JOHN BLAIR WELLS

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL LANDMEN

JOHN BLAIR WELLS : PROFESSIONAL LANDMEN

John Blair Wells is a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen, and has been for 2 years. He is active in the Landmen community, and one of his businesses provides resources and tools for these workers. The American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) is the bench-marking association in the Landmen industry. According to their website, the AAPL’s mission is “to promote the highest standards of performance for all land professionals, to advance their stature and to encourage sound stewardship of energy and mineral resources.” The AAPL provides professional Landmen with a certification, a code of ethics, and a wealth of resources.

A Landman is a professional who negotiates mineral rights or arranges property related business agreements that are subject to land law. The agreements are for the purpose of conveyancing, future interest, or nonpossessory interest in land. They also perform research to determine mineral ownership, manage the titles to mineral rights, and manage all of the obligations and rights of pooled or individual interests in minerals. Landmen can either work independently, or be employed by oil extraction companies. This job requires a great deal of responsibility and skill, therefore, in 1979 the AAPL developed a certification program.

This program is voluntary and any Landman can participate in it. The program certifies that a Landman has a certain level of knowledge and expertise. There are three levels of certification. The first is to become a Registered Landman, meaning that he, or she, has demonstrated a fundamental knowledge of the land industry. The second is for Registered Professional Landman certification. This level identifies someone as having professional experience in the industry. The third level is the Certified Professional Landman. This level shows that the Landman has demonstrated a high level of professional experience and competency.

For all of its members, and certified Landmen, the AAPL has a strict code of ethics. This code of ethics and standards of practice are taught during the certification process and can be found in the association bylaws. Each member is required to swear to this code of ethics and to practice them in their career. They dictate how a Landman should evaluate and negotiate, and ensure that they are practicing their trade in an honest and ethical fashion.

The AAPL also provides its members with industry resources. They have access to documents and research materials regarding several aspects of their field. They are also able to network and share their research and practices at the AAPL annual meeting. John Blair Wells is a member of these association and follows their code of ethics flawlessly.