I have never watched the ‘Landman’ series on TV. I don’t watch much TV at all. From what I hear about the series, there is little that is represented on TV that really happens in the life of a Professional Landman. For instance, from what I hear, the guy on TV lives a pretty exciting life. Mine is less exotic. I spend a lot of time doing online research to discover the actual owner of minerals on a particular tract of land. I research the public record, which will reveal the last known owner of a surface or mineral interest in a tract of land, but if that ownership was in 1950, it is unlikely that said owner is actually still alive. More likely an heir owns the interest, but that heir may not be aware of ownership. For instance, do you know where your great grandparents lived? Did they own property? Did they own the minerals under that property? Most of us can possibly name our great grandparents, but few of us know much beyond that. A Professional Landman is charged with the task of doing the geneology required to track the heirship of that original owner, making sure that if a probate or will exists and has an effect on ownership, it is considered. If no will or probate exists, applicable law will be considered, all with an attorney’s advice and opinion of course. So if you get a random call frrom a Landman claiming that you own a mineral interest in a property in some other state, you may want to pay attention to what they are saying. Verify of course, but don’t discount that it could be real.