What Does a Landman Do?

A landman typically works on behalf of a fuel or oil company, performing a range of tasks important for meeting the company's goals. The tasks a person in this position is assigned may vary, but they typically include creating and negotiating contacts, arranging trades, performing due diligence, and serving as a company's point of contact with the public. These individuals may also help to ensure a company complies with applicable laws and with report preparation. The extent of a landman's responsibilities, however, may depend on whether he is an employee of the company, an independent landman, or a consultant.

Despite the fact that the exact job description of a landman can vary, this job usually focuses on meeting the needs of gas and oil companies when it comes to locating landowners; negotiating purchase, lease, trade, and sale contracts; and performing due diligence before a transaction is complete. This job may also require a person to perform research online and in local courthouses to determine the ownership of the land in question. Research may prove necessary for locating land owners as well. Additionally, a person with this title will sometimes have the job of creating contracts and will most likely have the task of preparing reports.

It is important to note that although many landmen work with gas or oil companies, they may also find jobs in other industries. For example, if a company uses wind for the generation of energy, it may also need the services of landmen. In such cases, these individuals may have the job of finding suitable locations for turbines and then determining who owns the land the company wants to use. A person with this title may also work to negotiate the leasing or purchase of the land in question. As with landmen who work for gas and oil companies, these types of landmen may also perform many other tasks, including looking for defects in the land and generating reports.

An individual who works as a landman may do so as an employee, but many make other types of work arrangements. An individual who performs this job as an employee is often referred to as a company landman while a person who works based on a contract is often called an independent landman. Those who work based on contracts and focus on the due diligence side of things are often referred to as consultants. Regardless of the work arrangement, the job duties typically are the same, however.