Southwestern Energy contacted us in 2014 regarding leasing three parcels that we own in Susquehanna County, PA. Since the deeds were each recorded in various names/entities, it was a lot more complicated than most transactions. The original 2008 lease with a different company had expired prior to any drilling operations taking place. By this time, the “competition” amongst numerous companies had ended within our area; which of course meant not having options or leverage to negotiate a new lease. Naturally, this made us wonder what kind of contract we could get. We received the proposed new lease and presented it to an attorney who we had previously used for some real estate business years ago. He made some suggestions and added his recommended requests and we returned it to Southwestern. All of those changes were denied. We then contacted Doug Clark who has done numerous leases with Southwestern. He first informed us about the items he would request and which ones he felt he could get; as well as a couple he thought he wouldn’t. After numerous efficient and helpful conference calls and his persistence, we obtained exactly what he had hoped for and even a little more. Doug and Marceea Clark, along with their entire team, were always available whenever I contacted them. They were extremely pleasant and very respectful. In my opinion there is way too much to learn and too much to lose by trying to “go it alone”. My wife and I would highly recommend The Clark Law Firm for any dealings regarding gas or oil leases.
