W. Ray Whitman
W. Ray Whitman is Group Chair of BakerHostetler’s national Litigation Group. He is also a member of the firm’s Policy Committee, the firm’s governing body. Mr. Whitman graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in geophysics. Upon graduation, he began work in the oil and gas industry as an exploration geophysicist and gained extensive experience in oil and gas exploration, seismic acquisition and drilling and production practices.
Marty Booher
Marty Booher is a member of BakerHostetler’s Environmental Group and practices within the renewable and clean energy, oil and gas, utilities, power and pipeline industries. He has significant experience representing and advising energy and manufacturing clients on a broad spectrum of complex compliance, transactional, remediation and project development matters throughout the United States and Latin America.
John English
John English has been involved in energy and environmental matters since 1972. He is experienced in handling matters that affect the sale and leasing of producing oil and gas properties, commercial real estate, industrial properties, refineries and manufacturing plants.
Ben L. Pfefferle III
Ben L. Pfefferle III is the National Chair of BakerHostetler’s Environmental and Energy Practice Team. His practice includes energy extraction, refining and production; environmental compliance; hazardous and toxic waste issues; Superfund litigation and private cost recovery; environmental permitting; and redevelopment, acquisition and divestiture of environmentally impaired commercial and industrial property. As a core member of the firm’s Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays Team, Mr. Pfefferle is at the forefront of the rapidly growing natural gas and oil industry in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York.
Jack Bjerke
Mr. Bjerke corporate practice, he has more than 40 years of experience working with companies in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Bjerke has represented and currently represents many Ohio producers, as well as others, involved in the oil and gas business. In particular, he represents clients in matters involving their interests in the Ohio Utica Shale Play. Mr. Bjerke assists these clients with a variety of transactional matters, including the negotiation of oil and gas leases, farmout agreements, operating agreements, the sale of deep rights and other assets, the acquisition oil and gas leases, joint venture agreements for the drilling of wells and bank financing.
Dan Gunsett
Dan Gunsett serves as general counsel for two electric cooperatives (1985 to present and 2009 to present) and general counsel for an integrated energy cooperative (2001 to present). For a number of years preceding a consolidation of airports, he served as general counsel for a port authority which operated a major airport facility in Columbus, Ohio, and developed major real estate resources for the airport. Mr. Gunsett has been a member of the Board of Directors of Greif, Inc. (NYSE-GEF) since 1996 and served on several Board committees. He also headed the firmwide Energy and Environmental Practice Team at BakerHostetler for many years.
Paul Enockson
Paul Enockson has a wide variety of business litigation experience, including siginificant experience litigating cases relating to the oil and gas industry. His practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, as well as the defense of ERISA claims. He has litigated a broad range of cases, including breach of fiduciary duty, complex contract disputes, conservation easement disputes, oil and gas disputes, product liability and qui tam/False Claims Act cases. Paul has experience in the oil and gas industry and is familiar with the fracking issues facing the industry.
Lori Herf
Lori Herf is a legislative advocate who counsels and represents clients in matters related to state government affairs including tax and budget issues, ethics, healthcare, workers’ compensation, financial services, utilities, employment and environmental law. She has been instrumental in introducing and passing legislation on municipal and trustee investment, title recognition of therapists and nursing duties.
Rob Shearer
Rob Shearer is a transactional partner residing in BakerHostetler’s Houston office. He concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and corporate governance matters. Mr. Shearer has extensive experience representing public and private companies in domestic and cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, mergers and joint venture formation. He regularly represents public companies in strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, energy services, healthcare and transportation.