Hello all, thank you ahead of time for your help, I will try to make this as succinct as possible.
In September 2017, I signed a lease on mineral rights that I never knew I had, that were passed via my father in Jefferson County, Ohio.
A few months later I get a call from the company, saying there was a problem, because the surface owner had filed an abandonment a few years prior. They recommended I find an attorney because they were able to find me "in a few hours".
I never did receive a certified mail, but I did see a copy of the newspaper ad their lawyer put out looking for me. (misspelled name in it btw)
So I hired an attorney based upon the recommendation of the people I signed my lease with, and paid lots of bills, only to be told they were "uncomfortable" taking the case, because they were currently representing a lot of surface owners in the same courts.
Is there anyone who could advise me on what to do next? I need a new attorney now of course, but this whole thing seems very difficult to navigate.
Just as a side note, I signed a lease on other mineral rights for a second property in Jefferson County and I have been paid, that one is all clear, no problems.