Lawrence D. Brudy & Associates Establishes Energy Clerkships

PITTSBURGH – Recognizing the growing need for legal skills in Pennsylvania’s expanding natural gas industry, Lawrence D. Brudy & Associates, Inc., has established an in-house clerkship program for law students interested in oil and gas law.

The program, created by Lawrence D. Brudy, president of the Wexford-based firm, provides second-year students at the Duquesne University School of Law with practical experience in performing research in practice areas involving the interplay of natural gas, oil, coal, mineral and real estate law, all under the supervision of the firm’s attorneys. The students, who are paid for their clerkships, do the research principally on weekends, after classes. Mr. Brudy created the program in conjunction with Duquesne, and also under the guidelines of the American Bar Association. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne, and also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s from Carnegie Mellon University.

This is a way of giving back to the profession,” said Mr. Brudy. “The hands-on experience in the setting of a law office, doing real legal work under attorney supervision, is an invaluable addition to classroom work and lectures. This is especially true in this field, given the intricacies of oil and gas law in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Brudy launched the program in the first semester of the 2013-14 school year, bringing in nine students. “Our law students continue to gain important practical experience in the oil and gas industry through the Brudy & Associates clerkships” said Maria Comas, Director of Career Services at Duquesne University School of Law.

“Before the Marcellus Shale boom started in the mid-2000s, the need for natural gas lawyers in Pennsylvania was comparatively small,” Mr. Brudy said. “That need has expanded rapidly, and Duquesne is among the education leaders working to meet it.

The Brudy program reflects the change not only in legal education but also in the firm’s practice. The firm formerly was engaged principally in residential and commercial real estate. But with the development in the Marcellus Shale gas industry, Brudy & Associates has expanded rapidly to meet the needs of clients, and now is comprised of lawyers licensed to practice in Ohio and West Virginia, as well as Pennsylvania, and also of paralegals, legal assistants, title examiners, title analysts and licensed title insurance agents.