Practice Areas Overview
Oil, Gas, & Mineral Law
Leases
Titles to Land & Minerals
Natural Resources Management
Contracts
Easements
Record Research
Resolving Disputes through Negotiation
Estate Planning and Probate
J. Randall Patterson, Attorney At Law, has over 34 years of experience assisting clients throughout South Texas and the Gulf Coast in matters involving oil, gas and related natural resources law, including advising on transactions, negotiating and drafting a variety of contracts and leases and offering mineral management services. Mr. Patterson and his support staff also assist clients with their estate planning and probate needs.
Oil, Gas, & Mineral Law
J. Randall Patterson is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law. Mr. Patterson represents mineral owners and their families, banks, and oil companies in South Texas and throughout the Gulf Coast. His practice focuses on negotiations and transactions, including:
Leases
Mr. Patterson negotiates and drafts oil, gas, and mineral leases which aim to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. In addition, he advises banks and mineral owners seeking to lease to oil and gas lessees. Lease agreements may give the oil company the right to enter the property, conduct tests to determine if suitable minerals exist and mine the minerals for a specified time.
Titles to Land & Minerals
In obtaining title land or minerals, it is important for both mineral owners and their lessees to carefully negotiate and draft all purchase and sales terms to correctly identify the extent of each party’s rights in the property. Mr. Patterson assists mineral owners, banks and oil companies in transferring title of land and minerals, including investigating title and negotiating and drafting agreements.
Natural Resources Management
J. Randall Patterson understands the importance of preserving and administering natural resources and their use. He offers management services for the benefit of mineral owners and their families, so as to preserve the legacy of mineral ownership.
Contracts
A thoroughly negotiated and well-drafted contract can help parties avoid disputes and litigation. Mr. Patterson is a skilled negotiator with 34 years of experience in the field of oil and gas; he carefully crafts each term to protect the interests of his clients and ensure they obtain the best possible outcome.
Easements
An easement gives the holder a right of use, but not possession, for land or resources above or below the surface. It is also possible to obtain an easement through prior payment, use and valuable and permanent improvement of the land. In some situations, a party may have obtained an easement through years of continuous use without even knowing it. Mr. Patterson regularly consults with companies and can advise both land owners and mining companies of their rights in land and any possible easements to which the land may be subject. He also assists clients in purchasing easements, negotiating the terms of the contract for purchase, including the duration and extent of the easement, and recording easements in deeds to land.
Record Research
To fully equip his clients with information about their properties, J. Randall Patterson can conduct in-depth research into all related records. This includes the investigation of title to both surfaces and minerals, as well as any recorded easements, discrepancies in ownership, leases and mineral rights agreements.
Resolving Disputes through Negotiation
Despite thorough investigations and well-drafted contracts, disputes may still arise between landowners, mineral owners and oil companies over their respective rights and responsibilities. Mr. Patterson helps resolve issues and disputes through negotiations and agreements. When disputes cannot be resolved in such negotiations, he will draw on his extensive experience to protect the interests of his clients through other means, including mediation and litigation. In the event of litigation, Mr. Patterson may enlist other counsel, as needed.
Estate Planning and Probate
J. Randall Patterson assists clients with their estate planning and probate needs, including preparing wills and guiding families through the probate process. In Texas, if a person dies without a will or trust, the court will appoint an administrator to facilitate the administration of the estate, to ensure the decedent’s taxes, debts and expenses are paid out of the estate with the remaining assets to be distributed in accordance with Texas law. By creating a valid will, an individual can minimize court involvement and name an executor to administer the estate, name guardians for minor children and specify how the estate is to be distributed upon death.