For Attorneys & CPAs
When an estate, a probate inventory, or a divorce includes oil and gas minerals, you need a neutral value that holds up. I am an independent petroleum engineer who delivers defensible mineral and royalty valuations for your clients, on your timeline.
Oil and gas mineral and royalty interests are among the hardest assets to value in an estate or a marital estate. There is no ticker price, the income declines on a curve, and much of the value often sits in wells that have not been drilled yet. The figures most readily available to a family, a round number from a neighbor or an unsolicited offer from a mineral buyer, are exactly the ones the IRS, a judge, or opposing counsel will not accept, because none of them show how the number was derived. I provide an independent, engineering-based fair market value built from data, so you can hand your client, an examiner, or the court a figure with a documented basis behind it.
The process is built to fit into how you already work a matter:
The value of a mineral interest comes down to how much oil and gas the wells will produce, when, and at what price. That is reservoir and production engineering, not a comparable-sales guess. I build the number the same way an acquirer would when underwriting a purchase, which is what makes it defensible. Just as important, I do not buy minerals and my fee is for the evaluation itself, never tied to a transaction, so the figure reflects the asset rather than any interest in the outcome. For a matter that may end up in front of the IRS or a court, that independence is the point. If you want the mechanics behind the number, see how mineral rights are valued.
To be clear about scope: I deliver an independent, engineering-based fair market value of the mineral or royalty interest itself. I am not an accountant or an attorney, and nothing I provide is tax or legal advice. How the value is applied on a return, in a probate filing, or in a settlement is a matter for you and your client. My role is to give you a defensible number and the reasoning behind it, and to stand behind the analysis if it is questioned.
Common Questions
Yes. A large part of my appraisal work comes through attorneys and CPAs who handle estates, probate, divorce, and tax matters that include oil and gas mineral or royalty interests. You can bring me in as the mineral valuation expert, and I work to your scope and timeline. I am glad to talk through a matter before you introduce me to your client.
Yes. The report documents the methodology and assumptions behind the number, so it can be reviewed and defended rather than simply asserted. I am available to explain how the value was derived to an examiner, opposing counsel, or the parties involved, and to answer questions about the analysis.
Most single-interest valuations are turned around within a few business days once I have the property information. Larger estates or multi-tract, multi-basin packages take longer, and I will give you a clear timeline up front so you can plan around a filing or hearing date.
Ideally the legal description or county and section of the interest, any recent royalty statements or division orders, and the valuation date that matters for your matter, such as a date of death. Even with only the location, public production and permit data is usually enough to build a defensible estimate, and I will tell you what else would strengthen it.
Tell me about the estate, probate, or divorce matter and the date that matters, and I'll walk you through scope and turnaround before you bring it to your client.
Discuss a Matter