Section LineLand Services

Contract role

Junior landman

For someone starting in land work who is careful with detail and wants to learn the record.

Summary

Junior work is where most landmen start: a lot of records, a lot of small decisions, and a reviewer who checks the result. It is a good way to learn how a chain of title is built.

Duties

  • Pull instruments from county records and name the images correctly.
  • Enter instruments into the runsheet: dates, parties, book and page, and the land described.
  • Check each row against its image.
  • Flag anything unclear for a senior person to review.
  • Help with indexing, filing and project folders.

Requirements

These are the things postings for this work usually ask for.

  • Careful, consistent work. Spelling of names and numbers matters.
  • Postings often ask for a recent graduate or someone changing careers. Land, energy or business coursework helps.
  • Excel and Microsoft Office. Adobe Acrobat is common.
  • Your own computer. A vehicle if courthouse work is part of the project.
  • No certification is expected at this level.

Day-rate range

$200 to $350 per day

Typical market range. Final rate is set by experience and project.

One entry level contract posting listed a rate from $200 a day. AAPL's 2026 survey, as reported by a landman publication, showed most landmen with under five years of experience billing $300 or less.

Where these ranges come from: public contract job postings on job boards and company career pages, pay reporting published by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), an industry cost report and pay discussions among working landmen, read in October 2026. Rates differ by region, such as the Permian Basin, the Williston Basin, the DJ Basin and Appalachia, and by experience. They are market ranges, not an offer.

How we pay

1099 independent contractor, invoiced each week or every two weeks. Rate and terms are confirmed in writing before work starts.

How to apply

Email [email protected] with the checklist on the how to apply page and your resume attached. We keep a roster and write to people as projects come up. There is no set opening for this role.

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Other roles

Interested in this role?

Email [email protected] with your experience and your rate expectation. Attach your resume. Clients with a project, large or small, easy or hard, can send a scope or ask for a quote at [email protected].

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