We Are Landowner Attorneys
Exclusively Representing, Defending, and Advocating for Landowners
We Fight for You
Does ODOT or a local government want to build a road through your property?
Is a public utility planning to build a pipeline or power line on your property?
Does an oil and gas company want to lease your land?
Has an energy company approached you about leasing your land for solar or wind power?
Is a cellular company looking to build a cell tower on your property?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then you need an experienced landowner attorney to guide you through the process, protect your property, and maximize the compensation you are paid.
You wouldn’t call an electrician for a burst pipe, or a podiatrist for a toothache. For the same reason, when it comes to protecting your property rights you shouldn’t call just any law firm. Call the firm that focuses its entire practice on representing landowners like you. At GBSK, we have answered the call and obtained excellent results for hundreds of landowners when government entities and private companies targeted their land.
Solutions Tailored to You
At GBSK, we are passionate about representing landowners. We work closely with you to understand what is unique about your property, how you use it, and your plans for future uses. We discuss how your land will be impacted by the transportation or energy project and what we can seek to do to address these impacts. Then, we use every method the law allows to help you achieve your objectives, protect you and your property, and maximize your compensation.
For some projects, such as roads, power lines, and most pipelines, governments and private companies have the power of eminent domain. “Eminent Domain” is a legal term that refers to the power to take private property and convert it to a public use. While the power of eminent domain grants the government or private company the ability to take you to court to acquire your land, you still have many important rights. You are entitled to monetary compensation for what is being taken and you can obtain better easement terms through negotiation. Whether it be through jury trial or out-of-court negotiation, we fight to protect your rights and to obtain the best outcome possible.
However, companies developing oil and gas, solar, wind, and cell tower projects do not have the power of eminent domain. This means that these companies cannot take your land for their project unless you reach a voluntary lease agreement (though there are certain exceptions for oil and gas unitization and mandatory pooling). Leasing your property for projects such as these can provide valuable benefits, but only if you obtain the necessary lease terms to protect your property rights.
Lastly, once a project is constructed on your property, it is essential that you be able to enforce the easement or lease terms that you have secured. We work diligently to enforce the protections and benefits contained in the easement and lease terms we obtain for our clients.
We Earn Your Trust
We work for landowner clients all across Ohio. Ask around and you will likely find someone in your area who knows about our work to protect property rights and maximize compensation. Here is what just a few of our clients have had to say about us:
“These guys were so overwhelmingly impressive by how far they were willing to go to help me. They restored my faith in lawyers.”
“Thank you for the excellent job you did with our group of landowners. You worked with speed and efficiency that resulted in maximum benefits from Encino Energy. You explained in detail and clarity all the items and sections in the oil and gas lease and answered any questions or concerns we had. I would highly recommend you.”
“They were extremely responsive to our unique difficulties with the Rover Pipeline going through our cow pasture and tree farm. We recommend their services highly!”
“We hired your firm to deal with the Rover pipeline when it came through our property. We were very pleased with our settlement and your firm was always available to answer our questions and concerns.”
“Could not ask for better representation on protecting our property rights and gaining fair compensation.”
“I wanted to make sure that when this pipeline project was finished the land was as good as it could be. Our attorneys worked very hard to make that happen.”
“We were always kept informed of any problems and the negotiation progress. Several phone calls from us were promptly returned with answers. We received much more money than expected with many provisions in the final contract that we did not even consider when we first started the negotiation.”
“I’m absolutely satisfied with the outcome. You need to retain legal experts to ensure you get a fair resolution with an issue like this.”
We Don’t Just Know the Law, We Teach Other Lawyers
In addition to practicing eminent domain law, our attorneys author the Ohio section of the American Bar Association’s treatise on eminent domain law. Click on one of the articles below or visit our “Learn the Law” section to learn more out about important legal issues impacting Ohio landowners.
