Sara E. Fanning

Shareholder
Columbus
41 South High Street
Huntington Center, 21st Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
P 614.723.2097
F 614.463.9792
P 614.723.2097 | F 614.463.9792

Overview

Sara helps land and mineral rights owners successfully resolve oil and gas disputes, both in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. She has particular strengths with issues involving the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act and the Ohio Marketable Title Act. In addition, she has resolved a wide range of lease disputes and has extensive experience reviewing title, drafting title opinions, and performing title curative work for producers in the Marcellus and Utica Shale Formations.

Sara regularly negotiates oil and gas leases and pipeline rights-of-way on behalf of her individual and LLC clients. She understands the challenges and complexities of preserving and regaining mineral rights and is adept at examining deeds to quickly identify problems and determine how properties were conveyed and rights reserved.

Clients appreciate Sara’s creativity and know she will bring innovative solutions to defend their rights and promote their interests, as she did in Moore v. MonBel Unit 1, LLC. In that dispute, she obtained a summary judgment decision in favor of her clients that allowed them to void the sale of their lease royalty interest they had surrendered in exchange for a membership interest in what the court ruled to be an unregistered security interest.

Services

Industries

Education

  1. Capital University Law School, J.D.
  2. Butler University, B.A., Political Science

Credentials

Bar Admissions
  1. Ohio
Court Admissions
  1. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

Recognitions

  • Selected to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Real Estate Law (2021)

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations
  • The Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA)
  • The Ohio State Bar Association
  • The Columbus Bar Association

Insights

  1. Alerts
    Court of Appeals Issues Significant Mineral Trespass Opinion Upholding Multi-Million-Dollar Future Damages Award (Feb 14, 2023)
    Court of Appeals Rules That Oil and Gas Company Has Ongoing Obligation to Restore Property Despite General Release of Damages in Surface Use Agreement (May 6, 2022)
    What is “Reasonable Diligence” Under the DMA? The Ohio Supreme Court Offers More Guidance to Landowners (Apr 1, 2022)
    One Less Way for Ohio Landowners to Challenge Royalty Severances (Mar 7, 2022)
    Ohio Appellate Court Further Clarifies 'Reasonable Diligence' Standard Under the Dormant Mineral Act (Jan 31, 2022)
  2. Article
    What is “Reasonable Diligence” Under the DMA? The Ohio Supreme Court Offers More Guidance to Landowners - Harrison News-Herald (April 2022)
  3. Firm News
    Eight Roetzel Attorneys Promoted to Shareholder in 2021 (Jan 1, 2021)
    Eleven Roetzel & Andress Attorneys Selected to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Aug 20, 2020)
    Roetzel's Akron Office Adds 11 Attorneys (Jan 13, 2016)

Overview

Sara helps land and mineral rights owners successfully resolve oil and gas disputes, both in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. She has particular strengths with issues involving the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act and the Ohio Marketable Title Act. In addition, she has resolved a wide range of lease disputes and has extensive experience reviewing title, drafting title opinions, and performing title curative work for producers in the Marcellus and Utica Shale Formations.

Sara regularly negotiates oil and gas leases and pipeline rights-of-way on behalf of her individual and LLC clients. She understands the challenges and complexities of preserving and regaining mineral rights and is adept at examining deeds to quickly identify problems and determine how properties were conveyed and rights reserved.

Clients appreciate Sara’s creativity and know she will bring innovative solutions to defend their rights and promote their interests, as she did in Moore v. MonBel Unit 1, LLC. In that dispute, she obtained a summary judgment decision in favor of her clients that allowed them to void the sale of their lease royalty interest they had surrendered in exchange for a membership interest in what the court ruled to be an unregistered security interest.

Education

  1. Capital University Law School, J.D.
  2. Butler University, B.A., Political Science

Credentials

Bar Admissions
  1. Ohio
Court Admissions
  1. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

Recognitions

  • Selected to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Real Estate Law (2021)

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations
  • The Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA)
  • The Ohio State Bar Association
  • The Columbus Bar Association

Insights

  1. Alerts
    Court of Appeals Issues Significant Mineral Trespass Opinion Upholding Multi-Million-Dollar Future Damages Award (Feb 14, 2023)
    Court of Appeals Rules That Oil and Gas Company Has Ongoing Obligation to Restore Property Despite General Release of Damages in Surface Use Agreement (May 6, 2022)
    What is “Reasonable Diligence” Under the DMA? The Ohio Supreme Court Offers More Guidance to Landowners (Apr 1, 2022)
    One Less Way for Ohio Landowners to Challenge Royalty Severances (Mar 7, 2022)
    Ohio Appellate Court Further Clarifies 'Reasonable Diligence' Standard Under the Dormant Mineral Act (Jan 31, 2022)
  2. Article
    What is “Reasonable Diligence” Under the DMA? The Ohio Supreme Court Offers More Guidance to Landowners - Harrison News-Herald (April 2022)
  3. Firm News
    Eight Roetzel Attorneys Promoted to Shareholder in 2021 (Jan 1, 2021)
    Eleven Roetzel & Andress Attorneys Selected to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Aug 20, 2020)
    Roetzel's Akron Office Adds 11 Attorneys (Jan 13, 2016)