John R. Seeds is a shareholder of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., resident in the Pittsburgh office, and serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Energy Group . Mr. Seeds advises several public and privately-held natural gas production companies concerning unit based title matters and leasehold acquisition, quick response transactional due diligence, division order title, and curative matters for acreage positions in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays throughout Appalachia. He routinely advises operators regarding Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act, Marketable Title Act, and other statutory regimes impacting oil and gas development in the Utica. Additionally, Mr. Seeds has represented several operators in Ohio state and federal courts defending leasehold interests in matters involving held-by-production/ operations challenges, royalty disputes, quiet-title, mortgage foreclosure, state and federal tax lien foreclosure, lease forfeiture, pipeline easement condemnation, and various contractual disputes with landowners. His litigation experience covers Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Before beginning his civilian career, Mr. Seeds served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer and judge advocate, defending service members charged with criminal offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California.
Professional Accomplishments
•Pennsylvania Super Lawyers - Rising Stars 2014-2018
Community
•Operation Homefront Ohio - Central Great Lakes office (former Board Member)
•Peters Township Boys Youth Lacrosse Association (Executive Board Member 2024-present; Volunteer Assistant Coach 2024-present)
Speaking Engagements
•“Handouts and Paybacks: Remedies for Payments Made to the Wrong Party” (Co-Presenter/Co-Author); Energy & Mineral Law Foundation Special Institute; Post-Corban; December 2016
•“Key Partner or Potential Adversary? The Bureau of Land Management’s Role in the Leasing and Development of the Wayne National Forest” (Co-Presenter); Ohio State Bar Association Oil and Gas Update; November 2016
•“Recent Decisions in Marcellus Shale Jurisprudence” (Presenter); 32nd Annual Energy & Mineral Law Foundation Institute; May 2011
Publications
•“Pa. High Court’s Oil and Gas Lease Ruling: An Industry Win” (Co-Author), Law360.com website, 4/5/2016
Articles
12/11/2020 Articles
Pennsylvania Superior Court Decides Follow-up Factual Matters on Remand of Briggs Case
12/2/2020 Articles
Ohio Supreme Court Decides West v. Bode, Holding that Both the Dormant Mineral Act and the Marketable Title Act May Apply to Severed Oil and Gas Interests
7/29/2019 Articles
Ohio Court of Appeals for the Fifth District Lowers the Bar on what Constitutes Reasonable Diligence under the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act
7/23/2019 Articles
Ohio Supreme Court Holds that Statute of Repose Covers Contract Actions in Certain Instances
2/8/2019 Articles
6th Circuit Affirms Constitutionality of Ohio’s Statutory Unitization Process
12/17/2018 Articles
Ohio Supreme Court Issues Opinion in Blackstone v. Moore - The First Cornerstone in the DMA v. MTA Supremacy Debate
12/10/2018 Articles
Year-End Recap on Briggs - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Decide Ancient “Rule of Capture” in Era of Extraction by Frac: Whose Milkshake Is It?
12/3/2018 Articles
Sharp v. Miller: Continued Refinement of the Notice Requirement Under Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act
6/11/2018 Articles
Commonwealth Court Reaffirms Status Quo - Distributed Antenna System Developers are Public Utilities
3/19/2018 Articles
Shilts v. Beardmore: Firming Up Notice Under Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act
12/15/2016 Articles
Anthony Jesko and John Seeds Present at the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation Special Institute
11/30/2016 Articles
How to Lease BLM land in the Wayne National Forest
Press Releases
5/24/2018 Press Releases
DMC’s 2018 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Selectees
1/1/2018 Press Releases
Ten New Shareholders Announced by Dickie McCamey
5/22/2017 Press Releases
Dickie McCamey Applauds Its Super Lawyer and Rising Star Selectees
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respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
