About

BRAND PROMISE

Bridging the gap between the attorney and landman with a sole focus on oil & gas.

CORE PURPOSE

To create massive, outsized value.

What does it mean?
Value is defined as, “the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” At the Holliday Energy Law Group, we strive to create massive, outsized value in everything we do, including in ways that make us indispensable to our clients, partners and team members.

How do we express it?
We deliver more than just legal advice. Most people think of us as a law firm that advises clients on oil and gas title, regulatory, and operational issues, but what we really do is…

  • We advance careers for the people (clients) at the companies we work with. We do this by consistently placing their projects in a position to succeed.
  • We create a competitive advantage for the companies we work with. We do this primarily by identifying and mitigating legal risks with practical solutions so that the client can focus on creating value.

Our value as a firm is directly proportional to the value we create for others. We seek to create massive outsized value.

CORE VALUES

The Obstacle is the Way

Obstacles or challenges do not block the path forward; they are the path forward. Face them objectively and seize the opportunity they present.

Be Smart

Seek the emotional intelligence to understand the dynamics of yourself, the people around you, and how the things you say and do will impact them.

Take Ownership

Each team member “owns” everything in their world – the problem and the solution. No excuses. No blame. All responsibility for success or failure ultimately rests on your shoulders.

A Duty to Serve

As successful professionals, we have a duty to give back to the communities – professional and personal – that have allowed us to thrive.

Cover and Move

Teamwork. Always seek to understand your role in the process, who you support, who supports you, and how you can more effectively leverage those networks to create better outcomes.

High Motor

We consistently do what it takes to make it happen.

Ben Holliday

Founder

Prior to founding Holliday Energy Law Group, Ben entered the oil and gas industry as a landman in South Texas before moving in-house to join the Barnett Shale Asset Team of a Midland-based E&P. With the decline of the Barnett and the rise of the Eagle Ford, Ben became the project leader in charge of an approximate 30,000 acre Eagle Ford asset in Karnes and Atascosa Counties, leading all title, leasing, and curative efforts within the prospect area. Since 2010, Ben has focused on representing exploration and production companies in their operations across the United States.

Ben is Board Certified in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the State Bar College, is the Immediate Past President of the San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen, is a founding board member of South Texas Landman & Lawyer Clays, and is the current Sponsorship Chair and Immediate Past President for the San Antonio Chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization. He is licensed to practice law in Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Ohio, and Illinois, and is a member of the local San Antonio, Houston, and Permian Basin Associations of Professional Landmen, as well as the AAPL.

  • Board Certified in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Member of the State Bar College
  • Immediate Past President of the San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen
  • Founding Board Member of South Texas Landman & Lawyer Clays
  • Current Sponsorship Chair and Immediate Past President of the Entrepreneur’s Organization – San Antonio Chapter

Education

  • BBA Management, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, 2003
  • MA International Relations, St. Mary’s University, 2006
  • Juris Doctor, St. Mary’s University School of Law, 2006

 

Certifications

  • Board Certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law by Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Texas Bar College, Member – State Bar of Texas (Honorary Legal Society)
  • Texas Bar Fellow
  • Law Licenses: Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Dakota, Nebraska and Illinois

Industry & Community Involvement

  • American Association of Professional Landmen – National Board Member (2-year Appointment), Regional Director for South Texas Region
  • San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen –Past President
  • Texas Legislative Association of Local APL Chapters – SAAPL Representative
  • Landman & Lawyer Clays of South Texas
    (501c3 Non-Profit) – Founder
  • Vatsalya – President of Financial Advisory Board
  • Entrepreneur’s Organization – Past President (San Antonio Chapter), Current Board Member
  • San Antonio Bar Association Foundation Fellow
  • Aggie 100 – 2014 Member
  • Broadsword Racing – Founding Member, Score Intl. Off-road Racing Team
  • Alamo Heights Little League – Coach
  • San Antonio Public Library Foundation – Board Member

Publications/CLE Courses

  • “New Oil & Old Laws: Problems in Allocation of Production to Owners of Non-Participating Royalty Interests in the Era of Horizontal Drilling” St. Mary’s Law Journal, Volume 44, Number 4
  • 2018: Cited by the Texas Supreme Court in Murphy Exploration & Prod. Company – USA v. Adams, 2018 Tex. Lexis 1205*
  • “2015 Ohio Case Law Update” AAPL Landman Magazine
  • “2016 Texas Case Law Update” AAPL Landman Magazine
  • Coyote Ranch Lake – Application of the Accommodation Doctrine to Water Law”
    • Houston Association of Professional Landmen’s Texas Land Institute Sept 2017
    • San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen, Oct 2017
  • Leasing Issues for Texas Relinquishment Act Lands
    • Permian Basin Landman Association Spring Education Institute, April 2017
    • Houston Association of Professional Landman Fall Saturday Land Seminar, Oct 2017
    • North Houston Association of Professional Landmen, April 2018
    • Houston Association of Professional Landmen Winter Seminar, 2019
  • Issues in Royalty Allocation
    • North Houston Association of Professional Landman Education Seminar, March 2017
    • San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen Mid-Winter Seminar, Jan 2013
  • 2017 Texas Case Law Update, North Houston Association of Professional Landmen Winter Educational Seminar, Feb 2018
  • 2018 Texas Case Law Update, National Association of Lease and Title Analysts Annual Meeting, Aug 2019
  • Fixed v. Floating NPRIs
    • Houston Association of Lease and Title Analysts, Feb 2018
    • National Association of Lease and Title Analysts Annual Meeting, August 2019
    • In-House Training, Oct 2019
  • Keys to An Effective Lot & Block / Small Tract Leasing Program
    • Permian Basin Oil & Gas Law Conference, Feb 2018
  • Texas’ Mineral Interest Pooling Act
    • In-House Training, July 2018
    • National Association of Lease and Title Analysts Annual Meeting, Aug 2019
  • Oklahoma & Texas Regulatory Approaches to Maximizing Recovery: Oklahoma’s Extended Well Development Act & Texas’ Allocation Wells
    • Tulsa Association of Professional Landmen, Spring Education Seminar, April 2018
  • Production in Paying Quantities
    • In-House Training, Oct 2019
    • Denver Association of Professional Landmen Annual Winter Seminar, Nov 2019
    • San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen, Nov 2019
  • Texas Oil & Gas – Application of Force Majeure to Covid-19 and Commodity Price Collapse
    • San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen – April 2020
    • LandmanEducation.com webcast – June 2020
  • Multiple Assignment of Wells – Amendments to Statewide Rule 40, Houston Association of Professional Landmen Spring Seminar – May 2020
  • Retained Acreage Clauses and Proration Units
    • In-House Training – Oct 2019
    • American Association of Professional Landmen Texas Land Institute – Dec 2019
  • 2016 Case Law Update – North Houston Association of Professional Landmen
  • Royalty Allocation in the Era of Horizontal Drilling – San Antonio Association of Professional Landmen February 2014; San Antonio Bar Association Natural Resources Section, March 2014
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