Lori A. Dawkins

Member

Biography

Lori Dawkins focuses her practice on complex litigation and regulatory issues for energy companies. Lori has more than twenty-five years of litigation experience and has tried more than fifty cases in front of juries in state and federal court. Ms. Dawkins previously served on the firm’s Executive Committee and served as Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Energy Litigation Practice Group.

A former officer in the United States Air Force, she was appointed as the lead search and recovery officer at a major Strategic Air Command base and she served in Saudi Arabia for a year during Desert Storm. She was named Strategic Air Command’s Military Manager of the Year and received the Medal of Commendation, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal.

Lori is a former Drum Major of the West Virginia University Marching Band (“The Pride of West Virginia”). She enjoys camping, classical guitar, and hiking with her three rescue dogs throughout Maine.

Representative Experience

As lead counsel, represented major energy companies in complex litigation involving allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, breach of implied covenants, right-of-way disputes, breach of lease agreements, breach of implied covenants, injunctions against landowners, royalty disputes, and all types of energy-related cases in numerous states throughout the country
As lead counsel, represented several of the nation’s largest interstate natural gas pipeline companies in eminent domain proceedings in federal court
Represented oil and gas operators in contested administrative hearings in front of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission and the Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission
As lead counsel, prosecuted a claim in excess of $24 million on behalf of a coal operator in an eminent domain matter that went to verdict in a jury trial
Responded to emergency incidents for oil and gas operators and clients in the chemical industry, conducted on-site investigations, and coordinated responses to regulatory agencies in matters involving on-site fatalities
Represented oil and gas operators in state and local rulemaking affecting oil and gas operations in Colorado
Represented energy companies in complex condemnation actions involving permanent easements for the storage of natural gas, permanent well road easements, and permanent pipeline easements
As lead counsel, defended claims premised on adverse possession and prescriptive easements that went to verdict in a jury trial
Handled the litigation of property cases involving express and implied easements, partition actions, missing heir petitions, boundary disputes, property damage, and title disputes
Litigated a case for a public utility natural gas company involving allegations of carbon monoxide poisoning
Represented a public utility natural gas company in several cases involving questions regarding the duty to re-inspect appliances after they are red-tagged
Litigated an antitrust action for a dominant health care provider in Pennsylvania involving a battle for the control of a major hospital
Represented a large multi-national pharmaceutical company in litigation to recover for the faulty design, construction, and installation of a $4.3 million wastewater treatment plant
Defended a preliminary injunction action brought by an unsuccessful bidder on a $30 million construction project for a state university
Handled multiple appeals to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Third and Fourth Circuit Courts of Appeal
Defended national oil and gas companies in litigation over the validity of oil and gas leases and deeds
Represented producers in suits for excessive surface use, ownership, drilling rights, and pooling
Prosecuted partition actions to acquire fractional, unleased mineral interests
Defended lessees against claims of lease forfeiture arising from nonproduction and/or abandonment

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Licensed In

Maine
West Virginia

Education

J.D. West Virginia University College of Law

J.D. West Virginia University College of Law
M.S. State University of New York
B.S. West Virginia University

Memberships

Successful completion of Pipeline Emergency Response Course focusing on incident planning and communication (2018)
Maine State Bar Association
Colorado Energy Coalition
The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
Advisory Committee, Institute for Energy Law
Western Energy Alliance
Women in Energy
Denver Petroleum Club
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Adjunct Professor, West Virginia University College of Law
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

Achievements

The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2018-Present)
Who’s Who In Energy
Top Women in Energy selected by the Denver Business Journal and Women in Energy
Super Lawyers®, Energy & Natural Resources Law, Business Litigation Law, Eminent Domain Law, Denver, CO (2013)

Speaking Engagements

“Surface Use in the Age of Horizontal Drilling,” North Dakota Law Review (2013)
“Surface Use in the Age of Horizontal Drilling,” North Dakota Energy Symposium (2013)
“Surface Use in the Age of Horizontal Drilling,” Texas Wesleyan Law Review Energy Symposium (2013)
“Shareholders’ Preemptive Rights,” West Virginia Law Review
“Litigating Title Disputes,” AAPL
Litigation Updates, Steptoe & Johnson Second Annual Appalachian Oil & Gas Roundtable – Shaping the Law We Need

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