Attention Top hands

Before we begin…. Let us describe a top hand and then we can see if we are on the same page in that regard. 

First and foremost….. a top hand knows this business well enough to recognize a good situation when he or she sees it. Stardust is in this business to have a good time while making a lot of money. And in order to have a good time, Stardust needs to be comprised of and to associate with like-minded people. And in order to make a lot of money, those people need to be professional and extremely competent. Working for Stardust is a good situation for a top hand.  

Oil and gas exploration is a fun and exciting business and all top hands know that. Most of us who are any good at this business could have chosen to pursue a different career. And therefore, we are in this business because we love it. Top hands know that oil and gas exploration offers interesting and fun and rewarding challenges for experienced landmen who like to make money by utilizing their intelligence and the skills they have developed through the course of doing their jobs well for many years.

Top hands enjoy their work and they enjoy the satisfaction of doing their jobs well. 

 If you are a top hand then you have achieved an understanding of the law as it relates to mineral and land title including being able to distinguish between community versus separate property or mineral versus royalty interests. You understand what constitutes a valid description, and you know the effects of mortgages and judgments and mechanic’s and materialmen’s liens. Additionally, you understand the effects of all of the clauses you might encounter in an oil and gas lease and can distinguish between those that are drafted correctly and those with flaws. You have heard of Duhig and actually understand the impact that case has on many of the titles you examine. And you understand pooling and unitization and know when to be alert for pugh clauses and depth severance clauses. You also know very well that the items listed in this paragraph barely scratch the surface of things you need to understand in order to properly perform your leasing, lease check, and title examination duties. And perhaps most importantly, you don’t need a lot of support in regard to any of this, but you are able to recognize the times when you need to consult an attorney or other expert and have no qualms in doing so.  

If you are a top hand, then it is certain that you are the type of person who is self-reliant and self-sufficient. There is not one single task that is required in order for your job to be done well that you cannot do yourself. This includes typing and preparing leases, letters, reports, spreadsheets and, runsheets as well as digitizing and transmitting information in whatever manner is deemed most expedient between yourself and the recipient. You understand very well the importance of preparing mistake and typo-free leases and other documents, and you know the reason is that it is so much easier to take the extra time to get it done right in the beginning than it is to fix it later. You also understand how important it is for the lease packages and other materials you send in the mail or through one of the courier services to look and feel professionally done. You know that good work in this area is rewarded with good results. But even though you can do everything yourself, you are able to recognize those situations when it makes economic sense for the project to utilize support help for some of these tasks.  

​And if you are a top hand then you probably have a natural ability to interact with and relate to all different kinds of people…. And this is a talent which you have developed and refined over the years. Along the way you have learned the importance of understanding what motivates your negotiating adversary. And similarly, you also have a solid understanding of what motivates you and your client. You also have studied and have a solid understanding of the negotiating process.  

Top hands know that every county they go into offers different options and different tools which they can utilize for their research efforts. And therefore, the first thing they will do when arriving at a new courthouse is to evaluate all of these different options and tools. In this regard, they know and understand very well that title work is not drudgery. On the contrary, title research usually offers fun and interesting intellectual challenges…. And top hands understand this is one of the main reasons there are other top hands like themselves in this business. 

Top hands remember the “pre-Internet” days when we used to go to court and ask that a receiver be appointed to sign the lease and receive the royalties for heirs of long-deceased mineral owners we could not find. Top hands remember those days, but they also know very well that these days there is nobody we cannot find. Top hands have developed a set of skills for finding these heirs of long-deceased mineral owners, and they enjoy that “Dick Tracy/Sherlock Holmes” aspect of this business. 

​So…. Are you a top hand? If so, then Stardust is interested in getting to know you. There may be opportunities for us to profit from our association. Feel free to get in contact with us.