I have just been offered a Landman job in PA that offers $175 day rate (5 days a week, 9-4:30), $35 a day for food, mileage, and hotel room and periodic trips back home. They will train me and I will have performance reviews to determine pay at 90 and 180 days. I am trying to get my foot in the door as a Landman and just graduated from law school. I am wondering how this offer stacks up to what else is out there. Thanks for the help.

$35/day for month and other expenses? Or $35/day for month, plus mileage, hotel, etc?

I'm assuming it's the latter. That would be about right for the market. Since you've taken law school, you might deserve more. Maybe $200 or $250. They can always let you go, if you stink.

If you work hard and have the chops, the raises will come fairly quickly. Your main goal should be learning the racket and padding the resume. Three years experience is the magic number for most employers.

Chesapeake is big up there and are usually known as Cheapskate. They are notorious for changing the rules on people, so be prepared. That review might get pushed up to 180 days. Or they stop paying for travel back home.

If you just graduated law school you should be making more.

I knew nothing about being a landman and have an RPTS degree and get paid 125 a day.

You should make 200-250 easily.

I am moving back to Texas next month and was a landman for 5 years, if you need any advice on starting out let me know.

What is a landman exactly? Just curious?

I started with no experience as a field landman making $200/day. Within a year I was up to $300/day.

Raises can come quickly but I would think your initial offer is low considering you have a J.D.

Anybody know if Chesapeake is doing anything much in Texas and what is their daily rate and per diem?

Ron Haakenson

Anybody know of any opportunities anywhere in Texas? I have 2 years experience including HBP, lease-hold, etc.

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Anybody know if Chesapeake is doing anything much in Texas and what is their daily rate and per diem?

Ron Haakenson

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I have 8 years experience now and worked 3 years for CHK. I could not stand it and they nickel and dime you, take forever to pay, expect you to work extra without billing out hours. Their Inhouse people were brutal to work with and were extremely unprofessional. They even stopped paying mileage at one point but our broker covered it on our end.

I would never work for them again.



To the OP, it seems like they are lowballjng you bigtime. The broker I work for now starts new hires off at around $225. And that's without a law degree. I would think $250 would be fair, IMO. I was making that within about 6 months and that's just with a business degree from A&m. The attorneys I work with get paid more than the regular landman.

here are my notes on this company called Chesapeake, you will have to verify that it is all accurate however:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/28/us-energy-giant-idUSTRE7BR0G420111228 CHK, then Sun Oil, has been doing this phoney land mineral leases
Chesapeake, and its puppets, RedSky Land and Eagle Land Services
RedSky Land (Joe McFerron, Rick Dawson, Adam White, Dan Glashauser)

Blanca Peak is a shell company working for Chesapeake.

$44,000 per year sounds awful to me.

I had quite a few friends go that route after law school and they hit their ceiling pretty quick, then struggled to find attorney positions when they realized they would be earnin more as an attorney. If possible, find yourself a position as an associate with a law firm, oil and gas firm if that's what you want. Even if the associate position you find isn't ideal, it makes it much easier to transition to another practice area after a year or two.