Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 15, 2018 at 9:54

Dion, I think you just did.  However, in this instance, I think it acceptable to give a toot.

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Permalink Reply by kittycatmama on July 12, 2018 at 2:41

I agree with you that people need reputable legal counsel when dealing with minerals; however I saw some people during the Haynesville who never got a lease because of their "legal counsel" who advised them to hold out for more money when they had $20,000 an ac. on the table. I know these people and to this day they say Chesapeake stole their money and I remind they that THEY bought their minerals back the day the COUNTERED on advice of their legal counsel to insist on a no cost royalty. At that point when they countered they lost the deal. The gas co. didn't take away the deal, they walked away from a deal they didn't want. Those land owners walked away from million plus. The well that got drilled in their section was awful and never paid out so they were never able to participate in it as unleased mineral owners. I have leased minerals and sold minerals but never bought any. I may not have made the most on each deal but I always felt it was fair. I have dealt with landmen who were too fast talking and promised too much & seemed a little on the shady side, but that is no different than in any profession--good and bad in most fields.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 12, 2018 at 2:48

The lesson from the early days of the Haynesville land rush is simple and straight forward.  Anyone who didn't perform basic due diligence regarding the areas of practice and the experience of an attorney often experienced less than favorable outcomes.  As I, and many others, have said over and over on GHS, mineral issues and leasing require an attorney that has an extensive history of practicing mineral law.  Anyone who goes out and hires a lawyer or firm that has no meaningful experience in that legal specialty is making a mistake.  Not any attorney will do.  An experienced O&G attorney is required.

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Permalink Reply by Martin on July 12, 2018 at 8:43

Skip, & kittycatsmama 

   I have several leases in Sabine Parish. They are from the early "gold rush days" of the Haynesville Shale . I was fortunate enough to find a good, experienced O & G lawyer in Shreveport.  He included depth and cost free clauses in the leases.  But, I do not recall him offering any advice on the actual monetary aspects (signing bonus or royalty) of the leases. He left that to me and the landsman to negotiate.  The leases were with Chesapeake, of course.  He negotiated all of the other lease terms.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 14, 2018 at 3:57

It is the prerogative of the mineral owner to have a qualified attorney negotiate on their behalf or to do so themselves with the attorney supplying an appropriate Exhibit page.  O&G attorneys that get a lot of leasing work often know the terms that others have received and whether there are multiple companies competing for leases in a particular area. Competition leads to better lease terms.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Zimmerman on July 14, 2018 at 6:10

I have found over time many Louisiana attorneys should not have passed the state bar exam, much less been admitted to law school in the first place. You have to weed them out. JMHO.

(no pun intended with the weed angle)

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 15, 2018 at 9:51

Most attorneys/law firms now have websites.  If O&G/Energy is not listed as an "area of practice", keep looking.  The challenge to finding a qualified O&G attorney is that those firms are a small fraction of legal practices and the ones with significant O&G practices often have operating companies as clients.  They tend to stick to representing the industry and rarely agree to represent a mineral owner.

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Permalink Reply by GoRicky on July 1, 2019 at 6:04

Is this the same as the "Brown Dense" Smackover - & - where would someone get a log that shows this "Jurassic Shale"??? - Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 1, 2019 at 6:09

Don't be confused.  The Haynesville Shale is the Jurassic shale in question.  In fact, Encana formed drilling units for the Haynesville Shale that they designated Jurassic  (JUR).  There are plenty that you will run across in SONRIS.  Over time, all the companies started using HA as the state's preferred formation abbreviation.  The Jurassic and the Haynesville shales are one and the same.

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