Co-leader of McGuireWoods’ Energy Industry Team, Jonathan is a problem-solving litigator and trial lawyer who represents clients in wind, solar, biomass and mineral rights matters.
Handling disputes over royalties, transportation, construction, consumer protection, antitrust, fraud and other complex issues, Jonathan has tried dozens of bench and jury trials in district, circuit and federal courts, as well as in AAA arbitrations. He has been reported in cases in the Virginia Supreme Court, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he has litigated cases in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and Virginia.
Jonathan is an American College of Trial Lawyers Fellow, former chair of McGuireWoods’ Business and Securities Litigation Department, former office managing partner of the firm’s Charlottesville office and a former co-chair of the firm’s oil and gas team.
Chambers USA, Legal 500 United States, The Best Lawyers in America and Virginia Business recognize Jonathan as a leading attorney in energy litigation and general commercial litigation. In 2023, The National Law Journal named Jonathan a General Litigation Trailblazer for his groundbreaking work to end Virginia’s system of automatically suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay court fines and costs.
While earning his law degree from the University of Virginia, Jonathan was honored as a member of the Raven and IMP Societies.
Experience
- Counsel in multiple royalty gas and related class action litigation in the Appalachian Basin.
- Counsel in multiple mineral rights litigation associated with natural gas in the Appalachian Basin.
- Counsel on a AAA multiday breach of contract cogeneration arbitration involving multimillion-dollar cross claims.
- Counsel on a AAA multiweek energy power plant construction arbitration involving multimillion-dollar cross claims.
- Counsel on a Virginia Circuit Court waste injunction action for energy sector client.
- Counsel on a Virginia Circuit Court multiday quiet title bench trial.
- Counsel on Virginia Circuit Court cases involving corporate dissolution.
- Counsel on a U.S. Department of Justice investigation regarding accounting issues related to revenue collection involving interviews of hundreds of employees, and collection of millions of pages of hard and electronic documents.
Events
- Speaker, 11th Annual Coal Industry Briefing, September 19, 2012
- Lecturer, "Navigating New EPA Rules, Lease Negotiations, Environmental Issues and Other Legal Challenges," Hydraulic Fracturing Litigation, Enforcement and Regulatory Developments, Strafford Publications Webinar, June 12, 2012
- Lecturer, "the Corporate/LLC Veil: The Pursuit and Defense of Shareholders' Individual Assets," Virginia Continuing Legal Education Seminar, August 4, 2011
- Speaker, Virginia Holocaust Museum Fundraiser, May 2, 2007
Insights
- Author, Interesting — Texas Court Rules Unpaid Royalty Payments not Subject to Compound Interest, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, September 9, 2024
- Author, Royalty Class Actions: The Rise of Class Certification and Defenses to Avoid It, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 8, 2024
- Author, 11 Key Elements of New EPA Rule Regulating Methane and VOC Emissions, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, TSA Strengthens Cybersecurity Monitoring for “Critical” Pipelines and LNG Facilities, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, Compliance Deadlines Approaching: Pipeline Safety Mega Rule, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, Ownership of Pore Space and Its Relation to Surface Estate, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, Federal Court Upholds Pennsylvania Act 85, Says Cross-Unit Well Didn’t Breach Lease Agreement, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, Federal Court Denies Attempt to Enjoin Appeal Before Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, Texas Appellate Court: Water Created During Fracking Is Oil and Gas Waste, Not Water, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 21, 2024
- Author, First Court of Appeals Dismisses Winter Storm Uri Claims Against Wholesale Power Generators, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, December 15, 2023
- Author, Old Wells: A New Frontier for Crypto-Mining and Complaints, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 26, 2023
- Author, Education Department to Hold Owners, Individuals, Board Members Liable for Higher Education Institutions, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, March 2, 2023
- Author, Winter Storm Uri Qualifies as Force Majeure, Even When Performance Was Not “Impossible”, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 20, 2023
- Author, Department of Education to Hold Owners and Investors Liable for College and University Liabilities, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 18, 2022
- Author, "Broadband Internet is the new Electricity," InterGlobix Magazine, April 2021
- Author, "Energy, Environment and The Edge–The Decentralized Future of the Data Center," InterGlobix Magazine, December 2020
- Co-author, The Tale of the Tee: Be Kind and Just Believe, August 6, 2020
- Author, "The Risk and Uncertainty of Current Times," InterGlobix Magazine, July 31, 2020
- Author, Third Circuit Confirms Right to Immediate Possession in Federal Condemnation Actions, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, November 2, 2018
- Author, PA Court: Rule of Capture Does Not Apply to Hydraulic Fracturing, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 9, 2018
- Author, Appeals Court Thwarts Trump Effort to Stall Implementation of Methane Rules, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 7, 2017
- Author, Oklahoma Federal Court Denies Injunctive Relief in Wind Farm Nuisance Suit, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, October 26, 2016
- Author, District Court Strikes Down Controversial BLM Fracking Rule, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 22, 2016
- Author, Ohio Supreme Court: Form Oil and Gas Lease Not Void as Against Public Policy, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, January 29, 2016
- Author, Fourth Circuit Joins Courts in Pennsylvania and Ohio in Holding that Dual Purpose Oil and Gas Lease Is Not Severable, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, January 6, 2016
- Author, Pennsylvania Superior Court Affirms Striking of 24-Year-Old Default Judgment, and Holds That Leasing Is Not Enough to Claim Subsurface Rights by Adverse Possession, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, November 12, 2015
- Author, Pennsylvania Court: Using Property for Gas Storage Holds Production Rights Under “Dual Purpose” Leases, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 28, 2015
- Author, Ohio Supreme Court Invalidates Local Oil and Gas Regulation, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 26, 2015
- Author, Pa. Supreme Court Denies Equitable Tolling of Oil and Gas Lease’s Primary Term, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 24, 2015
- Author, Pennsylvania Superior Court: Storage Activities Hold Production Rights Under “Dual Purpose” Lease, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 23, 2015
- Author, Pennsylvania Court Enforces Change of Ownership Clause, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, October 8, 2014
- Author, Ohio Appellate Court Holds That Oil and Gas Leases Mean What They Say, and Rejects Public Policy Arguments, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, October 1, 2014
- Author, Fourth Circuit Vacates Gas Royalties Class Certification on Ascertainability and Dukes Commonality Analysis, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 20, 2014
- Author, Pennsylvania Court Holds Coal Severance Deeds Waive Pipeline Company’s Right to Support, Recover Damages, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 31, 2014
- Author, Pennsylvania Trial Court Confirms Non-Severable Nature of “Dual-Purpose” Oil and Gas Production and Storage Leases, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 30, 2014
- Author, After Delay, EPA Issues Diesel Fracking Guidance, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 13, 2014
- Author, A First Take on Robinson Township v. Commonwealth: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Sweeping Ruling Invalidates Act 13’s Statewide Oil and Gas Development Land Use Regime and Heralds a New Era in Pennsylvania Environmental Litigation, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, December 24, 2013
- Author, Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules that Withheld Royalty Payments Could Not Void Oil and Gas Lease, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, October 11, 2013
- Author, EPA Reaches Landmark Settlement with XTO Energy on Hydraulic Fracturing-Related Wastewater Discharges, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 22, 2013
- Author, Pennsylvania Legislature Approves Pooling and Royalty Transparency Bill, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 5, 2013
- Author, Ohio Appellate Court Holds That the Exercise of Storage Rights Maintains Production Rights Under “Dual-Purpose” Leases, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 3, 2013
- Author, Pennsylvania Superior Court Upholds Dismissal of Lease Challenge Complaint Seeking to Impose Duty on Lessors to Develop Marcellus Shale, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 27, 2013
- Author, Defective Acknowledgement Does Not Invalidate Oil and Gas Lease According to Ohio Courts, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 6, 2013
- Author, Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Butler Decision Affirms Well-Settled Law That Grant or Exception of “Minerals” Does Not Include Oil and Gas, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 25, 2013
- Author, West Virginia Judge Recognizes Trespass by Hydraulic Fracturing, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 23, 2013
- Author, Shale Development Rights Issue Certified to West Virginia Supreme Court, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 8, 2013
- Author, Pennsylvania Pollock Royalty Gas Class Action Decision Interprets Kilmer, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, January 29, 2013
- Author, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Strikes Down Uniform Statewide Rules on Shale Gas Facility Siting, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 30, 2012
- Author, North Carolina Enacts Hydraulic Fracturing Law over Governor’s Veto, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 5, 2012
- Co-author, "Battle Lines Form Over Hydraulic ‘Fracking’," The National Law Journal, October 24, 2011
- Author, Butler v. Powers: Pennsylvania Superior Court Opens the Door to Revisit the “Dunham Rule” for Marcellus Shale, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, September 19, 2011
- Author, West Virginia’s City of Morgantown Hydraulic Fracturing Ban Overturned, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 15, 2011
- Author, Water Issues in Pennsylvania, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 4, 2011
- Author, Hydraulic Fracturing Cases in Arkansas Seeking Class Action Status, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 28, 2011
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2009-2026; Litigation – Securities, 2026
- Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, Litigation: General Commercial, Virginia, Chambers USA, 2021-2025
- Selected for Inclusion in “Virginia’s Legal Elite,” Civil Litigation, Virginia Business, 2004-2009, 2017, 2020, 2022-2024
- Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Securities Litigation: Defense, 2021; General Commercial Disputes, 2021, 2023-2025; Energy litigation: oil and gas, 2024, 2025
- Named to “Virginia Super Lawyers,” Energy and Natural Resources, Business Litigation, Construction Litigation, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2007-2025
- Named a “General Litigation Trailblazer,” The National Law Journal, 2023
- Selected for inclusion as a “Leading Lawyer,” Energy Litigation: Oil And Gas, Virginia, Legal 500 US, 2017-2018
- Selected for inclusion in “Client Service All Stars,” Energy Litigation, BTI Consulting Group, 2013
- AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell