Beatty & Wozniak To Add Prominent Oil And Gas Attorneys, Open Salt Lake City Office
Denver, CO – Natural resource attorneys Fred MacDonald and Rob Thompson will join leading Denver-based energy and natural resources law firm Beatty & Wozniak on January 1, 2008, the firm announced recently. MacDonald, along with Attorneys Relma Miller and Tony Hunter, and Title Analyst Cheryl Dunne, will lead Beatty & Wozniak's Salt Lake City office, which will open its doors on the first of the year. Thompson and Attorney Matt Crockett will relocate to the firm's Denver office. All six were formerly affiliated with the Salt Lake City-based natural resources firm of Pruitt Gushee.
The addition of MacDonald, Thompson and their key personnel enhances Beatty & Wozniak's oil and natural gas practice, and establishes a Public Lands group that will focus on resource development on Indian lands. The expanded firm unites the talent and resources of 22 of the West's most respected natural resources and public lands attorneys to fully serve the legal needs of energy industry clients across the Rocky Mountain region.
"As the oil and natural gas industry here in the Rockies continues to grow and evolve, so do the legal needs of our clients," said Mike Beatty, a founding partner of Beatty & Wozniak. "Fred's and Rob's expertise in public and Indian lands, title and regulatory matters, and governmental affairs complements our experience in energy litigation, environmental issues and corporate transactions."
An expert in the legal aspects of coalbed methane extraction and federal unitization, MacDonald represents numerous oil and gas companies operating throughout Utah and appears regularly before the Utah Board of Oil, Gas and Mining for clients on a wide variety of oil and gas regulatory issues. He counsels clients on the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of their properties; and has a comprehensive working knowledge of fee, federal, state and Indian leasing and titles. In an effort to better serve the needs of the firm's clients, MacDonald will divide time between the Salt Lake City and Denver offices.
Through his expertise in exploration, development, access issues, transactional documents, and administrative and judicial litigation relative to Indian and public lands, Thompson will spearhead the firm's Public Lands group, concentrating on resource development on Indian lands. His work is known nationally throughout various industries and groups including oil and natural gas, mining and Indian tribes. Thompson's accomplishments include final establishment of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation's political boundaries; restoration of approximately 83,000 acres of land within former Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. 2 to Indian ownership; and negotiation of and passage of legislation addressing the dual severance tax imposed on Indian lands.
"Beatty & Wozniak and our former firm share the same philosophy – succeed by focusing on the natural resources sector of the law and knowing your client's business inside and out," said MacDonald. "We were drawn to Beatty & Wozniak because unlike other general practice firms in the region, this firm deeply understands and is committed to the energy industry. We're eager to join a team that is immediately ready to service ALL areas of natural resources law."
"The addition of Fred and Rob and our Salt Lake City office comes as the national and international spotlight shines on the booming energy industry in the Rocky Mountain region," said Mike Wozniak, founding partner of Beatty & Wozniak. "Our ability to offer specialized expertise amid an ever changing landscape of energy development issues is crucial to building a responsible industry for generations to come."
Crockett was chosen as one of the Utah Legal Elite in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in the Energy/Natural Resources category by his Utah State Bar peers. For the past two years, Beatty and Wozniak were named Colorado Super Lawyers, an honor featuring the top five percent of lawyers in the state, and Wozniak and MacDonald are listed as "The Best Lawyers in America," which is a testament to the firm's reputation in the Rocky Mountain region for providing experienced legal counsel in all matters related to the oil and gas industry.
SOURCE: Beatty & Wozniak, P.C.