Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mac Davis on June 4, 2010 at 10:01

By all means, ask for help from the law. Don't depend on them to do anything. Be prepared for them to not be willing to help, and decide on how you'll proceed then. Also, try to do whatever you can to encourage them to get involved. If you have things all laid out and well documented, it might make them be more likely to take some action.

Unfortunately, I've heard from lots of people that the police and DA will usually not be interested.

BTW, if you need help viewing text, Firefox has lots of configuration options such as hitting CTRL-Plus. You can even override font selections in the options section.

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Permalink Reply by Coyote Ugly on June 7, 2010 at 0:51

You bold font is considerate of us with weak eyes. Now how did you do it? It's not working for me.

Permalink Reply by Mac Davis on June 7, 2010 at 6:32

CU, click on the little "B" button above your post, and type between the "b's" with brackets.

Or better than that, hold down CTRL and hit the plus or minus keys in your browser and make ALL the text in the browser bigger. You can also hold the CTRL key and zoom and unzoom with your mouse wheel.

If you use Mozilla firefox, you can change the fonts on everything under the preference bars. Unfortunately, a lot of badly designed web sites will screw up their pages if you do this.

If you're using Vista (and maybe earlier versions) of Windows, you can change the font size for all programs with

Right click on the desktop
Personalize
Adjust font size (DPI) - on the left side of the screen


Unfortunately, a few badly designed programs have problem with that, too. One picture program I have will show the cursor in one place, but act as if it's in another place when you do this.

Yet another solution is to reduce your screen resolution.


Right click on the desktop
Personalize
Display settings
Change the resolution to something SLIGHTLY lower.

Sometimes this will end you up with no display at all. Don't panic. Keep your hands off the keyboard and mouse for 30 seconds or so and it will reset back to what it was before.

Permalink Reply by Mary Alison Anders Knighton on June 7, 2010 at 9:46

Yes,
I so agree do not assume..know..assuming makes an a..out of u and me..as the saying goes. Most times the assumption is incorrect, that's why I say know. Also do not assume all attorneys are out to get people..they are NOT; they only want to help!

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Permalink Reply by Kat Bloomfield on June 4, 2010 at 8:46

1. no.
2. yes.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Alison Anders Knighton on June 4, 2010 at 9:09

Do you have legal knowledge? D o you have any records pertaining to the adoption? I am asking because I was adopted at 3months old. In my case there is no problem. Sounds like ya'll might need to hire an attorney ..if ya can't work it out. Oil companies want to know the bottom line. They are not responsible for your family issues. Do your homework and get your papers together..sounds like a family problem. So, get your stuff together legally
if not, this will incumber your situation. It is ya'lls responsibility. Not the oil company.

Thank you :-)

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Permalink Reply by Steve P on June 4, 2010 at 9:16

you likely don't need an oil and gas attorney, but one who handles estates. Here are some basic questions you must know the answer to: was the deceased relative the "record owner" of the property, or just one of several (many?) co-owners? What name is on the tax roles at the Assessors Office? Did the deceased relative leave a valid will and testament? If so, who has the original? If not, then Lousiana law will govern who the rightful owners are. Was the land community property with a spouse or former spouse? Did the deceased relative have "natural" children? And, then, of course, there's the question of adopted children.

If you think you are a lawful heir (assuming no will), then you should consider hiring an attorney to open the succession, and have yourself appointed Executor. All of this will cost money. So, you need to understand how much land this deceased relative owned (make sure that they also owned the mineral rights) before you start spending money. If the land has enough value, you could likely hire an attorney on a contingency fee basis.

Finally, understand that in Louisiana, it is a very simple process for one adult to "adopt" another adult (over the age of 18), and if the rules were followed, then those adoptions are lawful.

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Permalink Reply by The_Baron on June 4, 2010 at 9:25

the adoption records would be on file with the State Vital Records offie, in the dept. of social services.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Alison Anders Knighton on June 4, 2010 at 9:21

I come from a long line of attorney's who practice in Texas an Louisiana. In LA. you deal with the French Code, which is awesome. It depends on your circumstance, but it will be costly either way. Be careful. Know the facts.

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Permalink Reply by Stevew on June 5, 2010 at 17:27

MAK is absolutely correct - there is nothing like the French code in Louisiana. Our family has one of these odd heirship stories that would only happen in 10 other states.

Someone said to see an estate lawyer and that's a good choice since the main issues is heirship and not really minerals law (more expensive)

Sooner or later there has to be records of an adoption - perhaps even in a church record. An estate lawyer knows all this stuff. Heirship is the first thing to look at and that has little to do with oil and gas and everything to do with the state your relative with the land lived in.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Alison Anders Knighton on June 7, 2010 at 11:21

Thank you Logger,
My family gets along just fine and we have no issuses. I feel for those that do. So all I have to say is be grateful for what ya have, be thankful to GOD, and love your family..in the end that's what ya have...you will be blessed!

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Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on June 5, 2010 at 16:33

Most of the "Large oil company"s up in the Haynesville will try to get it right the first time, so as to not have to go back and lick that calf again. Thats not to say that you don't need to go to the courthouse and read what has been filed on the deceased. It depend on where the deceased lived and their relationship with the claim seekers. If what they say in the filings is to your liking, then everything is cool but if you can't understand the language then you need to see an attorney, most people need to see an attorney.

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