From the community I am from, too, I was imposed upon often for “advice” from neophyte land/mineral owners who want to forego the “pay at the door” policy of the local status quo of attorney and I was usually altogether forgiving of myself to assist people of their needs on the reasoning that “what comes around goes around” and there may be the day when they may assist me with a lease/negotiation/referral or whatever. Often they were kind to offer a token payment, I declined in favor of goodwill and a reputation in the community. Soon I found myself with a steady line of “advice” seekers who were predicated with knowledge they’d picked up on the street. Regretfully, I had to take a posture of "I’m a 36 year practicing landman, a recognized/certified professional among my peers and upholding of a code of ethics and personal conduct … if you want “advice”, there is a table of wise owls at the Dairy Queen coffee bar that can offer “advice”; if you want my consultation, it comes with a professional fee schedule. Too often when I found these owners/lessors to favor the gypsies of the carpetbagging “resource” players rather than my representation of respected clients for the matter of a few bucks often with the “sign now or we’ll walk” overture … then when the fit hits the shan and the landman/gypsy is nowhere to be found and their cell phone is out of service, am I to blame? I always told my client that it’s my business card on the refrigerator door and I meet their owners/lessors in the community every day. I once had a “resource” broker solicit my services, given that I was known in the community, have an office across from the courthouse to offer all the infrastructure, etc. and when I quoted a day-rate he laughed with “I can get “people” for half that rate”. Granted, my required day-rate was quality/results proven and was without added 3M expenses (mileage/meals/motel, for which his client was withstanding an easy $200 per day per person). Within a month I saw “people” at the courthouse, and this is no exaggeration, that the prior week were shampooing dogs and the vet clinic! That was the persuasion for me to seek a respected in-house/contract that eventually resulted in my current employment.
I, too, have been called upon by readers of this forum for “advice”, and I’ve offered it to the length my conscience will allow me. One particular was kind to ask about a fee and I responded that I’d leave that to their conscience as to the value of my consultation … which was much enlightening to their plight, even to the manner of merely dropping a dining/debit card in the mail. I’ve now withstood 3 hours of personal visit/consultation from them and 4 phone calls apparently with no weight on their conscience.
… and “we’re the bad guys” portrayed by the landowner community?
'sic 'em Buddy!