Practice Areas

Title Examination

Drilling Title Opinions

Our attorneys have prepared hundreds of drilling title opinions in several US basins and we have experience with an extensive list of title complication factors. We feel our skills are most efficiently utilized in the most difficult title scenarios, such as units with complex HBP leasehold, units affected by river movement (particularly if HBP), units affected by secondary recovery units, and large multi-section townsites.

Division Order Title Opinions

For many years Oklahoma’s Production Revenue Standards Act has required payment of proceeds within 6 months from first sales, but indexes have only become longer and title more complex, putting division order departments under ever increasing pressure to process division order title opinions and make timely payment under Oklahoma’s PRSA, Texas Natural Resources Code § 91.402, and Wyoming’s Royalty Payment Act. We are determined to help alleviate some of that strain by responsive communication with our clients and by submitting our division order title opinions in a timely manner. We have also created a proprietary division order title opinion format with schedules that are useful at the division order stage. We are of course always willing to customize our format to meet client specifications.

Leasehold Acquisition Title Opinions

Our attorneys have experience with large, complex HBP leasehold acquisition projects, which required constant coordination and communication internally, with the client, with brokerage groups, and with other law firms. Our experience has instilled in us the necessity of meeting PSA deadlines for submitting defects and reviewing curative and has also enabled us to develop sampling techniques to efficiently review title under demanding time constraints.

Mineral Acquisition Title Opinions

We have the knowledge and experience necessary to prepare mineral acquisition opinions based upon limited mineral examinations. We understand the risks associated with a limited examination and work to reduce that risk to the client while still completing the opinion on time and on budget.

Transactions

Overly-complex instruments and instruments that are not drafted with an awareness of the state of title are the source of many title defects. We believe that it is possible to draft concise instruments that accomplish complex goals and we always seek to understand and consider the unique title scenario at issue.

Our attorneys have experience negotiating and drafting a broad array of real property-related instruments, including surface and mineral conveyances, complex leasehold assignments, stipulations and cross-conveyances, trust and estate-related affidavits and memoranda, surface and subsurface easements and rights-of-way, and mineral and leasehold purchase and sale agreements.

Title Curative

As title examiners, we know what is necessary to cure title requirements that are keeping royalties in suspense or causing unacceptable leasehold risk. We also know that a quiet title or other litigation are not always the appropriate solution. Title defects can often be resolved more efficiently by creative curative instruments tailored to the scenario.

In conjunction with our title curative practice, we also offer estate administration services at competitive rates, including probate, intestate administration, and ancillary probate.