I urge everyone who is considering a lease offer to get the assistance of an experienced O&G attorney.  Not just any attorney, an O&G attorney.  An O&G attorney has first hand knowledge of current lease offers by area and company, knows the mineral code and knows the case law governing lease issues.  Such an attorney will charge an hourly rate.

Although it was prevalent in the early Haynesville Shale land rush for non-O&G attorneys and those who are not attorneys to offer to negotiate an O&G lease, it still happens today.  The tip off that someone offering such service is not someone you should deal with is most often the compensation that they seek.  They want a % of your bonus payment and, more often than not, a % of the royalty income.  This is patently ridiculous and a total rip off.  Get a referral to an experienced O&G attorney and pay the hourly rate.  Most of those competent and ethical attorneys will provide an estimate of charges depending on what the mineral owner would like to have done.  If the need is for review of an O&G lease with no title issues and focused strictly on the lease terms, it should cost a few hundred dollars.