Energy Industry Spotlight

Energy Is in Our DNA

For over 25 years, Bailey Glasser has been a trusted partner for energy companies navigating the legal complexities of the modern energy landscape. With decades of experience in litigation, regulatory compliance, corporate transactions, and environmental matters, we provide strategic, results-driven legal solutions to clients across the energy sector—including oil and gas, renewables, utilities, and mining.

Our team has a proven track record of representing clients in high-stakes disputes, regulatory challenges, and multimillion-dollar transactions. We understand the unique operational, financial, and legal risks that energy companies face and take a proactive approach to resolving complex issues efficiently and effectively. Whether defending clients in court, structuring innovative business deals, or guiding companies through evolving regulatory frameworks, we bring deep industry knowledge and aggressive advocacy to every matter.

Award-Winning Leadership

Our Energy Team is led by award-winning lawyers with deep experience in this ecosystem, including founding partner Brian A. Glasser, who helped the Cline Group become a billion-dollar mining organization; equity partner and Practice Area Leader Nicholas Johnson, who prior to joining Bailey Glasser was trusted in-house lawyer for some of the country’s largest publicly traded mining and energy companies; and Corporate Practice Group Leader Jonathan Deem who is on the cutting edge of deals involving the development of renewable energy projects on former coal mining sites. The leadership team also includes Practice Group Leader Becky Pomeroy who has deep experience in the utilities sector and partner Brian Swiger, who has been trusted counsel to companies in the electric utility, oil and gas, motor carrier, compressed gas, and several other industries for over 30 years.

Our energy lawyers have received top rankings and accolades across the country, and we are recognized nationally and regionally by Chambers & Partners,  Benchmark Litigation, Best Law Firms, Best Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and more. Founding partner Brian Glasser was named by Forbes as one of "America's Top 200 Lawyers" in its first-ever list in 2024, and one of Lawdragon's 500 Leading Litigators in America, along with Cary Joshi, the firm's Commercial & Environmental Practice Group Leader in 2025. Mr. Glasser was also named by Best Lawyers a "Lawyer of the Year" in Energy Law in 2023.

BG Energy Law Capabilities

• Litigation & Dispute Resolution – Representing clients in state and federal courts on contract disputes, royalty claims, lease disagreements, joint venture conflicts, title disputes, bankruptcy-related issues, and environmental litigation. To learn about all our energy industry litigation capabilities visit this link.
• Corporate & Transactional Support – Drafting and negotiating critical agreements, including joint operating agreements, power purchase agreements, production sharing contracts, and energy infrastructure contracts.  We handle all elements of corporate energy deals, learn more at this link.
• Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, & Investment Transactions – Structuring and negotiating private equity investments, asset acquisitions, joint ventures, and financing transactions in the energy sector. Learn more here.
• Insurance Recovery - We represent policyholders in disputes that have secured millions of dollars for energy companies in insurance claims across the United States. Learn more about our Insurance Recovery team here.
  
• Corporate Governance & Compliance - Advising boards, executives, and stakeholders on governance, regulatory obligations, and risk management.
• Restructuring & Insolvency – Guiding energy companies through restructuring, workouts, and bankruptcy-related transactions. Learn more about our Bankruptcy Practice Group here.
• Environmental, Health & Safety – Providing strategic guidance on environmental regulations, workplace safety, and compliance with industry-specific standards. Learn more.
• Regulatory & Compliance Counsel – Advising on federal, state, and local energy laws, assisting with permitting and enforcement matters, and mitigating regulatory risks. Learn about our Environmental practice here.
• e-Discovery & Digital Compliance – Managing electronically stored information (ESI) and regulatory data, leveraging cutting-edge technology to support litigation and compliance efforts. ESI can make or break a case, and we are pioneers in this arena. Learn more about the group here. 

For more information about our lawyers' rankings and accomplishments, please visit here.

How We Help

Industries

Federal & State Litigation (plaintiff & defense) Restructuring & Insolvency Commercial Transactions, including M&A/Contract Regulatory Counseling Zoning Issues Beneficial Use & Programmatic Agreements Environmental Law Enforcement Environmental Due Diligence Finance Corporate Governance Purchase/Supply & Transportation Agreements Land Use, Leasing, & Mineral Rights Vendor & Equipment Supply Agreements Environmental, Health & Safety Internal Investigations Premises & Off-Premises Liability

Mining Oil & Gas Methane Production Renewables & Clean Fuels Metals Natural Resources Carbon Invention Forestry Utilities Family Offices Invested in the Energy Sector

       

Related Practices

Learn More About Our Successes +

Key Contacts

Our Team

Experience Overview

With a national reputation for excellence, our team includes top-ranked litigators, corporate advisors, and regulatory specialists who collaborate to protect our clients’ interests and drive business success. Whether you are an energy producer, operator, investor, or landowner, we provide the legal insight and advocacy needed to thrive in an evolving energy market.

Our energy lawyers have received top rankings and accolades across the country, and we are recognized nationally and regionally by Chambers & Partners,  Benchmark Litigation, Best Law Firms, Best Lawyers, and more. Founding partner Brian Glasser was named by Forbes as one of "America's Top 200 Lawyers" in its first-ever list in 2024, and one of Lawdragon's 500 Leading Litigators in America, along with Cary Joshi, the firm's Commercial & Environmental Practice Group Leader in 2025. Mr. Glasser was also named by Best Lawyers a "Lawyer of the Year" in Energy Law in 2023.

Below please find some examples of our award-winning litigation and corporate energy work.

High-Stakes Energy Litigation

• Represented oil and gas operator in a multi-party dispute over intricate and high-dollar lease acquisition, development, and Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) for shale gas reserves.
• Settled dispute over a $320 million coal royalty agreement in bet-the-company litigation involving allegations of breach of a complex sale-leaseback transaction and veil piercing of multiple layers of a Master Limited Partnership.
• Represented Petco Petroleum in a series of cases relating to hydraulic fracturing and the migration of NGPL’s storage gas into Petco’s oil and gas reservoirs in a 48-square-mile former Exxon oil field; the firm reduced NGPL’s $3.4 million damages claim to $420,000 in one case and vindicated Petco’s development rights to a substantial shale gas formation in the other case on summary judgment.
• Represented a group of heirs and successors to a partnership that proved up a 200-million-ton coal reserve, resulting in a $6.5 million judgment for breach of a royalty agreement.
• Represented a senior secured lender in a billion-dollar coal mining bankruptcy facing emergency motions for priming loans; work involved a detailed review of future business plans and the value of collateral as a component of an ongoing business.
• Representing pipeline operators in cases related to allegations that they are responsible for property damage occurring as a result of pipeline leaks or explosions.
• Representing major oil and gas operators in litigation alleging trespass to minerals in Central Appalachia.
• Represented roughly 50 independent oil and gas producers in complex commercial litigation regarding firm-price transportation agreements; after our position survived a motion to dismiss, we successfully concluded multilateral negotiations regarding those agreements.
• Represented a large landowning company in a lease dispute centered on intentional breaches of an anti-assignment provision in an oil and gas lease, including investigating and litigating the potential of an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operation to impinge upon a reserve area; used innovative damages theories, which were approved by the trial court, to force a favorable settlement.
• Represented coal sales company in a $30 million breach of contract claim arising from failure to deliver coal under a transportation agreement.
• Represented state permitting agency in multiple billion-dollar bankruptcy proceedings in which we sought to protect West Virginia taxpayers from funding reclamation projects of bankrupt mining companies.
• Settled multimillion-dollar arbitration over a breach of a mineral development agreement, involving an in-depth analysis of coal markets and merchantability.
• Defended an electric utility company against a rural electric cooperative’s attempt to take over electric service to a large oil field formerly known as the Texaco Salem Unit; the case involved testimony from expert petroleum and electrical engineers retained by Bailey Glasser.
• Litigated dozens of appeals of permits necessary to operate mining businesses, including Surface Mine and Reclamation Control Act (SMCRA) Permits, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits, and Clean Water Act Section 404 Dredge and Fill Permits.
• Negotiated reclamation and other cleanup agreements for multiple multimillion-dollar projects.
• Advising limited partnership interest holders through multiple in- and out-of-court restructurings of mining limited partnerships.
• Advised on over $800 million in coal reserve sale-leaseback transactions.

High-Dollar Corporate Deals

• A $50 million+ transaction involving the sale of interests in an energy company specializing in developing solar energy generating facilities on formerly mined lands.
• Numerous coal, solar energy, and carbon credits leases for owners and operators in Appalachia and the Midwest.
• Negotiating and preparing agreements for sale of methane gas interests and subsequent lease-back of gas interest for flaring projects to create carbon offsets to be sold under a California program.
• A $40 million transaction involving the negotiation and preparation of a put rights contract related to controlling shares of a coal mining company.
• Negotiating purchase agreements and related documents for a $40 million acquisition of a coal mine methane processing plant.

• Represented first lien lenders and affiliates in acquiring coaling mining assets in both Illinois and Indiana following White Stallion Energy LLC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

• Negotiated a forbearance agreement between the client and a West Virginia coal producer to restructure debt the producer owes to the client and on which it had defaulted.

• Provided key finance, real estate and corporate structure advice to a surety bonding company utilizing unique approaches to solving environmental issues at abandoned energy production sites.

• Represented a premier energy marketing company in restructuring its business and financial relationship with a producer of fuels committed to the marketing company.

• Provided strategic asset recovery and repayment counsel to private equity lender with respect to multiple borrowers/investment targets in the rapidly changing evolving carbon fuels industry.

Recent Bailey Glasser News:

News & Insights

Energy: Corporate

Driving Growth in the Energy Sector

Bailey Glasser’s Energy Corporate Law team provides strategic counsel to energy companies, investors, and stakeholders on the complex transactions and corporate matters that shape the industry. From M&A and private equity deals to contract structuring, project financing, and regulatory compliance, we help clients navigate the legal and business challenges that come with operating in a highly regulated and evolving market.

Our corporate lawyers are recognized nationally and regionally for their energy, M&A, securities, insurance, bankruptcy/insolvency, and banking & finance work by Best Law Firms, Best Lawyers, Chambers & Partners, and more. Founding partner Brian Glasser was named by Best Lawyers a "Lawyer of the Year" in Energy Law in 2023.

With deep experience in oil and gas, renewables, power generation, utilities, and mining, we work with companies of all sizes—from startups and independent operators to multinational corporations. Whether negotiating a high-value acquisition, structuring an energy infrastructure project, or ensuring compliance with corporate governance requirements, we deliver solutions that align with our clients’ strategic goals.

We handle all kinds of corporate law matters in the life-cycle of an energy company, including: 

• Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) – Structuring, negotiating, and executing energy industry mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
• Private Equity & Investment Transactions – Advising investors, funds, and companies on financing, venture capital, and private equity transactions in the energy sector.
• Contract Negotiation & Structuring – Drafting and negotiating energy contracts, including supply agreements, power purchase agreements (PPAs), joint operating agreements (JOAs), production sharing contracts, and asset purchase agreements.
• Corporate Governance & Compliance – Advising boards, executives, and stakeholders on governance, regulatory obligations, and risk management.
• Project Development & Infrastructure – Providing counsel on the financing, permitting, and structuring of energy infrastructure projects, including pipelines, transmission lines, and power generation facilities.
• Regulatory & Environmental Compliance – Ensuring companies meet federal, state, and local energy laws, environmental regulations, and reporting requirements.
• Restructuring & Insolvency – Guiding energy companies through restructuring, workouts, and bankruptcy-related transactions.
• Fractional General Counsel - providing proactive advice and risk management

Representative matters:

• Counseled the Cline Group, a family owned company with investments in mining, real estate and other assets, in the acquisition of two mining complexes and related rights in Nova Scotia and Alberta, Canada.
• A $50 million+ transaction involving the sale of interests in an energy company specializing in developing solar energy generating facilities on formerly mined lands.
• Numerous coal, solar energy, and carbon credits leases for owners and operators in Appalachia and the Midwest.
• Negotiating and preparing agreements for sale of methane gas interests and subsequent lease-back of gas interest for flaring projects to create carbon offsets to be sold under a California program.
• A $40 million transaction involving the negotiation and preparation of a put rights contract related to controlling shares of a coal mining company.
• Negotiating purchase agreements and related documents for a $40 million acquisition of a coal mine methane processing plant.
• Represented the client as lessee in the negotiation and documentation of leases covering coal-mining equipment to be used in Canada with the financing arm of a major equipment manufacturer in the aggregate amount of $65 million  

• Led a groundbreaking legal effort to successfully foreclose on an abandoned coal mine due to environmental obligations and redevelop the land for large-scale commercial agriculture purposes.

• Represented first lien lenders and affiliates in acquiring coaling mining assets in both Illinois and Indiana following White Stallion Energy LLC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

• Negotiated a forbearance agreement between the client and a West Virginia coal producer to restructure debt the producer owes to the client and on which it had defaulted.

• Provide key finance, real estate and corporate structure advice to a surety bonding company utilizing unique approaches to solving environmental issues at abandoned energy production sites.

• Represented a premier energy marketing company in restructuring its business and financial relationship with a producer of fuels committed to the marketing company.

• Provide strategic asset recovery and repayment counsel to private equity lender with respect to multiple borrowers/investment targets in the rapidly changing evolving carbon fuels industry.

• Represented a premier energy marketing company in restructuring its business and financial relationship with a producer of fuels committed to the marketing company.

• Provide strategic asset recovery and repayment counsel to private equity lender with respect to multiple borrowers/investment targets in the rapidly changing evolving carbon fuels industry.

• Outside counsel to the Southern-Dickinson Companies, a multi-generational family office with investments in mining, oil and gas and commercial real estate.
• Counsel to a family office in the acquisition of oil and gas interests and related royalty streams for hundreds of wells located in the Marcellus Shale formation; coordinated all due diligence, drafted all documentation, and drove the matter to closing.

Energy: Litigation

Fierce Advocacy in High-Stakes Disputes

Bailey Glasser’s Energy Litigation team is a powerhouse in resolving complex disputes across the energy sector. Whether defending clients in state and federal courts, arbitration, or regulatory enforcement actions, we bring deep industry knowledge, aggressive advocacy, and strategic problem-solving to every case.

Our litigators are recognized nationally and regionally by Chambers & Partners,  Benchmark Litigation, Best Law Firms, Best Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and more. Founding partner Brian Glasser was named by Forbes as one of "America's Top 200 Lawyers" in its first-ever list in 2024, and one of Lawdragon's 500 Leading Litigators in America, along with Cary Joshi, the firm's Commercial & Environmental Practice Group Leader in 2025. Mr. Glasser was also named by Best Lawyers a "Lawyer of the Year" in Energy Law in 2023.

We represent clients in:

• Royalty & Lease Disputes – Defending and prosecuting claims over royalty payments, lease interpretations, and leasehold interests.
• Contract & Joint Venture Disputes – Resolving conflicts arising from joint operating agreements (JOAs), drilling contracts, and partnership arrangements.
• Environmental & Regulatory Litigation – Representing clients in enforcement actions, contamination claims, and compliance disputes.
• Insurance Recovery - We represent policyholders in disputes that have have secured millions of dollars in insurance across the United States.
• Title & Property Rights Disputes – Litigating conflicts over mineral rights, surface access, and ownership claims.
• Surface Damage & Landowner Claims – Defending operators and advocating for landowners in disputes over land use and property impacts.
• Eminent Domain & Infrastructure Disputes – Representing energy companies in right-of-way acquisitions and challenges to pipeline and transmission line projects.
• Bankruptcy & Insolvency Litigation – Advising energy clients on creditor claims, asset protection, and contract disputes in bankruptcy proceedings.
• Energy Market & Pricing Disputes – Handling litigation over production sharing, pricing contracts, and revenue distribution.

representative matters

• Won an appeal against Lloyd’s of London which attempted to deny coverage of expensive mining equipment entombed under a collapse on the basis that it had been “abandoned.” On appeal, the appeals court agreed with our position that the loss wasn’t caused by the abandonment. The matter now is back at the trial level for further proceedings.
• Won a $32.7 million jury verdict in lawsuit against insurance companies indirectly owned by Chubb INA Holdings, Inc. The lawsuit stemmed from Chubb's denial of insurance coverage of damages after the collapse of a coal storage silo. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the jury verdict and reinstated contract damages awarded by the jury.
• Represented oil and gas operator in a multi-party dispute over intricate and high-dollar lease acquisition, development, and Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) for shale gas reserves in West Virginia.
• Settled dispute over a $320 million coal royalty agreement in bet-the-company litigation involving allegations of breach of a complex sale-leaseback transaction and veil piercing of multiple layers of a Master Limited Partnership.
• Represented Petco Petroleum in a series of cases relating to hydraulic fracturing and the migration of NGPL’s storage gas into Petco’s oil and gas reservoirs in a 48-square-mile former Exxon oil field; the firm reduced NGPL’s $3.4 million damages claim to $420,000 in one case and vindicated Petco’s development rights to a substantial shale gas formation in the other case on summary judgment.
• Represented a group of heirs and successors to a partnership that proved up a 200-million-ton coal reserve, resulting in a $6.5 million judgment for breach of a royalty agreement.
• Represented a senior secured lender in a billion-dollar coal mining bankruptcy facing emergency motions for priming loans; work involved a detailed review of future business plans and the value of collateral as a component of an ongoing business.
• Representing pipeline operators in cases related to allegations that they are responsible for property damage occurring as a result of pipeline leaks or explosions.
• Representing major oil and gas operators in litigation alleging trespass to minerals in Central Appalachia.
• Represented roughly 50 independent oil and gas producers in complex commercial litigation regarding firm-price transportation agreements; after our position survived a motion to dismiss, we successfully concluded multilateral negotiations regarding those agreements.
• Represented a large landowning company in a lease dispute centered on intentional breaches of an anti-assignment provision in an oil and gas lease, including investigating and litigating the potential of an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operation to impinge upon a reserve area; used innovative damages theories, which were approved by the trial court, to force a favorable settlement.
• Represented coal sales company in a $30 million breach of contract claim arising from failure to deliver coal under a transportation agreement.
• Represented a large landowning company in arbitration, where our strategy yielded a recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, including attorneys’ fees, within a year of initiating the action.
• Represented clients sued by a plaintiff in state court for control of an oil and gas company; the firm caused the case to be transferred to arbitration in Florida, resulting in the arbitrator’s denial of relief for the plaintiff and an award in favor of the defendant in excess of $300,000, including attorneys’ fees.
• Represented state permitting agency in multiple billion-dollar bankruptcy proceedings in which we sought to protect West Virginia taxpayers from funding reclamation projects of bankrupt mining companies.
• Settled multimillion-dollar arbitration over a breach of a mineral development agreement, involving an in-depth analysis of coal markets and mineability and merchantability.
• Defended an electric utility company against a rural electric cooperative’s attempt to take over electric service to a large oil field formerly known as the Texaco Salem Unit; the case involved testimony from expert petroleum and electrical engineers retained by Bailey Glasser.
• Litigated dozens of appeals of permits necessary to operate mining businesses, including Surface Mine and Reclamation Control Act (SMCRA) Permits, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits, and Clean Water Act Section 404 Dredge and Fill Permits.
• Negotiated reclamation and other cleanup agreements for multiple multimillion-dollar projects.
• Advising limited partnership interest holders through multiple in- and out-of-court restructurings of mining limited partnerships.
• Advised on over $800 million in coal reserve sale-leaseback transactions.
• Obtained an over $2 million verdict in breach of a coal sales agreement governed by the Uniform Commercial Code.
• Represented the State of West Virginia in all the major coal company bankruptcy cases throughout the country since 2012, including Patriot Coal and Alpha Natural Resources that resulted in nearly $400 million in funding for environmental reclamation in West Virginia
• Represented the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in the out-of-court restructurings of Alpha Natural Resources and Contura Energy
• Represent the West Virginia State Tax Department in defending against $5 million refund claims arising out of the Patriot Coal bankruptcy cases in the Eastern Districts of Missouri and Virginia
• Represented the Cline Group in its acquisition of assets out of the Enron bankruptcy case in the Southern District of New York
• Represented the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in the Freedom Industries bankruptcy case in the Southern District of West Virginia
• Represented the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner in the WP Steel and Patriot Coal bankruptcy cases