Can anyone suggest a good lawyer / law firm that handles the Golden Valley, North Dakota Area?
We recently found out a deceased grandfather has 10 acres of mineral rights in Golden Valley.
Chesapeake contacted us about it. We filled out all the forms they required (Lease and Heirship forms) but at the last minute, Chesapeake backed out and are not going to drill at this time. However, I figure it would be a good idea to go ahead and get the rights transferred into our name, since it will make it easier in the future.
We had the same issue a couple of years ago in Oklahoma, worked with the oil/gas company and they filed the Heirship paperwork for us.
I called Golden Valley’s Clerk & Recorder office, but they were no help and told me I had to hire a lawyer to get it done.
Thanks
Gary
I am not a lawyer but the first thing I would do is file a statement of claim for those acres. It is a form you can fill out and does not require a lawyer to file. You can file it on your own and suggest that any other heirs having an interest in those acres also should file the same. Actually, the folks in the recorder’s office are very helpful whenever they can be but there are lines they cannot cross as well. I would ask them where you can obtain the form and I am sure they can help you with getting it.
Thanks, I will call the recorder’s office on Monday.
Sure wish Chesapeake would not have backed out, sure would have made it a lot simpler.
We didn’t know Chesapeake was in Golden Valley. Which area of Golden Valley are your minerals?
You may want to try attorneys in Dickinson, North Dakota that deal in oil and gas leases. They all are very busy but make some calls and find out who is available and has done leases in that area, so they have an idea of the market for Golden Valley.
Nice Article…
For those who are having issues with the link, just remove the extra http:// at the front of the link.
Think I will contact one of the attorneys listed in the article…
We had a signed lease, but was waiting on our check, kept getting the run around from Chesapeake when we would call in, then we get the lease back in the mail.
mlh said:
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/chesapeake-energy-pulling-back-won-t-honor-lease-agreements/article_89324038-5214-11e1-ba31-0019bb2963f4.html
Story about Chesapeake in and around the Stark County area plus the southwestern area of the Bakken which would be Golden Valley.
We also have minerals in Golden Valley, and are wondering what the bonus rate and royalty is going for so if you find that out through your attorney please share with everybody on the site!!!
Many Thanks & Good Luck!!
Our contract (before they decided not to honor it) was for $500 per acre signing, and I think it said 1/16 on royalties (I will need to dig the contract out later), which was weird because my contract with Chesapeake here in Texas is 22% on royalties.
When was that signing? Texas is a different game than North Dakota and location is everything. The 1/16th was offered in the Golden Valley 3 to 5 years ago. You are now looking for at least 20-22% but 25% would be ideal. Remember the bonus money is just “bait”; your real money is in the royalty amount!!! Term should never be over three years.
It will be interesting on what the North Dakota attorney is seeing for numbers!! What is the Township and Range, and Section that are in question?
Signing was back around March of this year… we waited about 2 months for the bonus. When it did not come in, we started calling Chesapeake, got bounced around with the “we will have to research and call you back” multiple times, then we got the letter in mid-August that they were not going to do anything right now and were not honoring the lease, and our original lease was returned to us.
The crazy part was it was returned by the sub-contractor in North Dakota that was hired by Chesapeake, but we sent everything to Chesapeake’s main office in Oklahoma via FedEx.
My first priority is to get the rights in our name, since I have read that North Dakota has an abandonment clause if nothing is recorded on the rights for 25 years or more… We are not really even sure when the grandfather acquired the rights, but he passed in 1988.
I will try to get the Township and Range posted in the next few days.
That is crazy! Who was the broker, Empire Oil? Get the rights recorded NOW! I think there is a form you can download to fill out and send to Beach North Dakota courthouse. Or call them and ask how to get a form to fill out and get recorded ASAP.
I did call them and ask for a form, was told I had to contact a lawyer, that they could not give me any information. I explained we did the same thing in Oklahoma with a Heirship Form and the lady told me North Dakota was not OK.
Maybe she was just having a bad day… I will try again on Monday.
The time period of the dormant minerals act is 20 years in North Dakota. Look up statements of claim or affidavits of identity. It has been my experience that the recorder’s office isn’t too picky as long as you leave about 1 1/4 inches in the right-hand margin for barcode and about 3 inches at the bottom for the seal or you purchase another page for the barcode and seal. I’m fairly certain that you don’t need a lawyer to record a statement of claim. I think they will record just about anything as long as it’s accompanied by certified funds. I like using money orders. Do it soon and good luck.