Industries

• Energy
  • Oil, Gas & Minerals
  • Renewables
• Finance
  • Regional & Community Banks

Practices

• Business & Commercial Litigation
• Real Estate

Biography

Tara Hopper Rice concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate and energy law with a focus on issues related to the development and purchase of oil, gas and other minerals; real estate valuation; and real estate transactions.

Tara counsels clients on issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing and well-specific activities, such as contract review, subsurface trespass, environmental concerns, and insurance disputes and is skilled in drafting and reviewing drilling, leasehold, coal, and division order opinions and analyzing complex leaseholds and fractionalized heirships. She has substantial experience with commercial and residential real estate transactions, regularly conducing closings and preparing subdivisions, and real estate/energy litigation, including handling property assessment appeals, boundary and surface use issues, recovery of royalty payments, and ownership and easement disputes.

Beyond real estate/energy services, Tara handles bankruptcy/workout matters, including representation of secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7, 11, and 13 proceedings, dischargeability issues, proof of claim filings, debt and payment negotiations, and fraudulent transfer and claim objections. She is the recipient of the ACBA Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section’s Gerald K. Gibson Memorial Award and American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence.

Tara also practices insurance defense litigation, focusing on cases involving real property damage; municipal law; and family law, handling divorce, custody, support and equitable distribution matters as well as disputes arising from prenuptial, marital, and postnuptial agreements. Additionally, she is also a certified housing court arbitrator and mediator.