The Land Department

061 - Legacy Series: What 39 Years in Land Looks Like with Kenneth Knott

Kenneth Knott didn't set out to become a landman. His engineering plans got derailed by the 1985 downturn, a friend pulled him into petroleum land management at UL Lafayette, and an ARCO internship hooked him for life. Thirty-nine years later, he just wrapped up a career that included over 25 years at SM Energy, billions in transactions, and a leadership style that kept landmen with him for decades. Brent sits down with Kenneth for a Legacy Series conversation on what longevity in land actually requires. They cover surviving downturns, building team cultures where servant leadership is lived, not just talked, the mentors who shaped him, what separates good landmen from great ones, and his honest take on what AI means for the next generation of land professionals. Key Topics & Timestamps * 00:45 - Episode & Guest Intro * 03:10 - How Kenneth Became A Landman * 07:44 - Surviving Downturns And Longevity * 10:25 - Leadership Culture And Team Building * 17:13 - Big Lessons, Deals, and Mentors * 29:31 - The Mentors Behind Kenneth Knott * 38:19 - What Makes A Great Landman * 49:06 - Retirement Reflections And Next Gen Memorable Quotes * "Our goal is not to make you one of the best landmen. Our goal is to make you one of the best oil and gas professionals." — Kenneth Key Takeaways * Servant leadership has to be lived, not just talked. Talking about servant values doesn't move the needle. Build the culture by aligning every hire on values, treating mistakes as lessons, and making the person next to you better every day. * Control what you can, accept what you can't, and keep grinding. Surviving downturns in land work isn't about predicting cycles. It's about your work ethic, your willingness to do what others won't, and your focus on what's actually in your hands. * Hire for values first, skills second. SM Energy's culture didn't happen by accident. Recruiting was deliberate about finding people who shared the values, because alignment is what lets you have hard conversations when things get rough. * Aim to build great oil and gas professionals, not just great landmen. The best landmen understand the breadth of the business. Get curious in engineering, accounting, and marketing meetings. Over the long run, that's what separates the great from the merely competent. * Internal networking beats external networking for deal-making. Knowing who to call inside your own company turns regular deals into great ones. The dumb question to a counterpart in another department is often the difference between a clean close and a problem nobody saw coming. * AI is a force multiplier, but it can't replace technical foundation. The next generation of landmen has speed, curiosity, and access to tools landmen never had. The risk is taking AI output at face value without the technical baseline to QC it. About Our Guest Kenneth Knott is a 39-year veteran of the oil and gas land business and the recently retired Vice President of Land and Business Development at SM Energy, where he spent more than 25 years. He started his career at ARCO and Vastar before joining SM Energy (formerly St. Mary Land & Exploration), and oversaw billions in transactions, including SM's repositioning out of the Rockies and into the Permian Basin with the QStar, Rock Oil, and Laredo acquisitions. Known industry-wide as "KK," he built a reputation for cultivating long-tenured land teams through a servant-leadership culture rooted in Louisiana grit and decades of field experience. Help us improve our podcast! Share your thoughts in our quick survey. [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkXdg4_wEWhdhWbPn8PnYqF89U3G-MhivttvoIlpmwXy3eCA/viewform] Resources * ⁠PBLA ⁠ [https://www.pbla.org/](Permian Basin Landmen's Association) * ⁠Texas Tech University Energy Commerce Program⁠ [https://www.depts.ttu.edu/rawlsbusiness/about/usc/academics/explore/energy-commerce/] * Need Help With A Project? ⁠Meet With Dudley⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/meet-with-dudley] * Need Help with Staffing? Connect with ⁠Dudley Staffing⁠ [https://www.dudley-staffing.com/] * Streamline Your Title Process with ⁠Dudley Select Title⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/dudley-select-title] * Watch On ⁠YouTube⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5aLDkpG4B-iviAHrEdESg] * Follow Dudley Land Co. On ⁠LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/t-s-dudley-land-company-inc] * Have Questions? ⁠Email us⁠ [info@dudley-land.com] More From Our Guests * Kenneth Knott on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-knott-1b542839/] More from Our Hosts * ⁠Brent⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-broussard-177b9214/] on LinkedIn * Khalil ⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalilbenali/]on LinkedIn

060 - AI in the Land Business: Policies, Agents, and What's Next

Every landman is asking the same question right now: what do you actually do with AI? You've watched conference rooms argue about it, you've watched coworkers paste client emails into ChatGPT, and you still don't have a policy that tells anyone where the line is. In this freestyle episode, Brent and Khalil unpack what's actually working in their daily AI use, why most MSAs leave the policy gap to you, and the licensing conversation that's quietly coming for the profession. If you're trying to figure out where AI fits inside your team without losing your reputation or your bench of future landmen, this is the conversation to listen to. Key Topics & Timestamps * 01:04 - Freestyle AI Reality Check * 02:45 - Midland Takeaways and AI Questions * 04:29 - AI Policies and Email Pitfalls * 12:32 - Agentic AI and the Landman Future * 24:58 - Campus Pulse at Texas Tech * 30:33 - Dudley AI Roadmap Q2-Q4 * 35:11 - Focus Discipline, and Wrap Memorable Quotes * "If you're not actively giving guidance and training and tools and resources and policies, it is the Wild West." — Brent * "It is a tool 100%, but the way that you treat it is not like you treat a tool. It's more of an employee." — Khalil * "You have to be deliberate about your development of your talent." — Brent * "When AI starts executing for you, you're not hitting keystrokes as much. You have to start focusing on your judgment. That's gonna be the most important thing." — Khalil * "Start with a little snowball. Make a snowman." — Brent Key Takeaways * AI policies aren't optional. Without a red, yellow, and green framework (plus a gray zone for the in-between), teams default to the Wild West and confidential data ends up in tools no one's tracking. * Treat AI like an employee, more than a tool. You wouldn't hand a new hire client emails on day one. The same caution applies before you paste client work into ChatGPT. * The next two years force a hard call on agentic work. Companies have to decide what an agent can do, what a licensed landman signs off on, and how to verify the work behind the disclaimer. * Entry-level work is what builds 10 and 20 year landmen. If agents take that work, the bench disappears, so companies need deliberate paths to get juniors real field experience. * Pick one problem and ship it. Half-baked tools across six departments is how teams end up with a mess. Focus on one workflow, finish it, then expand. * Quarterly cadence works for AI rollout. Start with education and discovery, identify your early adopters, give them room to build on real workflows, then push the polished tool company-wide. Help us improve our podcast! Share your thoughts in our quick survey. [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkXdg4_wEWhdhWbPn8PnYqF89U3G-MhivttvoIlpmwXy3eCA/viewform] Resources * PBLA [https://www.pbla.org/](Permian Basin Landmen's Association) * Texas Tech University Energy Commerce Program [https://www.depts.ttu.edu/rawlsbusiness/about/usc/academics/explore/energy-commerce/] * Need Help With A Project? Meet With Dudley [https://www.dudley-land.com/meet-with-dudley] * Need Help with Staffing? Connect with Dudley Staffing [https://www.dudley-staffing.com/] * Streamline Your Title Process with Dudley Select Title [https://www.dudley-land.com/dudley-select-title] * Watch On YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5aLDkpG4B-iviAHrEdESg] * Follow Dudley Land Co. On LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/t-s-dudley-land-company-inc] * Have Questions? Email us [info@dudley-land.com] More from Our Hosts * Connect with Brent [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-broussard-177b9214/] on LinkedIn * Connect with Khalil [https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalilbenali/]on LinkedIn Connect With Us Ready to protect your land projects with integrated legal and title support? Our Dudley Select Title division works seamlessly with experienced oil and gas counsel to keep your deals on track and defensible. Contact us to learn how our complete energy partnership approach includes the legal expertise that matters when stakes are high.

059 - Lithium, Data Centers, and the New Land Frontier with Reagan Marble

The energy and infrastructure landscape is shifting faster than most land professionals can track. Lithium prices crashed 85% in two years, yet leasing activity stayed strong. The Smackover Formation emerged as a world-class brine source. Data centers from the East Coast are flooding into Texas, unfamiliar with mineral estates and the landmen who navigate them. Regulatory frameworks are still catching up, leaving operators navigating unprecedented territory. Reagan Marble, partner at Jackson Walker and a go-to counsel for lithium transactions, joins Brent and Khalil to break down what's actually happening in the market, where the real challenges sit, and what the next wave of land work looks like for professionals willing to adapt. Key Timestamps * 01:01 - Reagan Marble is Back! * 04:19 - Lithium Market Update * 10:07 - Regulatory And Permitting Hurdles * 18:18 - Consolidation And Lease Cleanup * 23:28 - Potash And Bromine Upside * 28:16 - Permian Produced Water Lithium * 30:52 - Dual Resource Oil And Lithium * 32:17 - Landman Skills Evolving Fast * 35:46 - Data Centers Enter The Chat * 38:30 - Minerals Water And Site Due Diligence * 44:11 - Power Crunch And Regulatory Battles * 53:17 - Five Year Outlook And Wrap Up Memorable Quotes * "As an oil and gas lawyer and as a landman, we are in the people business and that part of the business will never be replaced, ever." — Reagan * "Half of our business at Dudley Land Company didn't exist 10 years ago." — Brent * "The next five years in lithium development is gonna make the first five or six years since 2020 look like we were moving at a snail's pace." — Reagan * "The regulatory framework is gonna be pretty tough. Someone's gonna have to be the first one to go permit it and, good luck to whoever it is. Hopefully it's not me." — Reagan Key Takeaways 1. Lithium market has shifted from land grab to consolidation. Prices compressed, but strong leasing activity persists. Operators who signed deals at peak bonus levels now face renegotiation pressure. 2. Smackover Formation is world-class brine. Lithium concentrations near 800 mg/L compete with South America's best deposits and justify the Texas land rush. 3. Brine production permitting is the next frontier. The Railroad Commission published rules, but no one has successfully permitted a brine production well yet. Primacy over Class 5 disposal wells remains with EPA, creating a regulatory chicken-and-egg problem. 4. Data centers are the new oil and gas. East Coast PE and family offices are competing for Texas land and water, largely unfamiliar with mineral rights and the professionals who manage them. Water procurement and power availability are the real constraints. 5. Landman skillset is expanding rapidly. Modern land professionals now work across oil and gas, renewables, lithium, CCS, and data centers. Human relationships remain irreplaceable by technology. About Our Guest Reagan Marble is a partner at Jackson Walker in Fort Worth and a leading voice in energy transactions across oil and gas, lithium, and emerging infrastructure. His practice spans deal structuring, regulatory strategy, and the convergence of traditional energy and new resource development in Texas. ⁠⁠Help us improve our podcast! Share your thoughts in our quick survey.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkXdg4_wEWhdhWbPn8PnYqF89U3G-MhivttvoIlpmwXy3eCA/viewform] Resources * Need Help With A Project? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Dudley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/meet-with-dudley] * Need Help with Staffing? Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Staffing ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-staffing.com/] * Streamline Your Title Process with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Select Title⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/dudley-select-title] * Watch On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5aLDkpG4B-iviAHrEdESg] * Follow Dudley Land Co. On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/t-s-dudley-land-company-inc] * Subscribe To Our Newsletter, The Land Dept. Monthly * Have Questions? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [info@dudley-land.com] More from Reagan Marble * Reagan Marble, Partner at Jackson Walker LLP [https://www.jacksonwalker.com] * Connect with Reagan on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reagan-marble-41121b50/] More from Our Hosts * Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brent⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-broussard-177b9214/] on LinkedIn * Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bit.ly/Khalil-Benalioulhaj-LinkedIn] on LinkedIn

058 - The Evolution of Pooling in the Oil & Gas Industry with Ben Holliday

Energy attorney Ben Holliday breaks down how the oil and gas industry evolved from traditional pooling to today's allocation wells, tackling the complex challenge of drilling long laterals across multiple existing units. From the first Devon allocation well breakthrough to New Mexico's compulsory pooling framework, discover the practical solutions land professionals use to maximize development while navigating regulatory hurdles. What You’ll Learn * How allocation wells solved the multi-unit drilling problem without legislative changes * Key differences between Texas allocation wells and New Mexico compulsory pooling * Why production sharing agreements fell out of favor despite regulatory support * How to navigate lease restrictions on allocation well development * The evolution from 640-acre units to multi-section horizontal development Time Stamps * 00:45 - Episode & Guest Intro * 02:38 - Ben's Career Journey * 03:58 - Early Experiences in the Oil and Gas Industry * 10:29 - Pooling and Unitization Basics * 13:48 - Evolution of Allocation Wells * 15:52 - Challenges and Legal Aspects * 23:10 - Production Sharing Agreements * 26:19 - Current Practices and Industry Impact * 33:15 - Understanding Lateral Take Points * 33:42 - Complexities of Unit Allocation * 34:43 - Impact of AI on Landmen and Attorneys * 36:52 - Lease Analysis for Allocation Wells * 38:16 - Mineral Owners' Concerns * 41:52 - Retained Acreage Clauses and Allocation Wells * 47:06 - New Mexico's Compulsory Pooling System * 58:24 - Contested Hearings and Operator Disputes * 01:02:09 - Conclusion and Resources Snippets from the Episode * "I learned from Mr. Arrington that in the context of a lease negotiation, 'no' means not right now, and you haven't paid me enough." - Ben Holliday * "The general stance of Texas is to encourage development. We don't want to be restraining development, we want resources to be developed." - Ben Holliday * “The story of multi-tract development is really a story of industry and the legal side of the house trying to keep pace with each other and what you can do.” - Ben Holliday Key Takeaways 1. Technology Drove Legal Innovation 2. Rule 37 Exceptions Opened Allocation Well Possibilities 3. PSAs Required Too Much Stakeholder Coordination 4. Productive Lateral Formula Became Industry Standard 5. Lease Language Analysis Critical for Allocation Wells 6. New Mexico's Compulsory System Protects State Revenue 7. Both State Approaches Effectively Maximize Resource Development ⁠⁠Help us improve our podcast! Share your thoughts in our quick survey.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkXdg4_wEWhdhWbPn8PnYqF89U3G-MhivttvoIlpmwXy3eCA/viewform] Resources * Need Help With A Project? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Dudley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/meet-with-dudley] * Need Help with Staffing? Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Staffing ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-staffing.com/] * Streamline Your Title Process with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Select Title⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/dudley-select-title] * Watch On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5aLDkpG4B-iviAHrEdESg] * Follow Dudley Land Co. On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/t-s-dudley-land-company-inc] * Subscribe To Our Newsletter, The Land Dept. Monthly * Have Questions? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [info@dudley-land.com] More from Ben Holliday * Attorney and President - Holliday Energy Law Group [https://theenergylawgroup.com/] * Connect with Ben on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-holliday] More from Our Hosts * Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brent⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-broussard-177b9214/] on LinkedIn * Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bit.ly/Khalil-Benalioulhaj-LinkedIn] on LinkedIn Connect With Us Ready to protect your land projects with integrated legal and title support? Our Dudley Select Title division works seamlessly with experienced oil and gas counsel to keep your deals on track and defensible. Contact us to learn how our complete energy partnership approach includes the legal expertise that matters when stakes are high.

057 - How Landmen Should Be Thinking About AI in 2026 with Jerris Johnson

Two years after AI entered the conversation, the real question is what’s actually working in the field and what’s still hype. Jerris Johnson returns to share ground-level insight on how AI is being used in land management today, from runsheet generation to document review. This conversation cuts through marketing noise to focus on practical use cases, real implementation challenges, and why measuring keystrokes matters more than flashy promises. What You’ll Learn * How AI expectations have evolved from "it can do nothing" to "it should do everything" * Real applications working today in title analysis and land administration * Why the "keystrokes saved" approach leads to measurable results * Practical steps for building your own AI workflows without enterprise subscriptions * The constraint-based thinking that makes AI implementation successful Time Stamps * 01:10 - Welcome Back, Jerris Johnson! * 01:58 - The Evolution of AI in Two Years * 02:50 - Challenges and Misconceptions in AI Adoption * 05:48 - Real-World Applications of AI in Land Management * 14:49 - Future Prospects and Practical Challenges * 27:43 - Exploring AI Tools for Professionals * 29:11 - The Importance of Identifying Constraints * 30:38 - Leveraging AI for Workflow Efficiency * 34:19 - Challenges in AI Adoption * 43:26 - Future of AI in Business Snippets from the Episode * "We can never use the word 'never' again. Today we're talking about desk work, but even out in the field, humanoid robots are going to be a thing." - Jerris Johnson * "A really healthy metric to think about is keystrokes. How many keystrokes are you doing on a daily basis? Does AI allow you to reduce those keystrokes? That kind of thinking will help to see how AI helps." - Jerris Johnson * "The AI is an intern. It's an infinitely knowledgeable intern, but it's only able to do what you want as well as you describe what you want." - Khalil Benalioulhaj * "We're not faced with this 'death by subscription' concept, which is a real challenge to implementation across a grand scale." - Brent Broussard * "Put on the brakes a little bit. I know I told you to try it, but now we've got to be patient. We've got to let the technology catch up to our dreams." - Jerris Johnson Key Takeaways 1. Focus on Enhancement, Not Replacement 2. Use the "Keystrokes Saved" Success Metric 3. Treat AI Like Training an Infinitely Knowledgeable Intern 4. Identify Your Workflow Constraints Before Adding AI 5. Start Manual, Then Scale, Avoid Enterprise Tool Dependency 6. Balance Enthusiasm with Reasonable Expectations ⁠Help us improve our podcast! Share your thoughts in our quick survey.⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkXdg4_wEWhdhWbPn8PnYqF89U3G-MhivttvoIlpmwXy3eCA/viewform] Resources * Need Help With A Project? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Dudley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/meet-with-dudley] * Need Help with Staffing? Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Staffing ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-staffing.com/] * Streamline Your Title Process with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Select Title⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.dudley-land.com/dudley-select-title] * Watch On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5aLDkpG4B-iviAHrEdESg] * Follow Dudley Land Co. On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/t-s-dudley-land-company-inc] * Subscribe To Our Newsletter, The Land Dept. Monthly * Have Questions? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [info@dudley-land.com] More from Jerris Johnson * ⁠The Real Deal Landman Show⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/4w2oWDkq3uPONBeRlIuK7c] * Connect with Jerris on⁠ LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrisjohnson?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name] More from Our Hosts * Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brent⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-broussard-177b9214/] on LinkedIn * Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bit.ly/Khalil-Benalioulhaj-LinkedIn] on LinkedIn