Solutions Letter
  An update from Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell                   SPRING 2013
 FROM OUR  BLOG                                                       Solutions@Law  

WATCH OUT FOR BROKERS ASKING

YOU TO ASSIGN YOUR LEASE RIGHTS

 

Alan Wenger

By Alan D. Wenger

 

We are hearing of at least one broker soliciting area lessors who have "held by production" leases, touting a negotiating group forming to seek better lessor financial terms in return for allowing the lessee larger unit sizes. The broker is asking the lessors to actually assign lease rights to the broker. Read the full blog post here.

PROTECTING THE CASTLE: OHIO EXPANDS
EXEMPTION ON PERSONAL RESIDENCE

 

Coombs By Frederick S. Coombs III

 

A new state law may render a judgment lien on a debtor's home an ineffective means of collecting a judgment. It may also make creditors less willing to extend credit. With legislation that took effect last month, the value of one's personal residence that may be held exempt from execution in Ohio increased dramatically, from $20,200 per person to $125,000 per person. Read the full blog post here.

YOUNGSTOWN CHARTER AMENDMENT 

WOULD WORK AGAINST LANDOWNERS

 

By Alan D. Wenger

 

A proposed Youngstown charter amendment up for a vote on May 7 would jeopardize the benefits northeastern Ohio has begun to enjoy with the rise of oil and gas development. Read the full blog post here. 

 NEWS ITEMS

HHM, WENGER ADVANCE LEADERSHIP
ON OIL & GAS LANDOWNER MATTERS 

 

Wenger on WFMJ TV
Alan Wenger at Coalition news conference.

ALAN D. WENGER was among the speakers last Friday at a news conference to introduce the Mahoning Valley Coalition for Job Growth and Investment, which is opposing a ballot issue that would ban oil and gas development in the City of Youngstown. Wenger said the proposed law, up for a vote in the May 7 election, would outlaw activities through which city landowners have been receiving royalty income for decades. Wenger's comments were covered in news stories by the Vindicator, Tribune and WFMJ-TV. Meanwhile, Wenger will speak on oil and gas lease terms from a landowner's perspective in Columbus on Monday, April 15, as part of a conference sponsored by the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation, a national organization. Wenger also spoke recently to the Youngstown Optimist Club on oil and gas matters and has been quoted in several recent media reports on the subject, including this segment on WCPN, a Cleveland public radio station. Wenger, chair of HHM's oil and gas law practice group, can be reached at 330.744.1111 or by email.

James Blomstrom

PORT AUTHORITY SEEKS RULING
TO DEFINE ITS MINERAL RIGHTS

 

JAMES L. BLOMSTROM represents the Western Reserve Port Authority, operators of the Youngstown Warren Regional Airport, in legal action to clarify the port's mineral rights. The port is a party to older oil and gas leases that are not productive and is exploring whether it can abandon them to pursue better leases. Read more in this Tribune article quoting Blomstrom. 

Abruzzino HHM WELCOMES VITO ABRUZZINO 

VITO J. ABRUZZINO recently joined HHM as a lawyer in the Salem office. Previously, he spent nearly five years with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps as a prosecutor, defense counsel and legal advisor. His practice with HHM will focus on litigation, estate planning, business transactions and service to veterans. Read more.
Millich MILLICH SPEAKS ON OBAMACARE

GEORGE P. MILLICH JR. spoke at two recent forums and is scheduled to address two more on the Affordable Health Care Act, known widely as "Obamacare." Organizers of the first two events were Huntington Insurance and the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce. Millich will address the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday and the Mahoning Valley Accounting Society next Tuesday. Millich continues to advise clients on issues related to the landmark legislation. He can be reached at 330.744.1111 or by email.

Pogue POGUE TO SPEAK ON TRUST LAW

JOHN L. POGUE will speak about new Ohio trust laws at a seminar sponsored next month by Akron Children's Hospital. The seminar, designed for trust lawyers, covers changes in the ways trust documents can be modified. Information on trust administration and estate planning is available from Pogue at 330.392.1541 or by email.

DUTTON ADDRESSES ETHICS

 

PAUL M. DUTTON presented an educational seminar recently to members of the Western Reserve Association of Health Underwriters. Titled "Ethical Practices in Health Insurance," the session fulfilled insurance professionals' requirement for continuing education on ethics. Dutton advises clients on insurance matters, succession planning, business transactions and a range of other matters. He can be reached at 330.744.1111 or by email. 

BLOMSTROM, COOMBS ON SUPER LIST


HHM attorneys JAMES L. BLOMSTROM and FREDERICK S. COOMBS III have been listed yet again on the Ohio Super Lawyers list. The distinction, based on ratings by peer lawyers, is granted to less than 5 percent of the Buckeye State's attorneys. Blomstrom, a civil litigator, has been on the list in each of its 10 years. Coombs, who practices creditors rights and bankruptcy law, was named to the list for the fourth straight year. 

 HHM LAWYERS IN THE COMMUNITY

HHM TO MATCH WYSU-FM DONATIONS 

DURING DRIVE TIME THURSDAY, APRIL 25

 

WYSU Logo Donations pledged to WYSU-FM from 6 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, will be matched by Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, again a major supporter of the public radio station's Spring campaign. The contributions will be matched up to a total of $750. HHM is a year-round, five-day-a-week WYSU underwriter, sponsoring the "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" news programs. 

William Hawley HAWLEY VICE CHAIR OF Y BOARD

 

WILLIAM L. HAWLEY was recently elected this year's vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Trumbull County YMCA. Hawley has been a board member for nine years and has been a member of the Y for more than 20 years. He exercises at the downtown center during the lunch hour. 

Schor SCHOR ON CONTINUING ED PANEL


NEIL D. SCHOR has been appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court's Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The 19-member commission oversees the accreditation of continuing legal education programs for lawyers and judges. 

HHM BACKS COMMUNITY EVENTS, CAUSES 

 

Salem Poster
   Click to view a larger image of this Salem poster.

HHM is among the sponsors of this folk art-style poster in the Salem area. Developed by Ogden Newspapers, publishers of the Salem News, the poster is being distributed free of charge by the newspaper and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce. Other recent events and causes sponsored by HHM and its lawyers and staff include the following:

  • Night at the Races at St. Mary Parish in Warren in January.
  • The Hearts & Stars Ball, a fundraiser for the Charitable Foundation for Salem Community Hospital, in February.
  • The Trumbull County YMCA donor recognition dinner, held in Warren in March.
  • The Ohio State Speech League 2013 speech and debate tournament, held in Canfield in March.
  • Women's Night Out, a benefit for the Salem Community Center, in March.
  • The Columbiana County Classic all-star basketball game in Lisbon in March.
  • Leadership Mahoning Valley's Justice Day, held in Youngstown in March.

HHM Logo

The Solutions Letter is published by Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell. 

Comments can be directed to any of our practice group chairs:
  • Alan D. Wenger, Oil & Gas, 330.744.1111 or by email.
  • William L. Hawley, Litigation, 330.392.1541 or by email.
  • Neil D. Schor, Public Sector, 330.744.1111 or by email.
  • Frederick S. Coombs III, Creditors Rights & Bankruptcy, 330.744.1111 or by email.
  • Alan D. Wenger, Business & Employment, 330.744.1111 or by email.
  • Neil H. Maxwell, Estate Planning & Probate, 330.744.1111 or by email.