Les graduated in 1972 with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He joined Amoco Production Company, and he continued to work in the petroleum industry both as an employee and as a consultant for the next 51 years for independent and integrated oil companies.
He has written numerous articles for industry publications, and he authored three full-length books through the Technical Publications Committee of IADC, one on coiled tubing operations in 2015, a second one on hydraulic rig technology and operations in 2018, and a third on well integrity for workovers and recompletions in 2020. He is currently the author on a fourth book on well integrity for re-entries due for publication in 2024.
He is a member of several professional societies and associations including SPE, ICoTA, AIChE, AADE, IADC, AAPG, and others. He is also a member of several industry committees including the API Recommended Practice 1170/1171, RP 90-1 revision committee (which he chaired for five years), and the ISO 16530 revision team. He is currently on the Steering Committee for the AADE Innovative and Emerging Technology group, the Technical Committee for ICoTA, and the SPE P&A Technical Section.