William G. Williams

Bill is a director with the law firm of Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A. and serves on the firm’s Marketing Committee.

Professional Experience:

• Has represented oil and gas producer and service companies, real estate developers, public colleges, manufacturers, direct marketing companies, mineral owners, other businesses and industries, in both general corporate and commercial litigation matters 
• Has represented dozens of Ohio producers having 20 to 1600 wells for more than 32 years involving every type of transaction from litigation, corporate, acquisitions, disposal wells, assignments, due diligence, title opinions, transportation contracts, etc.
• Has represented out of state oil & gas public corporations
• Represented for 10 years a NYSE oil and gas corporation with over 8,000 wells
• Represented 10 Ohio groups of lessors since 2010 for oil/gas leasing involving over 2,500 clients
• Continues to assist mineral owners in leasing and selling oil and gas rights
• Successfully defended and prosecuted breach of contract actions, non-competition claims, oil and gas securities, breach of lease and unitization issues including mandatory pooling and slander of title actions 
• Initiated various lawsuits and arbitrations for declaratory judgments, underpayment of royalties,  Dormant Mineral Act, oil and gas lease breaches and enforcement of contractual obligations including operating agreeements, farm-outs, purchase contracts, etc.
• Is serving as appointed special counsel for the Ohio Attorney General since 2004 for public colleges
• Experienced in federal and state court civil commercial causes of action
• Real Estate Title insurance agent, 1985-2012

Education:

• Franciscan University of Steubenville, B.A., 1972
• Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D., 1975

Notable Presentations and Publications:

• "Oil and Gas Leasing In Ohio" (2012) - Stark County Bar Association
• "Silencing Noisy Titles In Ohio's Utica Shale" (2013) - Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
• "Oil and Gas Update:  Leasing and Litigation" (2013) - Ohio Society of CPAs
• 18th Annual (2014) White-Williams Bankruptcy Institute – Oil & Gas Legal Assets
• 5th Law of Shale Plays Conference - Institute of Energy Law (2014)
• "Oil and Gas Legal and Economic Update" (2014) - Northeast Ohio Regional Estate Planners Forum
• "Surviving in a Downturn: An Examination of Legal and Economic Alternatives" (June, 2016) Ohio Oil and Gas Association Bulletin 

Courts and Bar Associations:

• Ohio, 1975 - present:  active
• Pennsylvania licensed initially 1985, current status: retired
• Ohio Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth District
• U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio
• Ohio State Bar Association, serving on the Natural Resources Law and Environmental Law Committees, 1986-present

Professional and Community Affiliations:

• Legal Counsel: Better Business Bureau Canton Region, 1994-2012, again 2015 - present
• First Executive Director (1982-1985), current member, Trustee at Large and past speaker: Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
• Former Member & Secretary:  State of Ohio Oil and Gas Board of Review (NKA Oil and Gas Commission) 1986-1992
• Member: Ohio Oil and Gas Association, 1986-present
• Former Member:  Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, 2014
• Member: Stark County Bar Association, served as Chairman of the Real Estate Law Committee, 1994-2005
• Oil and Gas Advisory Council: Stark State College
• Former Board of Directors (10 years) and former Secretary: Stark State College Foundation
• Member: Walsh University Advisory Board
• Member: Greater Canton Chamber of Commerce
• Former President and past Director: Canton Palace Theatre Association
• Former President and Board of Directors: Downtown Canton Association
• Former Member and Chairman: Board of Zoning Appeals, Plain Township, 1986-1992

Honors & Awards:

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America®, 2007-current
• Listed in Ohio Super Lawyers®, 2006-current
  • The only Ohio attorney simultaneously listed for the past 10 consecutive years on both above lists for Oil and Gas/Natural Resources Law
• AV® Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
• Top Rated Lawyer in Commercial Litigation by American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell, 2013
• Maintains a “10.0 Superb” rating by AVVO
  • Rated #1 in AVVO for Ohio Oil & Gas Attorneys