law, natural resources law, constitutional law, and road and public access law. He has extensive litigation experience at the administrative, district court and appellate levels (including 21 Idaho Supreme Court cases). Best Lawyers in America has named him “Lawyer of the Year” 11 times in the fields of water, land use, and natural resources. Three times, Super Lawyers placed Chris in the “To...
For nearly 30 years, Chris has focused his practice on high-profile civil and criminal environmental investigations and enforcement actions throughout the United States. A nationally-recognized Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) practitioner, Chris represents national trade associations, oil and gas companies, manufacturers, and mine operators on issues involving the identification and management of solid and hazardous wastes, financial assurance, corrective action, permitting, boi...
William B. Burford is a partner in the firm's Oil & Gas/Energy practice. He is a leader in the field of oil and gas title examination and is a past chair of the Texas State Bar Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section. His experience includes all aspects of oil and gas title and transactional matters, involving fee, state and federal lands in both Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Burford has been a frequent speaker on oil and gas topics before legal and industry groups and has been a member, si...
Kevin represents a diverse clientele in virtually all aspects of the energy industry. With a background in petroleum geology, he has operated and participated in oil and gas exploration and development projects across North America. As a transactional lawyer, he has represented owners and operators with documentation, due diligence, and business counseling for acquisitions and divestitures and for exploration and operation. As a trial lawyer, he has represented plaintiffs and defendants, both...
Selected to the 2016 Louisiana Super Lawyer list in the Environmental Litigation, Energy and Natural Resources Law, and Business Litigation practice areas (other years recognized: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) 2014 Baton Rouge Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year; 2016 Lafayette Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Energy Law, Litigation - Environmental, Natural Resources Law and Oil & Gas Law Practice Concentration & E...
Bob Duplantis has dedicated his entire career to the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining the firm in 1982 and establishing its Lafayette office, Bob spent more than a decade serving in-house oil company legal departments, including six years as a lobbyist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bob’s law practice focuses on Louisiana oil and gas regulation and “meat-and-potato” legal issues. He routinely argues contract disputes affecting the oil and gas industry, including lease inte...
K. B. Battaglini has for more than 3 decades counseled and represented businesses and individuals. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America© (by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners), has expertise in energy, environmental, natural resources, media and entertainment law, and has significant first chair experience in trials, appeals, arbitrations and mediations. He is on the national panel of arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association and FINRA. Prior to joining Strong Pipkin, he wa...
Rob Scheffy is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group, focusing on real estate, and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team. Rob Scheffy has provided businesses with a steady, guiding hand through all phases of the economic cycle, from booms to busts and everything in between. Often described as a “hybrid” lawyer, he draws on his years of private practice and his service as in-house counsel for an interstate gas pipeline company to advise pip...
Malcolm S. Murchison is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas and enjoys a broad based commercial law practice. His variety of skills equip him to handle a wide range of legal issues for his clients, including oil and gas, real estate, corporate formations/mergers/dissolutions, commercial lending and financing arrangements, state/local tax disputes, and land-use issues. He has significant experience in handling Louisiana mineral interest issues ranging from acquisitions, title examinati...
Kathryn Hopkins is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Environmental Law and Natural Resources Law. Kathryn, who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kathryn is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Nancy Cruz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law, Environmental Law and Natural Resources Law. Nancy, who practices law in Madison, Wisconsin, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nancy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.