Oil & Gas Law Lawyers and Attorneys

Oil and gas attorneys handle mineral rights and the agreements built on them: leases, royalty disputes and audits, title examination, pooling and unitisation, surface use agreements, joint operating agreements, division orders, regulatory compliance and litigation over production.

Ownership of minerals is frequently severed from ownership of the surface, and the rules governing what each owner may do are state-specific and old. Title work is accordingly a large part of the practice.

Before you hire

• Landowners: never sign a lease as presented. Royalty calculation, post-production cost deductions, pooling consent and surface protection are all negotiable, and they are what the money turns on.
• Royalty owners suspecting underpayment should ask about audit rights and the deadline for claims.
• Ask whether the attorney works landowner side or operator side, and about experience in the specific basin.

Energy, environmental law and real estate law cover adjacent ground.