PERSONNEL FILE: Robinson & McElwee recognized for natural gas work

CHARLESTON -– Robinson & McElwee continues to be recognized as among the most successful and dependable law firms involved in representation of companies leading the development of the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays.

Henry Hood, Chesapeake Energy's Senior Vice President, Land and Legal and General Counsel, named Robinson & McElwee as an outside firm he relies upon for legal counsel and representation. Hood cited Robinson & McElwee in an article, Drill We Must, published in the Feb. 6 issue of the National Law Journal.

"I look for individuals who are the best of the breed in the business they are in," Hood told The National Law Journal.

As Senior VP and General Counsel, Hood oversees a legal department comprised of 50 employees, including 20 attorneys, and works with a select group of outside firms such as Robinson & McElwee, to serve Chesapeake's legal needs.

Since forming in 1989, Chesapeake has developed into the second-largest producer of natural gas in the United States, according to the company's website. Additionally, Chesapeake is a top-15 producer of oil and natural gas liquids and the most active driller of new wells in the U.S.

Chesapeake maintains headquarters in Oklahoma City, Okla., with an operational focus of discovering and developing unconventional natural gas and oil fields onshore in the United States, including Marcellus Shale in West Virginia, the company's site says.

Formed in 1983, Robinson & McElwee is a corporate-defense firm based in Charleston, with offices in Clarksburg and Wheeling.

Robinson & McElwee's practice is multifaceted and includes litigation, natural resources law, corporate law, labor and employment law, utility law, bankruptcy, commercial real estate development, environmental law, state and local taxation, estate planning and administration, commercial transactions and government relations.

The firm's five departments –- Business Law, Energy & Environment, Government Relations, Labor & Employment, and Litigation -– are oriented toward representation of the business community.

Robinson & McElwee is the West Virginia affiliate of ALFA International, which is an association of superior quality, business-focused independent law firms. Membership in ALFA International is highly selective and based upon peer evaluation of candidate law firms.

For more information, visit www.ramlaw.com.