Webb I. Vorys

Partner
Photo of Webb I. Vorys
Offices Columbus
Phone 614.464.6442
Fax 614.719.5015
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Webb is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the commercial and energy practice groups. He has extensive experience advising and assisting domestic and international clients with the structure, negotiation and documentation of purchases, sales, licenses and leases of personal and real property, including oil and gas, and matters involving most chapters of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC).  He also manages and works in the firm’s oil and gas title opinion practice, which focuses primarily on properties located in the Utica shale play.

Webb’s representation includes public and private manufacturers, energy companies and service providers.  He facilitates their general business needs, including business and asset acquisitions, sales and restructurings, governance, financing, and the formation and proper maintenance of different types of business entities.  He also has represented non-profits in projects related to governance, fundraising, board development and other organizational matters.

Career highlights include:

Webb is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. 

Webb is a frequent speaker regarding the purchase and sale of goods and services and issues relating to oil and gas development.  Most recently (2015) he was invited to speak at the Ohio Oil and Gas Law Conference regarding "Royalty vs. Mineral Reservations and Associated Issues."  Prior to that he was invited by the Ohio State Bar Association to speak across Ohio on “Creating Good Contracts – Experiences of a Contract Practitioner:  Contract Preparation and Formation.”

Webb received his J.D. from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law where he was a member and the executive editor of the Ohio State Law Journal and a recipient of the Denis B. Eastman Memorial Award in 1985 for outstanding service to the Journal.  He received his B.A. from Dartmouth College.

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  • 3/17/2021
    Supreme Court of Ohio Further Clarifies Exception Under the Marketable Title Act in Erickson v. Morrison
    On March 16, 2021, the Supreme Court of Ohio expanded upon its prior decision in Blackstone v. Moore, 2018-Ohio-4959, once again addressing the exception under the Marketable Title Act, 5301.47, et seq. (the MTA), found in R.C. 5301.49(A).
  • 3/11/2021
    The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Expected to Become Law
    On Wednesday, March 10th, the House passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the third major federal COVID-19 relief act following the CARES Act and the December 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act. President Biden is expected to sign it into law Friday.
  • 12/27/2020
    President Signs $900 Billion Economic Aid Package
    Late on December 27, the President signed a $900 billion relief package that will provide aid to individuals and businesses still struggling with the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Both the House and the Senate passed the proposal last week.
  • 12/21/2020
    Oil and Gas Alert: Supreme Court of Ohio Addresses Due Diligence Under the Dormant Mineral Act
    On December 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of Ohio addressed the surface owner’s due diligence obligations under the 2006 version of the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act (the 2006 DMA).
  • 12/2/2020
    Oil and Gas Alert: Supreme Court of Ohio Rules on Applicability of Ohio Marketable Title Act to Severed Mineral Interests
    On December 2, 2020, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that the Ohio Marketable Title Act (OMTA) applies to severed mineral interests despite the enactment of the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act (ODMA).
  • 3/23/2020
    Overview of Ohio Department of Health “Director’s Stay at Home Order”
    Ohio's "Stay Home Order" requires all persons in Ohio to stay at their place of residence except when engaged in certain defined “Essential Activities,” “Essential Governmental Functions,” or to participate in “Essential Businesses and Operations."
  • 3/22/2020
    Ohio Department of Health Director Issues "Stay at Home Order"
    Today, March 22, 2020, the Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, MD, MPH, issued a Director’s Stay at Home Order.
  • 3/21/2020
    DHS Issues Advisory “Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response” 
    On March 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published a memorandum regarding “essential critical infrastructure workers."
  • 12/14/2018
    Oil and Gas Alert: Supreme Court of Ohio Clarifies Ohio Marketable Title Act
    On December 13, 2018, the Supreme Court of Ohio clarified the preservation of interests under the Ohio Marketable Title Act (OMTA).
  • 9/26/2016
    Oil and Gas Alert: How to Successfully Comply with the Abandonment Procedure under the 2006 Ohio Dormant Mineral Act in the Wake of Corban v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., et al.
    On September 15, 2016, many oil and gas producers and surface owners of Ohio properties awoke to problematic news: the Supreme Court of Ohio, in Corban v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., et al., Slip Opinion No. 2016-Ohio-5796, held that the 1989 version of the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act (R.C. § 5301.56) (1989 DMA) was not self-executing (i.e., did not automatically abandon and vest dormant mineral interests in the surface owner of the property by operation of law).
  • 9/15/2016
    Oil and Gas Alert: Supreme Court of Ohio Issues Sweeping Decision Interpreting the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act - Holds That 1989 DMA is Not Self-Executing
    On September 15, 2016, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued numerous decisions concerning the application of the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act.
  • February 2014
    2013 Ohio Oil and Gas Law Review
    This past year proved active for Ohio’s oil and gas industry. We saw exploration and drilling operations increase substantially and migrate further south (there are currently 44 rigs operating in Ohio, and some operations have extended further south into Washington County). We also saw the first quarterly production report issued by the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management (“Division”), showing strong production results for the third quarter of the year (33.6 Bcf of natural gas and 1.33 MMbbls of oil). And we saw significant midstream infrastructure growth throughout the year, including the opening of the Momentum processing and fractionation plant and the opening – and temporary closing – of Dominion’s Natrium processing and fractionation plant right across the Ohio River near Natrium, W.Va.

    But the activity hasn’t been only on the operational side – there have been several substantial developments on the legal side of Ohio’s oil and gas industry as well. To assist our clients and friends, we have summarized a number of those developments.
  • February 2014
    2013 Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Law Review
    In 1878, the nation’s first commercial natural gas well was drilled in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Since then, oil and natural gas have played a vital role in Pennsylvania’s economy. Despite this history of oil and natural gas production, the Commonwealth has relatively little case law and legislative regulation to guide the industry. Due to the recent surge in production of Marcellus Shale gas, Pennsylvania’s production of natural gas increased by 72% from 2011 to 2012. According to a report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on December 17, 2013, Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing natural gas-producing state, and preliminary data suggests that Pennsylvania may have been the second-largest producer of natural gas in 2013. Not surprisingly, the current state of oil and gas law in Pennsylvania reflects the Commonwealth’s attempts to manage this rapid increase in natural gas production.

    The judiciary, legislature and regulatory agencies have attempted to balance the benefits of natural gas production against the concerns of the public. However, many issues remain unresolved. To assist our clients and friends in navigating this quickly developing area of the law, we have summarized a number of the important decisions and enactments of the past year.
  • 1991
    Foreclosure in Ohio
  • 1989
    Ohio Mortgage Foreclosures