joint-operating-agreement

name	joint-operating-agreement
title	Joint Operating Agreement
description	Drafts U.S. Joint Operating Agreements (JOA) for oil and gas exploration, development, and production. Covers party structure, operator authority, AFE workflow, cost allocation, billing and audit rights, title and lien protections, default remedies, and governing-law provisions. Use when drafting, negotiating, or finalizing a JOA, joint account agreement, non-consent election, operator designation, participating interest schedule, or memorandum of operating agreement.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/joint-operating-agreement
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	energy
language	en
tags	["agreement","drafting","regulatory"]

Joint Operating Agreement

Drafts a clause-complete, execution-ready U.S. Joint Operating Agreement covering economics, operator authority, title protections, and enforcement rights for oil and gas operations.

Prerequisites

1. Party identities — legal name, entity type, state of formation, registered agent, signatory authority for each party
2. Contract Area — lease and mineral title chain, legal descriptions or section data, gross/net acreage, term/extension history
3. Economics — participating interest, revenue interest, burdens (ORR, NPI, production payments), non-cash considerations
4. Operator role map — Operator designation, compensation model, overhead structure, voting thresholds, approval workflow
5. Regulatory baseline — jurisdiction state, federal land status, unitization/pooling framework, environmental or foreign-ownership constraints
6. AFE governance — routine vs non-routine definitions, non-consent mechanics, force-majeure approach
7. Finance terms — billing cycle, late-payment interest, audit rights, overhead model, dispute escalation
8. Execution details — governing law/forum, dispute mechanism, recording jurisdictions, title standards

Output Structure

Article Outline

Article	Content
I. Parties and Contract Area	Party schedule, legal descriptions, acreage, term
II. Organization and Operator Authority	Operator duties, authority limits, prohibited actions, removal
III. Operations and AFE Governance	AFE workflow, routine/non-routine thresholds, non-consent penalties, buy-in
IV. Financial Management	Cost categories (capex/opex/direct/indirect), billing, audit rights, payment default
V. Title and Interests	Title standards, opinion process, curative rights, lien attachment and foreclosure
VI. Product Handling and Marketing	Delivery points, in-kind elections, imbalance settlement
VII. Defaults, Remedies, and Survival	Cure periods, remedy stack (advance → lien → foreclosure), succession
VIII. Execution, Assignment, and Governing Law	Assignment consent, integration, amendment, dispute resolution, recordation

Required Exhibits