Landman

A Landman or "Petroleum Landman"—in the United States and Canada—is an individual who performs various services for oil and gas exploration companies. According to the website of the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), these services include but are not limited to: negotiating for the acquisition or divestiture of mineral rights; negotiating business agreements that provide for the exploration and/or development of minerals; determining ownership in minerals through the research of public and private records; reviewing the status of title, curing title defects and otherwise reducing title risk associated with ownership in minerals; managing rights and/or obligations derived from ownership of interests in minerals; and unitizing or pooling of interests in minerals. Characteristics Since the services provided by the landman to the oil and gas exploration industry and other industries are so varied it is not uncommon for a landman to specialize in several different aspects of the profession at the same time. The term "landman" can also be interchanged with "land manager". Numerous other industries, in addition to the petroleum industry, often require the skills and expertise of the landman, one of which is the wind industry. Wind development requires the locating of surface sites for turbines, determining surface ownership, negotiating lease agreements, and has many other similar duties performed by the petroleum landman. Telecommunications, pipeline, power, and transportation projects, linear in nature, are generally right-of-way (ROW) projects and are usually staffed by ROW agents. The terms "landman" and "right-of-way agent" are often used interchangeably; however, their duties often vary significantly. Landmen typically deal with site-specific projects (drill site) and leases, whereas ROW agents deal with linear corridor projects that can cross the interstate and usually involve easement conveyance. Although the duties of landmen can vary drastically depending on this situation, there are 2 basic types: in-house and field. An in-house landman works directly for the oil and gas company as an employee, usually in their land department. They are likely to be involved in trades with other operators, negotiating trade participation, and joint operating agreements. A field landman is an independent contractor that interfaces with in-house landmen.