Biography
Lyle Brown is a meticulous, detail-oriented attorney who loves to dig beneath the surface to uncover unique and creative solutions to his clients’ legal challenges. Lyle focuses his practice on representing large oil and gas producers in state and federal court litigation throughout the Utica Shale counties of eastern Ohio. Lyle helps producers to protect their assets in lawsuits and appeals involving mineral title issues, the Dormant Mineral Act, lease and royalty disputes, mortgage and tax foreclosures, and lessor bankruptcies. If he were not an attorney, Lyle would be a police detective or forensic scientist. He applies that same mentality when extracting and analyzing key facts from voluminous data or documents in a timely manner. He most enjoys turning a challenging set of facts into concise, persuasive legal arguments to advance and win cases for his clients. Lyle also draws upon his diverse background in business litigation, which spans commercial disputes, administrative agency appeals, and long-term care and probate litigation.
Lyle is an Eagle Scout, Rotarian, law school moot court coach, and devoted sports dad. A lifelong collector, Lyle values postage stamps for the stories they tell us about interesting people, places, and historical events.
Representative Experience
- Defended oil and gas companies in mineral title and landowner lease dispute litigation in Ohio state and federal courts, including lease termination and Dormant Mineral Act litigation
- Represented oil and gas companies in mortgage and delinquent tax foreclosure litigation in Ohio state courts to protect clients’ oil and gas lease interests throughout the foreclosure process
- Drafted briefs and presented oral argument on behalf of clients in Ohio state supreme court and appellate courts
- Defended companies in consumer protection litigation in federal court
- Obtained injunctive relief to restrain corporate officers from exercising unlawful control over a not-for-profit corporation, and a court order allowing members to vote for new officers
- Represented a nursing home facility in litigation to prevent re-zoning of nearby agricultural land for industrial use
- Represented not-for-profit clients in real property tax exemption appeals before the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals
- Represented nursing home facilities in litigation to prevent the construction of a competing facility in violation of state competitive bidding law
- Defended a nursing home facility in litigation regarding the scope of state agency authority to interview residents without prior notice
- Represented long-term care providers and other creditors in estate and guardianship proceedings in probate courts throughout Ohio, including proceedings to surcharge a guardian’s bond, uncover concealed assets, sell real estate, and collect debts owed by decedents or wards
- Researched and analyzed complex federal and state regulatory issues on energy and environmental matters, including federal Clean Water Act permitting issues, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulation of waters (wetlands) of the United States, and state laws regulating the oil and gas industry
Education
- J.D. The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law
Memberships
- Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
- Ohio Oil & Gas Association
- Coach of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law team, National Energy & Sustainability Moot Court Competition (2018-2023), and Cardozo FAME Center Intellectual Property Law Moot Court Competition, 2024
- Member, Dublin A.M. Rotary Club, 2021-Present
- Past President (2015-2016) and Director (2011-2017), Rotary Club of Upper Arlington/Grandview (Tri-Village)
- Past Member, Board of Trustees, The Wellington School, 2011-2013, 2019-2022
- Past President, The Wellington School Alumni Association, 2011-2013, 2019-2022
- Past District Chairman, Buckeye District, Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2011-2012
- Past Law Officer, Columbus Sail and Power Squadron, 2001-2007
- Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Columbus Bar Association
Speaking Engagements
- Energy & Mineral Law Foundation, 35th Annual Institute (2014)
- Steptoe & Johnson Energy Leadership Summit (2013)
- Tri-Village Rotary Club (2010); AOPHA Annual Conference and Trade Show (2008)
- Columbus Sail and Power Squadron (2006)
- National Business Institute continuing legal education seminars on advanced trial advocacy (2004, 2006)
- Ohio Environmental Service Industries Association (2003)
Publications
- Co-author, “The Landscape of Oil and Gas Law Is Changing: Supreme Court to Issue Decisions Interpreting the Dormant Mineral Act,” Ohio Oil & Gas Association Bulletin (July 2016)
- Co-author, “Evolving Theories of Lease Termination Litigation,” 35th Annual Energy & Mineral Law Institute (EMLF 2014)
- Contributing Editor, “The Developing Labor Law” Treatise, American Bar Association (Section of Labor and Employment Law) and BNA Books (2000-2009)
- Author, “The Joint Effort to Supervise and Treat Elderly Offenders: A New Solution to a Current Corrections Problem,” 59 Ohio St. L.J. 259 (1998)
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