This Month’s Topic:
Why I Started the PLM & DO Certificate Programs
My sincerest hope that this new year has started off well for you. I spent part of the holidays reflecting on my journey from lawyer and landman to speaker and educator.
I remember my first day at work as a landman. (Yes, that’s me in a throwback photo to my early days.) I had just graduated from law school and taken the state bar exam. I was completely lost in the terminology and acronyms – JOA, AFE, APO, BPO, just to name a few. I begged for any kind of book or description of the work. The company I worked for had a series of seven “workbooks” in one 3-ring binder. I read it over one afternoon and accepted that this would be an “on-the-job training” situation.
Fast-forward to today. I teach classes that I would have loved to have attended when I first began my work as a landman. I offer two certificate programs consisting of six modules on different oil and gas topics. Each module is one month in length, so it takes a full six months (instead of an afternoon) to complete the course and receive a Professional Land Management or Division Order Certificate from Midland College.
The courses are 100% online and available 24/7, so you can view the lectures at work or home. And, it’s been convenient in our pandemic lifestyle where “at home” is our office now. I’ve outlined a bit about each course below if continuing education is on your to do list this year.
While 2021 still offers many unknowns, I’m thankful for our ability to connect and learn virtually.
Professional Land Mgt: Legally Enforceable Oil & Gas Contracts
The oil and gas industry uses many unique contractual arrangements to explore for, develop, produce, and market oil and gas. Land professionals must understand not only what makes a contract legally enforceable and the defenses thereto, they must have a working understanding of the most widely used contracts in the industry, including:
- Area of Mutual Interest (AMI) Agreements,
- Farm-ins/Farm-outs,
- Trades and Promotes,
- Support Agreements, and
- the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA).
This module also focuses on the critical role of the Joint Operating Agreement in the management of producing properties.
Division Order: Oil & Gas Law, plus
Environmental Law & Federal Offshore Leasing
Land professionals must have an in-depth understanding of mineral laws and principles that affect drilling for oil and gas as well as how those principles are applied in the various states.
- This module opens with a lecture on Oil & Gas Law including the Rule of Capture (ROC), the dominant mineral estate and the doctrine of correlative rights.
- We look at the implied covenants in the oil and gas lease – that is, clauses that the courts read into the oil and gas lease even though they are not stated in the lease itself.
- We then turn to environmental laws, specifically laws that impact drilling. This provides the opportunity to look at frac’ing and the issues surrounding it as it relates to the environment.
PLM Module 5: Legally Enforceable Oil & Gas Contracts begins February 2nd.