John R. Lee joined the Natural Resources Department in the Billings office in 1989. He received his Juris Doctor degree (with high honors) from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1989. Prior to joining the firm Mr. Lee was an independent petroleum landman for six years with extensive practical land experience in North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. His practice since joining the firm has been concentrated in all aspects of oil and gas law, including title examination of federal, fee, state and Indian lands, division orders, formation of federal exploratory and enhanced recovery units, contract matters, representing clients before state and federal regulatory agencies and natural resources-related litigation.

Mr. Lee is an active member of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, a Regional Director of the American Association of Professional Landmen and a Past President of the Montana Association of Professional Landmen. He is admitted to practice law in both Montana and North Dakota. Mr. Lee is on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation’s Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Short Course, teaching the subject areas of unitization, communization, operations, and conflicts in mineral development and is a member of the Special Institutes Committee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. Mr. Lee has prepared and presented papers on a number of oil and gas subjects, including presentations to the Montana Association of Professional Landmen, Montana Petroleum Association, the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation’s 1994 Special Institute on Federal Drainage Protection & Compensatory Royalties, the 1995 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen and the 1999 Annual Seminar of Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation. Most recently, Mr. Lee served as the Program Chair for the Landman’s Section of the 46th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in Natural Resources Law.

E-mail: jlee@crowleylaw.com