Jeff Trotter

Jeff Trotter advises domestic and international upstream and midstream companies with operations across the United States and Canada. His energy and natural resources practice spans exploration and production, carbon capture and sequestration (CCUS), carbon reduction and mitigation, midstream pipelines, and natural gas storage. He counsels on acquisitions and financing, permitting, taxation and other regulatory issues, and contracts and contract disputes. His work also includes title disputes, title examinations and division order title opinions.

Jeff has experience with exploration and seismic ventures and the acquisition and divestiture of upstream and midstream assets. He has worked on the development and implementation of exploration and production facilities, gas storage facilities and solar energy projects, as well as energy project financing. Chambers USA ranks him Band 1 for Energy & Natural Resources Law in Mississippi.

Alongside his energy work, Jeff maintains a litigation practice. He has successfully litigated matters in state and federal courts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and North Dakota. Those cases have involved oil and gas exploration and production, environmental issues, banking, eminent domain, religion, commercial contracts, education, labor and employment, premises liability, personal injury and wrongful death. He has also successfully argued appeals before the Mississippi Supreme Court and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Successfully defended international oil and gas operator of Williston Basin, ND, leasehold against claims to reform sale of vertically severed leasehold and against claims of wellbore trespass, trespass by frac, conversion and negligence. Successfully defended same client before the North Dakota Industrial Commission against pooled unit owner’s attempt to have NDIC allocate it a large share in hundreds of millions of dollars of operator’s production.
• Successfully defended and resolved multiple sales and use tax assessments against oil and gas well operators by state taxing authorities.
• Successfully obtained summary judgment for natural gas odorant manufacturer in products liability case arising from home explosion, death and serious injuries to occupants. Elliott v. El Paso Corp. 181 So.3d 263 (Miss. 2015).
• Served as Mississippi counsel for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art salt dome cavern natural gas storage facility in Smith County, Mississippi, consisting of two commercially operational caverns with a third cavern under development.
• Served as Mississippi counsel for development and implementation of natural gas storage facility in Monroe County, Mississippi, handling all state regulatory, environmental, financing, and contractual aspects as well as landowner contracts, rights of way, and eminent domain litigation related to the project.
• Successfully obtained condemnation confirmation and injunctive relief order from a state court of eminent domain against multiple property owners allowing a natural gas storage company to inject and store natural gas before the statutorily mandated fair value compensation hearing. Davidson v. Tarpon Whitetail Gas Storage LLC, 90 So.3d 691 (Miss. App. 2012).
• Successfully obtained dismissal of claims against Mississippi High School Activities Association alleging violation of due process rights arising under Individual with Disabilities Education Act. Newsome v. MHSAA et al, 2008 WL 2686579 (N.D.Miss.); aff’d 2009 WL 1706488 (C.A.5 (Miss.).
• Successfully obtained dismissal of claims against a regional bank asserted by multiple contractors/subcontractors in construction payment dispute. United Plumbing & Heating et al v. AmSouth Bank, 2009 WL 2152326, Miss.App., July 21, 2009.
• Served as lead Mississippi trial counsel in successful defense of hundreds of oilfield asbestos exposure lawsuits. Successfully obtained reversal and remand of $15.2 million dollar personal injury verdict. Phillips 66 Co. v. Lofton, 94 So.3d 1051 (Miss. 2012).
• Successfully resolved claims of clergy misconduct against religious institutions.

• University of Mississippi School of Law, J.D. | 1993
• Mississippi State University, B.S. | 1985

Bar Admissions

• Alabama
• Mississippi

• Chambers USA - Recognized Practitioner in Energy & Natural Resources: Mississippi
• Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in Jackson - Oil and Gas Law, Energy Law
• Best Lawyers® - Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation - Environmental, Oil & Gas Law
• Mid-South Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) Energy and Natural Resources, Class Action/Mass Torts