Desk Focus 02 · Curative & Heirship
Title Curative & Heirship Mentorship.
When a Drilling or Division Order Title Opinion lands on your desk with thirty requirements, knowing what cures each requirement (and in what order to work them) saves weeks. Bring a sanitized requirement list or a draft Affidavit of Heirship and work through it with a mentor.
Apply for curative mentorshipAn application is a request, not a seat. Format, schedule, and any fee are agreed in writing only after a match.
Sample curative log excerpt. Three requirements from a sample drilling opinion. Generic names, not a real file.
White chalk: the mentee's curative draft. Yellow chalk: a mentor's notes.
| Req. | Defect | Record party | Proposed cure | Target / Status | Ref. | Draft notes | Mentor's notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | AOH | Reed, Clara (Est.) | AOH by Mark Reed | Dated 02/10/2026Filed Draft | Bk/Pg 88/19 | 1/8 MI, Tract 2. No probate on file. | One family member alone leaves the AOH weak. Get two disinterested witnesses who knew her marital and child history. |
| 9 | OGL | Delta Prod. Corp. | Rel. + Non-Prod. | Dated 05/14/1987Filed 06/02/1987 | Bk/Pg 312/44 | 3-yr term expired 1990; plug report 1989. | Good. Pair the Affidavit of Non-Production with the state plugging record and production ledger. |
| 14 | NPRI | Garza, L. M. | Ratification | Dated 11/03/2004Filed 11/18/2004 | Bk/Pg 510/102 | 1/16 NPRI; pooled unit needs ratification. | The executive can lease, not pool an NPRI without authority. Explain how ratifying puts the NPRI on the unit deck. |
What we go through on curative work
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Triaging the requirement list.
Separating pre-spud drilling blockers (unleased mineral shares, missing pooling authority, active prior leases) from division-order pay holds and informational comments.
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Intestate vs. testate estate chains.
Tracing every marriage, divorce, predeceased child, and per-stirpes branch before drafting an Affidavit of Heirship, and checking when a foreign will needs ancillary probate or exemplified filing.
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Prior unreleased leases and liens.
Combining courthouse release searches (including bank mergers and FDIC receiverships) with state commission production and plugging records to support Affidavits of Non-Production.
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Correction deeds, ratifications, and stipulations.
Understanding when a unilateral affidavit is not enough and why an ambiguous fraction requires a bilateral Stipulation of Interest with cross-conveyancing words of grant.
Apply to be matched with a mentor
Curative is pre-selected below. Add any other areas you want to work on.
Applying doesn't reserve a place, set a start date or commit you to a fee. Those come after a match, and only if you agree.
Prefer the phone? (307) 263-8515.