Amarillo Oil and Gas Lease Attorney
How can Brooks & Brooks, P.C. help you negotiate a mineral lease?
Bonus Money Negotiations
When discussing an offer to lease oil and gas rights, the first question that most mineral owners ask is "how much money can I get if I sign a lease?" The answer, of course, depends on a variety of factors including:
- location of minerals
- percentage of minerals owned
- number of acres of minerals owned
- ownership of surface
Generally, more mineral acreage equates to more bargaining leverage with regard to bonus money. Oil and gas companies usually want to lease as much contiguous mineral acreage as possible. Oftentimes, owners of neighboring tracts of minerals will band together to form a larger block of available acreage to lease.
Amarillo Law Office of Brooks and Brooks has experience and ability to determine the going rates for bonus money allows us to obtain the best possible deal for you.
West Texas Royalty Negotiations Lawyer
Many times oil and gas owners lose sight of the fact that the negotiated royalty in a lease yields potential for far more revenue to the mineral owner than the initial bonus money offered to execute a lease. Along with the plain language regarding royalty on minerals produced, oil and gas leases usually include royalty clauses that provide for deductions from a mineral owner's royalty share for many different costs associated with the production, transportation, marketing and sale of minerals.
The West Texas Law Firm of Brooks and Brooks has experience negotiating royalties and also negotiating the technical aspects of countless royalty clauses allows us to work to get the best deal for mineral owners in the fortunate event that your minerals are ultimately produced.
Texas Panhandle Surface Ownership Attorney
It is possible to own surface rights to land without owning any interest in the minerals, and, conversely, it is possible to own mineral rights without owning any interest in the surface estate. Texas law dictates that the mineral estate is the dominant estate in Texas, meaning that a surface owner cannot technically prevent a mineral estate owner from producing its minerals. In the event that a mineral owner owns the surface estate, there are a host of other issues that arise. Frequently, a mineral owner that owns the surface has more bargaining power if an operator intends to use any portion of their surface for drilling activities. In addition, surface owners need adequate protection so that their surface is damaged to the least possible degree and also so that their surface is restored as closely as possible to its condition prior to the time when any drilling activities occurred on the land.
Lease issues are far too numerous and lease clauses are far too varied to cover in-depth without an examination of your specific issues. Our attorneys have experience negotiating leases for mineral owners and have additionally represented oil and gas companies and are therefore familiar with the process from both sides of the negotiation. Before signing anything provided to you by an oil and gas company or a landman, call one of our experienced lawyers today for a free consultation.
Oil and gas leases are complex documents that generally favor operators and do not typically protect the interest of mineral owners. An experienced oil and gas attorney can help you get the best deal and protect your interests much more than a lawyer who is not experienced in the area of mineral law. If you have mineral interests in the Texas Panhandle or in the Eagleford Shale and have been approached regarding leasing, drilling or potential for oil and gas wells, call one of our knowledgeable lawyers today.