Mr. Eckley's primary area of practice is mineral, commercial and residential real estate law.

Bar Admissions

Admissions

• West Virginia State Bar
• Licensed Real Estate Agent (Inactive)

Education

• Rhodes College, B.A., 2004
• West Virginia University College of Law, J.D., 2007
• The Center for Real Estate Law at University of Illinois Chicago John Marshall Law School, LL.M. in Real Estate Law, 2008

Significant Accomplishments

Negotiating, preparing and interpreting purchase/sale agreements, leases, easements, licenses, rights-of-way, surface damage agreements and other land use agreements

Serving as counsel for the acquisition and development of two major shopping centers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia

Performing coal, oil and gas title examinations and preparing corresponding title opinions to assist a wide variety of clients in acquiring desired property rights, including large-scale title examination projects for natural resource and renewable energy companies

Represented the purchaser in one of the largest auto dealership acquisitions and refinances to occur in West Virginia

Counsel in the development, sale and/or financing of five different wind-powered electric generation facilities

Representing various clients in timber transactions totaling over 1 million acres

Serving as counsel on the long-term development and sale of a shale operator’s oil and gas development projects

Serving as counsel on an ongoing coalbed methane development and tax credit project

Working on numerous general commercial transactions, financings and contracts, including advising parties in secured lending transactions

Served as in-house counsel on loan at a publicly traded oil and gas company working on natural gas production, transportation and storage issues

Working on numerous pre-litigation and litigation cases related to contracts and real estate law

Representing clients in commercial and mineral real estate transactions, including an acquisition of approximately 130,000 mineral acres

Agent for First American Title Insurance Company, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company

Reported Cases

Cunningham Energy, LLC v. Kanawha County Board of Education, No. 20-0346 (W.Va. Supreme Court, March 23, 2021) (memorandum decision)

Seminars/ Presentation

Speaker at 33rd Annual Energy and Mineral Law Foundation Conference

Publications & Presentations

• Author, “Developing Jurisprudence in the Marcellus and Utica Shale,” Energy and Mineral Law Foundation Annual Institute, 2012
• Contributing author, “Innovative Approaches to Post-Mining Land Use Development,” Energy and Mineral Law Foundation Annual Institute, 2010
• Speaker at 33rd Annual Energy and Mineral Law Foundation Conference