Illinois Professional Land Surveying Law and Ethics Seminar
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 4:15 pm
Complying with National Society of Professional Surveyors’ Creed and Canons
R. Olsen
Practicing in areas of competence
Preventing bias and the influence of personal self-interest
Preserving client confidences
Solicitation of business
Complying with the Illinois Plat Act
R. Olsen
Subdivision of lands
Filing of plats
Form, contents and recording of plats
Use, revision and vacation of plats
Handling Ethical Issues in Land Surveying Practice
R. Olsen
Engaging in appropriate supervision and review
Signing, sealing and control of surveying documents
Prevention of unauthorized practice
Complying with Illinois procurement rules
Illinois Floodplain Law and Regulation
G. Rohrer
Flood management terminology
Floodways, floodplains and flood zones
Reviewing flood hazard determinations
Flood insurance overview
Law of Accessing Oil, Gas and Mineral Rights
G. Rohrer
Understanding title to oil, gas and mineral rights
Determining ownership of mineral rights
Issues disclosed (and not disclosed) by survey
Recognizing and resolving conflicts between surface and mineral rights owner
Complying with Minimum Standards of Practice
R. Olsen
Land title surveys
Boundary surveys
Condominium surveys
Subdivision surveys
Mortgage inspections
Topographic surveys
Parcel legal descriptions
Land Surveying Firm Law and Regulation
W.M. Bryant
Types of business organizations
Illinois requirements for land surveying businesses
Practice with, and supervision of, non-surveyors
Business and contract considerations in land surveying
Credits
This seminar offers Illinois land surveyors 6.0 PDHs, which provide 4.0 PDHs in IL Statutes and Rules, and 2.0 PDHs in Professional Conduct.
The MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois has approved this course for 6.0 CLE hours for attorneys.
Continuing Education Credit Information
This program is open to the public and offers 6.0 PDHs to Illinois land surveyors, including the required 4.0 PDHs in Illinois statutes and rules regulating professional land surveyors and surveys and the required 2.0 PDHs in professional conduct as prescribed in Section 1270.65 of the Illinois Administrative Rules.
The MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois has approved this course for 6.0 CLE hours for attorneys.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
W. Matthew Bryant
Counsel with Saul, Ewing, Arnstein & Lehr, LLPMr. Bryant focuses his practice on construction law. He writes and negotiates construction contracts for private and public projects, representing participants including owners, architects, engineers, general contractors, and subcontractors. Mr. Bryant resolves construction project performance and payment disputes, including surety bond claims and mechanics lien claims. He also represents owners and contractors in litigation matters including defense and prosecution of breach of contract, warranty, and construction defect claims. Mr. Bryant has defended design professionals against claims of professional negligence. He has written and spoken on many construction-related topics, including contract negotiation, public construction, and licensure of construction professionals. Among other organizations, he is a member of the Steering Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law Division 7 for Insurance, Surety, and Liens.
Russell W. Olsen, PLS
Senior Professional Land Surveyor with Engineering Design Source, Inc., in Chesterfield, MOMr. Olsen is a Senior Professional Land Surveyor with Engineering Design Source, Inc., a Civil Engineering and Surveying Firm based in Chesterfield, Missouri. Mr. Olsen has more than 30 years’ experience as a professional land surveyor, beginning in the Chicago metropolitan area. He is currently licensed as a land surveyor in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas.
He has been fortunate to have worked on numerous Highway Department/Department of Transportation horizontal and vertical control surveys, land acquisition and topographic surveys, County Transportation Department Plats of Highway, and Municipal Highway Department surveys.
Mr. Olsen is currently enrolled in the University of Maine Graduate School in the Surveying Engineering Technology Program. He earned an MS in Engineering Technology-Surveying Engineering in 2024 and is currently working on an Eng.D in the same subject at UMaine. He has a BA in Mathematical Sciences. Mr. Olsen has presented seminars and webinars previously with HalfMoon Education on topics including Law and Ethics of Illinois Land Surveying; Locating Land Boundaries on Paper (and on the Ground); Complying with Minimum Standards of Practice; Handling Ethical Issues in Land Surveying Practice; Complying with the Illinois Plat Act; Complying with National Society of Professional Surveyors Creed and Canons. His article “The Changing Mosaic of Professional Land Surveying Licensure Requirements in the United States and its Territories” is to be published in the May 2026 Journal of Surveying and Land Information Science (SaLIS) of the American Association for Geodetic Surveying (AAGS).
Gerald Rohrer
Sudekum, Cassidy & Shulruff, Chtd.Gerald T. Rohrer, Jr. is an attorney with Sudekum, Cassidy & Shulruff, Chtd. in Chicago. Mr. Rohrer is an experienced trial attorney, appellate practitioner, and counselor addressing complex legal matters. He litigates cases involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, construction negligence, premises liability, property damage, construction defect claims, mechanics’ lien and bond claims, and insurance coverage. Further, Mr. Rohrer litigates cases involving government liability emphasizing the applicability of the Illinois Government and Governmental Tort Immunity Act, motor vehicle accidents, and advertising injury. Additionally, he represents parties in disputes involving breaches of contract, asset and business sales, fiduciary liability, property disputes, and non-compete and confidentiality agreements, and he has extensive experience with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations. Mr. Rohrer received his Juris Doctorate degree from The John Marshall Law School.