Oilfield services companies work hard to support their customers’ efforts to safely and effectively explore, extract, produce, and transport oil and gas. A service company’s relationships with oil and gas operators is essential not only to the supply chain, but to the provider’s bottom line. It’s important to preserve those relationships while also safeguarding your right to payment for the work your company does. A lien is a proactive way to do just that.

Doré Rothberg Law, P.C. records hundreds of liens in Texas, and nationwide, every year—more than almost any other law firm in the country. We have developed a lien calculator to help our clients understand important deadlines that apply to their rights.

Mineral Lien Attorneys Serving Clients in Texas and Nationwide

Whether your company is involved in drilling operations, equipment rental, well maintenance, pipeline services, or other aspects of the oil and gas industry, your work is valuable. Doré Rothberg has decades of experience helping oil and gas service companies get the prompt payment to which they are entitled through the use of mineral liens and mechanic’s liens.

Our services in this area include:

• Preparing mineral liens, construction liens, M&M, and pipeline liens. Doré Rothberg files liens nationwide and knows when to seek a mineral lien versus a M&M lien. This important distinction can make the difference between collecting your money or not.
• Ensuring that all statutory requirements and deadlines are met
• Providing the debtor and any other relevant parties with proper notice prior to filing the lien
• Recording liens in a timely fashion in the appropriate property records
• Maintaining thorough and accurate records of transactions, documents, and communications relating to the lien
• Protecting the priority of mineral liens in situations in which multiple liens may have been filed by banks or other secured parties.
• Negotiating with the debtor customer to avoid the necessity of foreclosure
• Initiating legal action to enforce a lien, including foreclosure or repossession if necessary
• Ensuring that the lien is released once the debt has been satisfied

Lien law is complex, and a mistake or omission at any stage of the lien process can result in the loss of your rights. To ensure that you receive payment for the labor, services, and materials you provide, work with an experienced Texas mineral rights attorney.

Mineral Liens

A mineral lien is a legal claim placed on mineral rights or leases to secure payment for services provided in the drilling, mining, or other extraction of minerals. In essence, a mineral lien acts as collateral, ensuring that service companies get paid for their work. Doré Rothberg’s mineral rights team has even placed liens on pipelines, pumps, solar & wind energy installations, and cryptocurrency-mining operations in order to protect our clients’ legal interests.

A mineral lien is a highly effective legal tool—but only if it is valid, enforceable, and properly recorded. That’s what attorneys mean when they speak of a lien being “perfected.” Attorneys who prepare liens only occasionally, or who are not familiar with mineral rights specifically, may make errors that jeopardize their clients’ rights.

Mechanics and Materialmen’s Liens

Depending on the situation and locale of the work you performed, you may need a mechanics & materialmen’s lien to fully protect your interests. Also known as a mechanic’s lien or an M&M lien, these liens are filed on behalf of contractors, subcontractors, and others who supply materials or labor to improve real property.

A mechanic’s lien attaches to the real property on which work or materials were provided, and is a way to secure payment for those goods and services provided on credit. Although mineral liens and M&M liens serve closely-related purposes, the processes of filing and enforcing each type of lien are very different. Making an error in filing a mechanic’s lien can render the lien unenforceable; in some cases, filing an improper lien can subject the filer to legal penalties. Doré Rothberg can help you identify the right type of lien to secure your company’s rights, and follow the correct procedures in a timely fashion to ensure that those rights have priority over the claims of others.

Effective Protection for the Rights of Oil & Gas Service Companies

Under Texas law, companies are entitled to the use of liens to secure payment for their work. That includes oil and gas service companies.

Doré Rothberg has been working with oil and gas service companies of all sizes for over 30 years; some of our clients have been with us since our firm was established. We understand how critical it is for our clients to receive full and timely payment, and also to maintain good working relationships with their own customers and clients.

We take measures to prevent disputes for our clients wherever possible; if it is not possible to do so, we are proactive in resolving conflicts to avoid unnecessary expense and disruption for their businesses. We are committed to effective advocacy, and we remain mindful not only of our clients’ business relationships, but their bottom line.