Oil & Gas Law Conference 2026

A litigation attorney with Houston Harbaugh, Christopher focuses his practice on the areas of business litigation, insurance bad faith and insurance coverage. Christopher’s business litigation practice involves an array of commercial matters, including breach of contract litigation, trade secret misappropriation and DTSA matters, trademark infringement, and disputes involving the sale of goods under UCC Article 2 and the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods (“CISG”). Christopher’s experience in international commercial litigation and arbitration matters involves issues surrounding service of process and the taking of evidence pursuant to the protocols of the Hague Convention. In his insurance bad faith litigation practice, Christopher has served as counsel for major national insurers in actions involving construction defect claims, latent and progressive injury claims, long-tail environment exposure claims, disputed uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, first-party property losses, and excess verdicts. Christopher’s insurance coverage practice involves the preparation of coverage opinions and analyses in matters involving reservation of rights, disclaimer of coverage, examinations under oath, declaratory judgments, rescission, and extracontractual exposure. In addition to his traditional commercial and insurance litigation practice, Christopher has developed a focus on emerging issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the law. He advises clients on matters involving artificial intelligence, including liability frameworks for AI systems and legal implications arising from algorithmic decision-making. His work in this area includes speaking and writing on AI-related legal developments. Christopher is a member of the Commercial Litigation and Insurance Committees of DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the Pennsylvania Defense Institute, where he is a frequent speaker on key insurance law developments and insurance bad faith in Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of University of Pittsburgh School of Law, J.D., and the University of Richmond, B.A., Magna Cum Laude. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Megan is a partner with Reed Smith LLP. She is an experienced energy and environmental litigator who helps clients meet their operational needs and manage risk. She has successfully represented oil and gas, coal, manufacturing and construction companies in claims relating to alleged environmental contamination, permit appeals (first and third-party) and compliance orders. She has litigated claims in state and Federal courts and before administrative agencies and boards. Megan has extensive experience with high-profile, multi-forum fights attempting to derail or declare illegal energy development projects. Megan has significant experience advising clients with respect to environmental regulatory matters. She has assisted clients with identifying and obtaining required permits, interpreting and developing compliance plans for proposed and newly adopted statutes and regulations, overseeing environmental audits, and negotiating consent orders and civil penalties. She often relies on positive working relationships with regulators to deliver best-possible outcomes for her clients promptly and efficiently. Megan also represents oil and gas companies in commercial litigation. She has successfully resolved oil and gas lease termination and royalty claims, gas gathering agreement disputes, contractor claims, surface access disputes, joint operating agreement disputes, and joint interest billing/accounting disputes. As part of the firm’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) practice, Megan assists clients with the environmental and governance aspects of ESG. She has advised clients on carbon and climate-related regulations and legislation, as well as ESG finance issues in conjunction with energy transactions. She was selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Oil and Gas Law, 2024-2025, and for Litigation – Environmental, 2025 and is ranked in Chambers USA for Pennsylvania Environment, 2022-2026. Megan is a graduate of the Duquesne University School of Law, 2006, J.D., cum laude, and the University of Pittsburgh, 2003, B.A., summa cum laude. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas, and before the Western and middle Districts of the U.S. District Court.

An attorney in Houston Harbaugh’s Oil and Gas Practice, Brendan O’Donnell has represented oil and gas owners across Pennsylvania in a wide array of oil and gas matters for over a decade. This experience has involved not only the Marcellus shale and the Utica shale, but more traditional oil and gas development as well. Brendan maintains a diverse practice, representing clients in all matters involving oil and gas spanning the transactional and litigation realms. On the transactional front, Brendan routinely assists landowners with negotiating oil and gas leases, pipeline rights of way and surface use agreements and subsurface easements related to horizontal drilling as part of Marcellus and Utica shale development. Brendan also frequently reviews royalty statements and oil and gas ownership issues as well as preparing deeds and title curative documents. Brendan also maintains an active litigation practice, representing clients in state and federal courts, as well as private arbitration matters. This litigation often involves title disputes, pooling and unitization challenges, lease termination questions and royalty/ post-production cost claims. Assisting clients across the spectrum from contract negotiations through litigation and appeals gives Brendan valuable first-hand knowledge about how oil and gas agreements are prepared, how disputes arise and how courts resolve these issues. Brendan stays up-to-date on developments in oil and gas law and writes frequently on the these topics. Additionally, as alternative energy generation like wind and solar are increasingly being developed in oil and gas producing regions, Brendan assists clients with navigating the interplay between these complex energy developments and evaluating solar agreements. Brendan complements his oil and gas practice by representing property owners, including oil and gas owners, in zoning and land use matters. Brendan has represented clients before municipal bodies and in appeals to court. Brendan is also active in the firm’s Energy and Environmental Law Practice. Regardless of the type of representation, Brendan prides himself in providing clients with realistic, pragmatic advice. Hiring an attorney is an investment and Brendan focuses on how he can provide value to clients. Outside of the office, Brendan serves on the Town of McCandless Planning Commission and lives with his family in McCandless. Brendan has visited every one of Allegheny County’s 130 municipalities. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, J.D. Cum Laude, B.A. Magna Cum Laude. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the U.S. District Court for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits.

Christine M. (“Chrissy”) Green is a member with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC where she counsels clients on federal, international, and state tax issues pertaining to transactions, structuring, and compliance. Chrissy frequently assists clients in business transactions by providing tax structuring options such as tax-deferred rollover structures and guidance on the tax aspects of company acquisitions and disposal. She also advises clients on incentive compensation plans in relation to business transactions. Counseling clients on numerous federal tax compliance difficulties relating to corporate and pass-through taxation, as well as other tax topics like section 280E application in the cannabis industry, worker classification disputes, and employee retention tax credit issues make up a sizable portion of her tax practice. She counsels non-U.S. individuals and companies on the U.S. federal and state tax consequences of establishing and conducting business in the U.S. In connection with doing so, she counsels clients on the application of US tax treaties. She advises people and businesses from Canada, Europe, India, Mexico, and other geographies on choice-of-entity tax matters when launching a business in the United States. Chrissy also handles concerns for nonprofit organizations, such as petitions for exempt status and state charity solicitation registration and filings, and represents clients with regard to state tax difficulties, such as state income and sales and use tax obligations. She is a graduate of Duquesne University Kline School of Law, J.D, and Pennsylvania State University – Behrend, B.S.

Lauren John is Senior Counsel at Range Resources in Canonsburg. Prior to this position, she was in both private practice and in-house at a private equity-backed natural gas producer. She is a graduate of the Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Duquesne University, J.D., and The Pennsylvania State University, B. A., Advertising and Public Relations and B.A., International Politics. Ms. John is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Pittsburgh chapter of the Womens Energy Network.

Mr. Dixon is an associate at Saul Ewing LLP, where he represents clients in matters involving  environmental regulation and litigation, including government enforcement proceedings. He  helps companies navigate federal and state environmental agencies in their effort to obtain  permits to build projects that are regulated by the government or require considerations  involving impacts to the environment. Mr. Dixon formerly served as assistant counsel to the  Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where he counseled several DEP  programs and represented DEP in litigation proceedings. He also served as assistant counsel to  the Honorable Richard P. Mather, Sr., of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB).  In that capacity, he counseled the EHB on complex environmental laws and regulations,  assisted the judges in hearings, and drafted opinions and adjudications. Mr. Dixon received his  BA, with high distinction, from the Pennsylvania State University, and his JD from Widener  University Commonwealth School of Law.

Mr. Burnett is a director with Pittsburgh law firm Houston Harbaugh, P.C.; his practice is exclusively devoted to the representation of landowners and royalty owners in oil and gas matters. He is the Chair of the Firm’s Oil and Gas Practice Group and represents landowners and royalty owners in a wide array of oil and gas matters throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He assists landowners and royalty owners in the negotiation of new oil and gas leases as well as modifications to existing leases. He also negotiates surface use agreements and pipeline right-of-way agreements on behalf of landowners. He also advises and counsels clients on complex lease development and expiration issues, including the impact and effect of delay rental and shut-in clauses, as well as the implied covenants to develop and market oil and gas. He also represents landowners and royalty owners in disputes arising out of the calculation of production royalties and the deduction of post-production costs. Mr. Burnett also assists landowners with oil and gas title issues and develops strategies to resolve and cure such title deficiencies. A prolific author and speaker on numerous oil and gas topics, he is a frequent lecturer at Pennsylvania Bar Institute oil and gas programs and currently serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s “Oil and Gas Law Advisory Committee.” He is also a contributing author of The Law of Oil and Gas in Pennsylvania (1st Ed. 2014), published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s premier oil and gas law program, the annual “Oil and Gas Law Colloquium.” He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Landowner’s Alliance and is an active member of its Legislative Committee. He also served on the “Siting and Routing” Workgroup of Governor Wolf’s “Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force” in 2015. He is also a retired officer from the United States Army. Mr. Burnett received his B.A. in political science, with honors, from John Carroll University and his J.D., cum laude, from Duquesne University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He is BV® Rated, in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating System and named a Who’s Who in Energy, Pittsburgh Business Times, 2011-2017. His memberships include the Pennsylvania Bar Association (Shale Energy Law Committee, Civil Litigation Section and Environmental and Energy Law Section); National Association of Royalty Owners; Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Landowner Alliance (Board of Directors); and the Allegheny County Bar Association. 

Heather A. Hurst helps energy companies accomplish their operational and transactional goals. She focuses her practice on commercial and real estate transactions and transition projects within the coal, oil and gas and renewables industries (including solar, wind and renewable fuels). Heather assists industry clients with all stages of acquisition, operation and divestiture of coal, oil and gas, and renewable energy assets and on a variety of mergers and acquisitions, land management, joint venture, commercial and title-related matters in the Appalachian region. She has abstracted and drafted title examination opinions for surface, oil and gas and coal interests. She has experience performing title, site control and commercial due diligence for oil, gas, coal, solar and wind operations and transactions, negotiating leases, options and agreements, and drafting a variety of transactional, commercial and operational instruments and agreements. Her experience also includes negotiating and drafting gas gathering, purchase and sale, service, easements, correlative right agreements and construction agreements. Heather has also represented oil, gas, coal, and renewable owners, operators and companies in real estate closings, transfer, severance and property tax matters, and property, landowner and contract disputes.

Gregory J. Krock is a partner with Mayer Brown LLP. Although he is jointly assigned to the firm’s Washington DC and Houston offices, Greg lives in Pittsburgh, where he has practiced for nearly three decades before state, federal, and appellate courts. Greg is an accomplished litigator who represents clients in matters involving the oil and gas, electric utilities, coal, and commodities trading industries. Greg served as lead counsel in the highly publicized Butler v. Powers matter, a landmark case in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the state’s “Dunham Rule” and affirmed that a deed’s reference to “minerals” does not include natural gas. The opinion protected thousands of lease deals between landowners and developers in the Marcellus Shale region. Since this victory, Greg has represented oil and gas companies in virtually all aspects of the industry: royalty, lease, toxic tort, and insurance disputes involving Pennsylvania wells; pipeline and class action disputes in West Virginia and Ohio; royalty disputes in Wyoming and Denver; injunction matters in Texas involving joint operating agreements for offshore platforms and wells; and commodities trading lawsuits in New York and Texas. He has been recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 United States as a leading energy litigator. In light of his experience, Greg is a sought-after speaker on oil and gas developments in the Appalachian region. Greg graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he served on the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. For more information about Greg, please visit https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/people/k/gregory-krock

Mr. Staiger is a Shareholder at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC in Pittsburgh, where he concentrates his practice in business law and taxation, with a specific focus on energy-related projects. He frequently represents clients involved in renewable energy and energy transition projects, including solar, wind, carbon sequestration, biodiesel and renewable fuels. He has represented investors and developers in connection with the development, acquisition and disposition of renewable projects. Mr. Staiger also represents oil and gas producers and midstream companies operating in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Texas and Oklahoma in connection with the acquisition and disposition of oil and gas assets, including the negotiation of joint development and exploration agreements, gas gathering and processing agreements, physical gas trading and marketing agreements, including NAESB, ISDA with Gas Annex and related contracts, mineral conveyances, title certification and diligence, IADC drilling contracts, farmout agreements, services agreements, pipeline rights of way and other agreements related to joint ventures. Mr. Staiger has extensive experience involving business and tax planning for commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as planning involving partnerships, S corporations and other closely held businesses. He also represents taxpayers in connection with tax disputes involving the Internal Revenue Service, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other jurisdictions. Mr. Staiger has consecutively been named to the Pittsburgh Business Times’ “Who’s Who in Energy” list, a compilation of southwestern Pennsylvania-based key players in the energy industry, and has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® consistently since 2020 under the Corporate Law category.

Mr. Wolford maintains a solo practice, Wolford Law, in Erie. Before going into private practice, he served as Regional Counsel and as an Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Northwest Region. Before joining the DEP, Mr. Wolford served as a prosecutor for the Office of Attorney General (OAG), Environmental Crimes Section and also as a civil litigation attorney for the OAG’s Torts Litigation Section. He was also a special prosecutor of environmental crimes for both the OAG and the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Wolford is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board Rules Committee and the State Water Plan Statewide and Great Lakes Committees. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Environmental and Energy Law Section, a Past Chair of the Section Council, the current Chair of the Section’s Programs and Publications Committee, and previously served as a contributing feature editor for the Section’s newsletter. He has lectured for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (National Enforcement Training Institute), the DEP, the Erie County Bar Association, Pennsylvania’s minor judiciary, and various other organizations.  Mr. Wolford received his undergraduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law, and is a member of the Erie County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.