Matthew W. Hutnick

Matthew W. Hutnick is a Member in Steptoe & Johnson PLLC’s Wheeling office whose practice focuses on energy and real estate matters. Before entering private practice, he spent ten years as in-house counsel for a diversified energy company with upstream and midstream oil and gas operations and coal interests. He advises on oil and gas, coal, coalbed methane, coal mine methane, carbon capture and sequestration, and related property issues, bringing an in-house understanding of how legal decisions affect operations and commercial objectives.

Hutnick earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his B.A. from Colgate University. His legal education, combined with a decade of in-house work, supports a transactional practice that requires close attention to contracts, property rights, regulatory approvals, project development, and commercial risk. His background helps him evaluate legal questions from both counsel and business perspectives, particularly when a transaction or property arrangement must fit the operational needs of an energy company.

Hutnick has handled acquisitions and divestitures involving surface, oil and gas, coalbed methane, coal mine methane, and coal assets. His experience includes leases, licenses, rights-of-way, easements, property disputes, joint ventures, environmental attributes, and regulatory approvals for horizontal wells. He has also worked on Marcellus and Utica joint ventures, methane mitigation credits, energy asset due diligence, carbon capture easements, multistate well approvals, and title issues affecting transactions or operations.

Matthew W. Hutnick brings extensive energy-industry experience to clients involved in transactions, development, and property matters. His time as in-house counsel gives him practical familiarity with the legal and operational pressures faced by companies managing significant assets and projects. He helps clients structure agreements, investigate title and property concerns, obtain needed approvals, and complete acquisitions or divestitures with attention to both legal requirements and business realities. His practice is particularly suited to matters where energy operations and real estate rights intersect.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
• Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
• Member, Ohio State Bar Association
• Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Member, The West Virginia State Bar
• Member, Leadership Wheeling (Class of 2012)

Licensed State

• New Jersey
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

Education

• University of Pittsburgh School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Colgate University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges