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Rin Karns
Of Counsel
Orintha (Rin) Karns brings over 18 years of experience advising clients in the environmental, energy and natural resources sector on litigation, real property and transactional matters.
Rin works closely with clients to understand their business objectives, devising strategic and efficient solutions to achieve their goals. Her expertise includes managing claims arising from contracts, development agreements with municipalities, breach of representations and warranties, fraud, business divorce, shareholder disputes, business torts, negligence and product liability.
Rin's deep-rooted experience in title preparation underscores her proficiency in counseling corporate clients on complex environmental and energy litigation and deals. She also has significant experience with regulatory and transactional matters, including rulemaking and rule challenges, mergers and acquisitions, agreements, title opinions and more. She regularly assists clients in obtaining zoning, permitting and land use approvals, as well as securing development agreements and developing regulatory compliance programs.
For the first 11 years of her legal career, Rin practiced in Wyoming, regularly appearing before the Wyoming Supreme Court and District Courts. She was also elected as the Wyoming Bar Commissioner for the Seventh Judicial District from 2009 to 2012.
- Represented a client in creating and successfully developing a US$350 million private placement offering.
- Acted on behalf of the manufacturer of a party involved in a major oil and gas refinery explosion and fire.
- Represented a large construction company seeking to obtain full payment for its work.
- Successfully defended a business shutdown over alleged COVID-19 non-compliance.
- Acted on behalf of a large oil and gas company regarding claims to overriding royalty payments.
- Represented a construction firm on allegations of breach of contract and unworkmanlike building.
- Advised on all transactional and litigation matters in Wyoming for a national company purchasing structured settlements.
- Represented a client in breach of non-compete and non-solicitation investigations.
- Acted in real estate litigation for various oil and gas operators to quiet title in royalties, obtain rights of way by condemnation and settlement and boundary disputes.
- Counseled a client in regulatory taking claims in the Federal Claims Court of Appeals against the US government for preventing mineral development of federal leases.
- Advised an energy company on the acquisition and regulatory permission to build a wind farm in Wyoming.
- Brought spacing applications, increased density applications and contested applications in front of the Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Committee (WOGCC).
- Drafted numerous oil and gas Division Order Title Opinions (DOTO), Drilling and Division Order Title Opinions (DDOTOs), Acquisition Title Opinions and Supplemental Opinions for a fee, state and federal minerals, federal units, pooled areas and single wells.
Education
- University of Wyoming School of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif, 2006
- Baylor University, B.A., Dean’s List, 1990
Admissions
- Colorado, 2019
- Wyoming, 2009
Courts
- U.S. Ct. of Federal Claims
- U.S. Dist. Ct., Dist. of Colorado
- U.S. Dist. Ct., Dist. of Wyoming
Memberships & Affiliations
- Co-Chair, Oil and Gas Committee, American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources
- Prior Board Member, Renewed Hope Foundation
Languages
- English
- French
- Elected as a Wyoming Bar Commissioner for the Seventh Judicial District (2009-2012)
- Presenter and author, FNREL course of federal oil and gas law, “Access to Leasehold,” October 2023.