Thomas S. West

Practice areas

Energy & Natural Resources, Environmental, Business/Corporate, General Litigation, Business Litigation, Environmental Litigation

Thomas S. West, the founder and managing partner of The West Firm, PLLC, has garnered recognition for his exceptional achievements in the realms of oil and gas and environmental law. He has earned acclaim from esteemed entities such as Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Top Lawyers, and Strathmore’s Who’s Who. In 2009, Upstate Super Lawyers magazine featured him, and in 2010, he was honored as the Professional of the Year by Strathmore’s Who’s Who in the field of environmental law. At The West Firm, Tom serves as legal counsel to clients operating in the oil and gas sector, offering expertise on a wide spectrum of matters encompassing legislation, compulsory integration, administrative adjudication, civil litigation, investigations initiated by the New York Attorney General’s office, and even criminal defense. In 2010, he and his firm initiated a title practice in both New York and Pennsylvania, actively engaging in the preparation of title opinions for the oil and gas industry in these states.

With over three decades of legal practice in the oil and gas industry, Tom has been a pivotal figure in addressing industry-related concerns. He played a significant role in crafting legislation related to spacing and compulsory integration that brought about substantial changes to New York’s oil and gas program in 2005. He also spearheaded amendments to New York law in 2008 to accommodate the development of shale resources within the state, permitting spacing units of up to 640 acres and multiple wells on a common well pad. Since the passage of this legislation, Tom has actively participated in the environmental review process conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) for the preparation of a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (“SGEIS”) concerning high-volume hydraulic fracturing. His involvement extends to collaborating with industry stakeholders on their responses to DEC’s technical comments and advising clients on strategies for anticipated litigation challenging the SGEIS. Tom is also engaged in guiding multiple operators through the process of obtaining permits that align with the rigorous environmental standards set forth in the SGEIS. These projects include representing clients in road use agreements and water supply matters, including permitting before the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Delaware River Basin Commission.

Furthermore, Tom provides legal counsel to clients on state legislation and currently represents a major operator in matters pertaining to oil and gas issues before the New York State Legislature and the Governor’s office.

Tom frequently lends his expertise to address mineral lease interpretation issues for the industry, often involving representing operators in litigation and dispute resolution procedures. His representation extends to cases involving lease extensions, site access for seismic testing, site access for pipeline routing, trespass claims, top lease disputes, and ongoing litigation concerning force majeure lease extensions. Through the title practice, Tom and his firm offer integrated land services to operators, providing them with crucial title information for permitting purposes and ensuring that uncontrolled mineral interest owners are duly notified of their rights under the compulsory integration program. The firm also handles the preparation and dispatch of compulsory integration notices and represents operator interests during compulsory integration hearings. Tom has represented numerous operators in disputes referred to adjudication due to issues raised by uncontrolled owners at these hearings.

Tom has also represented clients in various pipeline certification and construction matters, actively participating in legislative efforts to streamline the pipeline certification process before the New York State Public Service Commission. He regularly advises clients on midstream strategies and transactions related to midstream development and has represented major interstate pipelines on environmental issues. Currently, he is working closely with a large interstate pipeline company to facilitate a streamlined review process before the United States Army Corps of Engineers.