PERSONNEL FILE: Steptoe & Johnson expands energy practice

CLARKSBURG -- On Sept. 1, the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson will acquire the energy practice group of the western Pennsylvania firm of Culbertson, Weiss, Schetroma and Schug, P.C., currently led by Russell Schetroma, an influential authority on oil and gas transactions, most notably within the Marcellus shale.

With this affiliation, Steptoe & Johnson will acquire a Meadville, Pa., office which will facilitate the continued provision of legal services to Steptoe & Johnson's regional Appalachian clients. Meadville is Steptoe & Johnson's first Pennsylvania office. The firm also has offices in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. The firm plans to open a second Pennsylvania office in Southpointe (Canonsburg) in the fall.

With the addition of Culbertson, Weiss, Schetroma and Schug's energy practice group, the rapidly growing Steptoe & Johnson Energy Team will field approximately 190 attorneys and paraprofessionals who will provide legal services to Appalachian energy industry clients throughout the nation. The firm's army of energy practitioners focuses on services to the energy sector including coal, oil and gas and renewables. Its attorneys regularly assist clients throughout the region with acquisitions and divestitures, financing, due diligence reviews, permitting, title evaluation, litigation, public utility law, FERC regulatory matters, mediation and arbitration, land use challenges, and midstream legal issues.

"Establishing a physical presence in Pennsylvania was a natural decision for our firm as our Energy Team comprises one of the largest and most diverse practices in the region," stated Susan Brewer, CEO of Steptoe & Johnson.

Sharon Flanery, Steptoe & Johnson's Energy Team chair commented, "Our Energy Team currently provides legal services throughout the Appalachian Basin, including in the Marcellus shale, so our physical expansion into Pennsylvania and the addition of Russ Schetroma and the other members of his team strengthens our ability to provide timely and cost effective legal services on target with our client's strategic objectives."

Schetroma received his Juris Doctor cum laude from the Dickinson School of Law and has more than 30 years experience practicing Pennsylvania oil and gas law. In 2007, he received the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation's John L. McClaugherty Award, its highest honor, which is awarded each year to a member who exemplifies high standards for commitment and accomplishment to the EMLF, the legal profession, and the natural resources industry.

He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in oil and gas law, and he is a prolific writer, lecturer and published author on topics related to the unique aspects of Appalachian oil and gas law and transactions. He chairs the Land Title Standards Committee of the Crawford County Bar Association. He recently completed service to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as a senior hearing board member in lawyer disciplinary matters. Schetroma has also been recognized by the Pennsylvania Bar Association with its award for "outstanding contributions to the pro bono service in Pennsylvania."

Steptoe & Johnson is a regional business-focused firm with particular strengths in energy, labor, employment and litigation. It comprises over 180 lawyers resident in locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky and soon in Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit www.steptoe-johnson.com.