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Exterior of Office Building of The The Law Office of Hummel, Lewis & Davidson, LLP | Attorney And Counselors At Law
Exterior of Office Building of The The Law Office of Hummel, Lewis & Davidson, LLP | Attorney And Counselors At Law
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Experienced At Handling Solar Leases And Options, Pipeline Easements And Gas Leases

Have you received an offer for a solar lease option? What does a lease option really mean? Do they want to lease your gas rights or lay pipe under your property? How much money will you receive? What do you have to give up? These are just a few questions that need to be answered before you sign any lease or easement.

No two properties are the same. The provision of any lease or easement should take into consideration the uniqueness of your property and your goals, concerns and priorities. You should not sign any lease or easement until you are certain that it protects you and your property.

As with any contract, it is important to speak with an experienced attorney before you sign anything. You have rights, and at the law firm of Hummel, Lewis & Davidson, LLP, we can help you protect those rights.

Attorney Barry Lewis provides sophisticated counsel to individuals, hunting groups, farmers and other landowners in the drafting or review of natural gas leases and other pipeline and gas agreements. He has extensive experience handling these types of leases and can provide you with the advice, representation and support you need when negotiating your gas or pipeline lease. Attorney Rob Davidson served on Governor Rendell’s Marcellus Shale executive committee and led the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s activities related to Marcellus Shale natural gas, assisting farmers across the commonwealth with leasing and pipeline issues. As a licensed land surveyor, attorney Davidson is familiar with easement requirements.

Call 570-245-6720 or 877-829-8987 to arrange a consultation with an attorney about solar, gas, or pipeline leases.

Issues In Options, Leases, And Easements

Because you are making decisions that will affect your property from as little as 15 years to well into the next generation, it is critical that a lease or easement agreement addresses comprehensive issues, including:

  • Per-acre lease rates
  • Partial leases
  • Facility and infrastructure placement
  • Zoning
  • Pooled production
  • Appropriate royalties and the schedule for payments
  • Retention of surface rights
  • Compensation for well water contamination or environmental damage to your land
  • Liability for effects on neighboring properties
  • Clauses to discourage damage to your land during extraction
  • Clean and Green rollback
  • Temporary and permanent easements
  • Eminent domain
  • Easement limits
  • Size of pipe and number of pipelines
  • Damage payments for construction and maintenance

Attorney Lewis is also an experienced trial attorney. If you are involved in a dispute over an easement or lease, he can protect your interests in negotiations and, if necessary, in the courtroom.

Related Issues: Taxes, Estate Planning, And Divorce

In addition to advising you on lease issues and negotiating with companies, we can also help you understand the implications of a lease in other legal areas, including:

  • Taxes and business issues: Profits you make from a lease are taxable. It may be in your best interest to form a business entity to minimize the impact of those taxes. Additionally, we assist nonprofits, such as hunting clubs, who are looking to maintain their nonprofit status with a gas lease.
  • Estate planning: You may need to revisit your estate plan in order to ensure that your lease rights are distributed according to your wishes.
  • Divorce: If you are going through a divorce, it is important to consider your gas and mineral rights in the context of the division of marital property.

Contact Us Now For A Consultation

Contact our office online or by calling 570-245-6720 or 877-829-8987 to arrange a consultation with a lawyer at our firm.