Landman Basics Certificate Program

Module 1 – Introduction to the Land Profession

Topic: What a Landman Actually Does

Module Overview: This opening module introduces participants to the land profession and sets the stage for the rest of the course. It focuses on the landman’s role as both a business and legal support function within upstream oil and gas, and it helps participants understand how land work changes depending on whether the role is in-house, brokerage-based, or administrative.

Key Takeaways: By the end of this module, participants should be able to:

• Describe the landman’s role in an upstream oil and gas company.
• Distinguish between in-house land, independent land, and land technician responsibilities.
• Understand where land fits within the broader asset lifecycle and why it matters to the business.

Topics Covered:

• Brief history and evolution of the land profession
• Core land functions across the upstream lifecycle, including:
  • Leasing
  • Title
  • Due diligence
  • Curative
  • Contract negotiation
  • Surface use
  • Ownership administration
  • Divestitures and acquisitions
• In-house vs. independent landman roles
• Land technician and land administration support roles
• Professional judgment, ethics, and credibility
• Introduction to AAPL and local land associations

Module 2 – Property Law & Ownership Fundamentals

Topic: Mineral, Royalty, Leasehold, and Surface Interests

Module Overview: This module covers the ownership concepts that every landman has to understand early in their career. The emphasis is on practical distinctions between the various estates and interests that show up in title, leasing, and revenue analysis.

Key Takeaways: Participants should leave this module able to:

• Distinguish between surface, mineral, royalty, and leasehold interests.
• Understand how estates can be severed and split over time.
• Recognize common ownership structures that create practical land issues.

Topics Covered:

• Fee ownership basics
• Surface estate vs. mineral estate
• Dominance of the mineral estate (with state-specific caveats)
• Mineral interest vs. royalty interest
• Working interest and leasehold concepts
• NPRI, ORRI, WI, and NRI
• Executive rights
• Undivided interests and co-tenancy
• Life estates and remainder interests
• Ownership through trusts, estates, and business entities
• Introductory discussion of probate and community property issues

Key Documents:

• General warranty deed
• Mineral deed
• Royalty deed
• Assignment
• Affidavit of heirship
• Probate documents

Module 3 – Public Records, Legal Descriptions, and Chain of Title

Topic: Where Land Information Derives From

Module Overview: This module introduces participants to the public records and source materials that form the backbone of land work. It also provides a practical introduction to legal descriptions and chain-of-title review.

Key Takeaways: Participants should be able to:

• Identify the primary public records relied on in land work.
• Understand the common ways property is legally described.
• Explain how a chain of title is built and why it matters.

Topics Covered:

• County recording systems and public records
• Grantor-grantee indexes
• Real property records
• Probate records
• Tax records
• State regulatory records
• Legal descriptions, including:
  • Metes and bounds
  • Lot and block
  • Survey / abstract systems
  • Section-Township-Range
• Chain of title basics
• Constructive notice
• Recording priorities

Module 4 – Conveyance Instruments

Topic: Lease Form, Core Clauses, and Business Terms

Module Overview: This module walks through the oil and gas lease from a practical landman’s perspective. The goal is not to turn participants into lease drafters overnight, but to make sure they can recognize the major provisions, understand why they matter, and identify the business issues that typically get negotiated.

Key Takeaways: Participants should be able to:

• Explain the purpose and structure of an oil and gas lease.
• Identify the major lease clauses and their practical effect.
• Recognize the business terms that usually drive negotiations.

Topics Covered:

• Anatomy of the paid-up oil and gas lease
• Key lease provisions, including:
  • Granting clause
  • Habendum clause
  • Bonus and royalty
  • Delay rentals
  • Pooling and unitization
  • Pugh clauses
  • Continuous development / retained acreage concepts
  • Shut-in royalty
  • Force majeure
  • Warranty / no-warranty provisions
  • Assignment clause
  • Depth severance
  • Surface use protections
• Lease exhibits and addendums
• Memorandum of lease
• Related lease maintenance and corrective instruments:
  • Ratifications
  • Stipulations
  • Amendments
  • Top leases

Key Documents

• Oil and gas lease
• Lease addendum
• Memorandum of lease
• Ratification
• Amendment

Module 5 – Acquisition Workflow and Negotiation Basics

Topic: From Prospect to Signed Lease

Module Overview: This module focuses on the actual leasing process. It is intended to give participants a realistic view of how prospects are built, how lessors are identified and contacted, and how lease negotiations and execution typically unfold in the field.

Key Takeaways: Participants should be able to:

• Follow the general leasing workflow from target identification to execution.
• Understand the practical steps involved in lease acquisition.
• Recognize common negotiation issues and documentation pitfalls.

Topics Covered

• Prospect generation and lease targeting
• Ownership identification and lessor outreach
• Lease proposals and offer sheets
• Negotiation of economic and operational terms
• Lease execution logistics
• Notary and acknowledgment basics
• Drafts, payment timing, and funding considerations
• Pre-funding curative
• Recording strategy
• Handling common ownership complications involving:
  • Heirship
  • Probate
  • Trusts
  • Entities
• Common field leasing mistakes and how to avoid them

Module 6 – Title Fundamentals for Landmen

Topic: Ownership Verification, Burdens, and Curative

Module Overview: This module introduces title review from the landman’s perspective. The emphasis is on practical title issues that affect leasing, drilling, acquisitions, and revenue.

Key Takeaways: Participants should be able to:

• Explain what “marketable title” means in practical business terms.
• Identify common title defects and burdens.
• Understand how title problems affect drilling decisions and revenue allocation.

Topics Covered:

• Ownership verification basics
• Net mineral acres (NMA)
• Leasehold ownership
• Working interest and net revenue interest fundamentals
• Royalty burdens
• ORRI and NPRI impacts
• Common encumbrances and title defects
• Introductory curative issues, including:
  • Missing probate
  • Incorrect legal descriptions
  • Marital status issues
  • Entity authority issues
  • Gaps in title
• DOTO vs. drilling title opinion 
• Practical division of responsibilities between landmen and attorneys

Module 7 – Land Administration and Operations Support

Topic: What Happens After the Lease Is Signed

Module Overview: This module focuses on the work that begins after acquisition is made, i.e. maintaining lease obligations and keeping land records aligned with drilling operations.

Key Takeaways: Participants should be able to:

• Understand the basic land administration function.
• Recognize the post-acquisition obligations that can affect lease validity and asset value.
• Understand how land data supports drilling, production, and ownership administration.

Topics Covered:

• Lease maintenance and obligation tracking
• Primary term management
• Introductory discussion of continuous operations and production in paying quantities
• Shut-in management
• Assignments and releases
• Pooling declarations and unit designations
• Surface-related agreements, including:
  • Surface use agreements
  • Rights-of-way and easements
  • Pipeline agreements 
• JOA overview
• Ownership decks and land systems
• Importance of data integrity in land software (including Quorum, iLandMan and similar systems)
• Coordination with:
  • Operations
  • Accounting
  • Revenue
  • Legal
  • Regulatory

Module 8 – A&D, Due Diligence, & Ethics

Topic: Acquiring and Divesting Assets and Ethical Considerations

Module Overview: This module gives participants a high-level introduction to acquisitions and divestitures and reinforces the importance of professional judgment and ethical decision-making in land work.

Key Takeaways: Participants should be able to:

• Understand the land team’s role in acquisitions and divestitures.
• Demonstrate sound judgment in identifying issues and escalating risk.

Topics Covered:

• Introductory overview of A&D transactions
• Lease and title due diligence
• Data rooms and diligence checklists
• PSA exhibits (high level only)
• Defect identification and issue tracking
• Environmental and operational considerations (introductory only)
• Professional communication
• Risk identification and escalation
• Ethical issues in field and in-house land work