(January 24, 2012, Pittsburgh, PA) – Reed Smith LLP today announced the addition of one of the nation’s top experts on the Marcellus and Utica shale fields as a partner in its Energy & Natural Resources Group.
Michael P. Joy, a former partner in Biltekoff & Joy, LLP, a boutique law firm in Buffalo, New York, will be resident in Reed Smith’s Pittsburgh office.
“We are delighted that Michael -- with his outstanding academic background and unique skill set – has joined our team,” said Nicolle Snyder Bagnell, team leader of the Oil and Natural Gas team of Reed Smith’s Energy & Natural Resources Group, who represents natural gas exploration and production companies on issues related to exploration of the Marcellus and Utica shale’s and other conventional formations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York. “He brings a great deal of knowledge that will be invaluable to oil and gas companies seeking advice and counsel on Appalachian Basin development issues, particularly shale-related transactional matters."
Dr. Joy’s practice focuses on providing legal services primarily to oil and natural gas development, service provider and land service companies from across the United States. He is admitted to practice in New York and Pennsylvania and maintains an active presence in both states.
“Pittsburgh is fast becoming one of the three energy centers in North America,” said Dr. Joy. “I want to help this region regain its prominence as one of this nation’s great centers of natural resources-related commerce. Reed Smith has the ideal platform for me to play a key role in promoting and sustaining that resurgence.”
A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School with certificates of concentration in Environmental Law and in Real Property law, Dr. Joy simultaneously earned a Ph.D. in geology from the same institution. His dissertation research focused on developing structural geological models for the deposition of the Trenton and Black River Group carbonates and Utica Shale along the Taconic Foredeep, Appalachian Basin, from mid-central New York through central Pennsylvania and ultimately south through the Appalachian Basin to Virginia and Tennessee. He currently holds an adjunct faculty position in the SUNY at Buffalo Geology Department. He is a strong advocate of natural gas development and has participated in hundreds of presentations, educational town halls, legislative hearings and been involved in lobbying activity on the natural gas opportunities associated with the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.
“Michael will be a tremendous asset to clients as well as to our attorneys firmwide,” said George Stewart, Reed Smith’s Pittsburgh Office Managing Partner. “He is very knowledgeable about the geology of this region and has an infectious enthusiasm for his field of practice that will enhance the prominence of our capabilities in the energy and natural resources field, particularly in matters pertaining to oil and natural gas development.”
"Shale development is changing the global energy landscape in terms of both investment opportunities and development activity," said Ellen Bastier, Co-leader of Reed Smith's Energy Industry Group. "Reed Smith has the ideal international platform to provide clients around the world with the broad range of legal services they need to develop the business opportunities created by safe and environmentally sound advances in resource extraction technology."
Reed Smith’s multidisciplinary Energy & Natural Resources Group includes regulatory, transactional, environmental and litigation lawyers located in all of Reed Smith's offices in the UK, the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The Group provides a global platform for businesses engaged in the extraction, production, distribution or financing of energy and natural resources projects, products and services anywhere in the world. The group represents developers, producers, manufacturers, traders, financiers and investors, insurers, and transporters in the energy and natural resources sectors, whether they are involved in the more traditional resources, such as oil, gas, nuclear, metals and minerals, or in renewable and clean energy.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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