Land service
Title opinion support
We do not write title opinions. We prepare the materials an examining attorney needs and keep track of the requirements that come back, so the attorney can spend time on the law and not on gathering paper.
Packets on a deadline
Opinion packets usually have a date behind them, such as a spud date or a closing. With hundreds of landmen to call on around the country, we can run a large set of tracts at the same time and put them in the attorney's format. Our tools keep the layout the same from tract to tract, and a person checks each packet before it goes to the attorney.
What it covers
- Packet assembly. Runsheet, instrument copies, tract and ownership charts, lease lists and prior opinions, put together in the order and format the attorney asks for.
- Drillsite and division order work. Packets for either kind of opinion. The difference between them changes what goes in the packet.
- Requirements tracking. Once the opinion is issued, each requirement goes on a list with its status, so nothing is lost between the attorney, the client and us.
- Bring-downs and supplements. Updates to the packet when the attorney needs the record run to a later date.
Who does what
The division of work is simple. We search the record and assemble the packet. The attorney reads it, decides what the record shows about ownership, and writes and signs the opinion. We do not review the attorney's conclusions or change them, and we do not offer an opinion of our own.
If you do not have an examining attorney yet, we cannot pick one for you, but we can build the packet to the format of whoever you choose.
What to send
- The attorney's name or firm and any packet checklist they use
- County, state and legal description
- Whether this is for drilling or division orders
- Lease list and any earlier opinions
- The date the record should be run through
What you get
- A packet in the attorney's format
- Requirements tracked in a spreadsheet the client and attorney can both read
- Updated packets when the record is brought down
What we do not do
- We do not write, sign or review title opinions.
- We do not give legal advice to the client or to anyone else.
Related
Send a scope for an opinion packet
Send the attorney's checklist, the tracts and the date the packet is due. We will say how we would staff it and reply with a quote. Requirements that come back from the opinion can come to us too. Write to [email protected].