Marsha K. Hudkins

Biography

Marsha Hudkins pursued a law career after spending several years hiring lawyers in her management capacity at a non-profit organization. The qualities she admired in those lawyers were competence, diligence, and professionalism. Marsha strives to achieve those ideals to help business and energy clients. Shortly after joining the firm, Marsha was quickly drawn to real estate, first focusing on a class action claiming surface and medical damages pursuant to industrial operations and then coal and coalbed methane title work which evolved into oil and gas title for the first oil and gas boom of the 2000’s.

Marsha continues her energy practice in the Appalachian Basin assisting clients with title issues and mitigating litigation challenges that arise from title disputes, particularly in the area of West Virginia mineral severances and tax deeds. Since joining Steptoe & Johnson, Marsha has drafted thousands of surface, coal, oil, and gas title opinions. She enjoys putting together the puzzle pieces of real estate ownership and investment.

Representative Experience

  • Facilitates residential mortgages by providing title examinations and insurance, resolving title defects, and providing closings for hundreds of transactions per year for Harrison, Marion, Taylor, Barbour, Upshur, Lewis, Doddridge, and Ritchie Counties, West Virginia property
  • Led initiative during COVID-19 to modify traditional closing procedures to a virtual model for use with loan closings
  • Drafted title opinion and assisted litigation team to overturn old tax deed for publicly traded oil and gas company (decision affirmed by WV Supreme Court of Appeals)
  • Managed, drafted closing documents, and closed deals for acquisitions of hundreds of leases and wells in North Central West Virginia
  • Obtained judicial order for a client to lease mineral interest of minor pursuant to West Virginia Statute on Lands of Infants
  • Advised client, and successfully enforced client’s right of way to use surface estate for ingress/egress for drilling operations
  • Member of due diligence team for large acquisition projects
  • Managed project to draft 300+ title opinions for joint operating venture
  • Engaged by a Texas law firm as an expert witness on West Virginia title issues for arbitration proceedings

Licensed In

  • West Virginia

Education

  • J.D. West Virginia University College of Law
  • M.P.A. West Virginia University
  • B.S. Fairmont State University

Memberships

  • Former board member, The Connecting Link, Inc.
  • Former member, National Association of Lease and Title Analysts
  • Co-chair, NALTA Education Committee 2012
  • Former board member, NALTA
  • Past President, GABALTA
  • Former GABALTA Liaison to NALTA
  • Chair, NALTA Vendor Fair 2010
  • Past member, Harrison County Chamber of Commerce
  • Past chair, Harrison County Chamber of Commerce Health Committee
  • Past member, Marion County Chamber of Commerce
  • Moot Court Board and National Moot Court Team, West Virginia University (2002)

Achievements

  • Pro Bono Award for Outstanding Public Service, Center for Law & Public Service
  • GABALTA Member of the Year 2011
  • NALTA Special Recognition Award 2011
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Energy Law (2024-Present)

Speaking Engagements

  • “Comparison of Oil and Gas Law: North Dakota and the Eastern States” NALTA
  • “Proper Execution of Documents” NALTA News
  • “West Virginia Tax Sales and Deed” and “West Virginia Missing Heirs Actions,” Antero Resources Corporation Training, 2013
  • “Abstracting Mineral Title,” MLB Chapter of American Association of Professional Landmen
  • “Obtaining Property Signatory to Transfer Interest in Real Estate,” AAPL Kentucky
  • “Obtaining Property Signatory to Transfer Interest in Real Estate,” NALTA
  • “West Virginia Circuit Court and Deed Interpretation,” West Virginia Record, The State Journal

Publications

  • Co-Editor, Energy Essentials, North Dakota Chapter

Related Services

Related News & Resources

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