Elizabeth A. Lake

Overview

Elizabeth Lake focuses her practice on commercial litigation matters including representing clients before state and federal district courts in business disputes ranging from real estate litigation, contract claims, and general civil and commercial litigation matters. Liz joins Eckert Seamans from a boutique real estate law firm where she litigated a variety of land use issues, including adverse possession claims, easement disputes, zoning appeals, and appeared before municipal boards on behalf of property owners. Liz started her career in West Virginia where she focused her practice in the area of energy litigation representing the interests of energy companies in state and federal court. While attending West Virginia University College of Law, Liz was an Executive Research Editor for the West Virginia Law Review.  She also served as a legal extern with the West Virginia University Office of General Counsel and competed in the Albert R. Mugel National Tax Moot Court Competition.

Representative Matters

• Represented drilling and production companies in state and federal court and obtained access injunctions to allow for the production of minerals, maintenance of oil and gas wells, and the installation of pipeline infrastructure.
• Represented several of the nation’s largest interstate natural gas pipelines in the exercise of eminent domain in federal court.
• Litigated land and title matters, including surface and mineral partition actions, missing heirs petitions, and summary proceedings.
• Represented national energy company and successfully set a flat-rate, and not a per-acre value, for the fair market value of fractional mineral interests in a mineral partition matter to avoid setting precedent in the county when client planned to purchase significant mineral acreage in said county.
• Co-managed team in the acquisition of over 100 mineral property interests to maintain energy client’s mineral production schedule.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of developer client in an appeal brought by an abutter appealing the approval of the developer’s subdivision plan.
• Successfully defended property management company and obtained dismissal of suit for breach of contract claim brought by condominium unit owner.
• Successfully defended condominium trust and defeated condominium unit owners’ request for injunctive relief to stop necessary repairs to condominium’s building envelope.
• Represented developers in claims for construction defect, negligent design and construction, breach of warranties, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duties, and Chapter 93A claims.