Tom has more than 37 years of experience as a coal and energy lawyer with both substantial in-house and private practice experience representing public and private operating and land holding companies. He is skilled in all legal and business matters pertaining to the coal industry, including transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate record keeping and compliance, coal sales, mine safety and health, including supervisory training, and lease, sublease, operating and contract mining agreements. He is also experienced with oil and gas leasing matters including Marcellus and Utica Shale leasing and project development matters. He is an experienced arbitrator and mediator for coal and commercial disputes. Tom also has significant in-house coal industry experience having served in a corporate counsel role with Carbon Industries/Carbon Fuel Company; and with Westmoreland Coal Company.  With Westmoreland he held various positions which included assistant general counsel for the company’s West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky operations; secretary and general counsel for Westmoreland Coal Sales Company; and director of Employee and Media Relations for the West Virginia and Virginia operations.

In recent years, Tom has represented a coal company in a little more than $750 million of coal operations/properties acquisitions and an oil and gas client in a $140 million transaction.

Bar Admissions

West Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia

Education

• West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., 1981)
  • Order of the Coif
  • Law Review
• West Virginia University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1978)
  • Mathematics
  • Pi Mu Epsilon

• Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell
• Best Lawyers^©  (2007 - present)
  • “Lawyer of the Year” in Morgantown for Mining Law (2013)
  • "Lawyer of the Year" in Morgantown for Energy Law (2019)
  • "Lawyer of the Year" in Morgantown for Natural Resources Law (2020)
  • Energy, Mining and Natural Resources Law (2021-2024)
• Chambers USA^®: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Natural Resources

• American Bar Association
• West Virginia State Bar
• WVU Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Board of Directors, vice chairman
• The Foundation for Mon General Hospital, Board of Directors
• Compass Women's Center Ministry, Morgantown Advisory Committee 
• Energy and Mineral Law Foundation, past trustee
• West Virginia Coal Association
• Chestnut Ridge Community Church, board member