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

1. JOHN BLAIR WELLS
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF
PROFESSIONAL LANDMEN

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.