Agenda

Registration:                        7:30 – 8:00 am

Morning Session:                8:00 am – 12:15 pm

Lunch (On your own):         12:15 – 1:15 pm

Afternoon Session:             1:15 – 5:30 pm

Resolving Boundary Disputes 
C. E. Howard

    Types of boundary disputes
      • Adverse possession, easements, boundaries
   Obtaining and reviewing boundary evidence
   Methods for establishing disputed boundaries
   Participating in dispute resolution techniques
      • Litigation, arbitration, mediation, agreements, title insurance
   Examining boundary dispute case studies: exploring techniques
      for resolving sample disputes

Identifying, Classifying and Locating Easements 
A. Barton

   What is and is not an easement
   Reviewing state law on easements
   Creating easements: easements by necessity, easements by use, written easements
   Identifying critical distinctions between easements in gross,
      easements appurtenant and prescriptive easements
   Maintaining easements
   Knowing when and how to terminate easements
   Obstructing use of easements and determining remedies for obstruction

Locating Land Boundaries on Paper (And on the Ground) 
D. Bowles

   Interpreting land descriptions
      • Metes and bounds
      • Lot and block
      • Dos and don’ts for writing descriptions 
   Applying principles of boundary location
      • Collecting and evaluating all types of boundary evidence:
        documents, physical evidence, people, surveys
      • Locating the described land on a map
      • Locating the described land on the ground
      • Understanding and using geographic information systems (GIS)
   Solving land description and boundary location problems

Understanding Utility Easements and Rights of Way 
P. Barkhurst Jr.

   Current law on utility rights of way
      • State laws and regulations
   Types of utilities affected
      • Electric, water, natural gas, telecommunications, communications
   Basis for and definition of the easement Encroachments and interferences
   Maintenance
   Condemnation law
   Current issues involving utility easements

Understanding Riparian and Water Rights 
R. Johnson

   History and development of riparian rights
   Determining land boundaries near the water line
   Determining access rights to surface waters
   Determining rights to groundwater
   Complying with regulations restricting access to and use of surface water and groundwater

Defining Trespass and Adverse Possession 
K. Silcocks

   Defining trespass and required elements Defending against a claim for trespass
   Reviewing the history of adverse possession
   Maintaining a claim for adverse possession
      • Elements of a claim
      • Statute of limitations
   Defending against a claim for adverse possession
   Examining recent trespass and adverse possession cases

Credits

Attorneys & Paralegals
     8.0 Texas CLE hours
     TBLS: 8.0 Real Estate Law (Attorney & Paralegal)
                8.0 Administrative Law (Attorney)

Texas Escrow Officers
     8.0 Escrow-Title CE Hours

Professional Engineers
Land Surveyors 
     8.0 PDHs

Landmen
     8.0 AAPL CE Hours

Continuing Education Credit Information

This seminar is open to the public. The State Bar of Texas has approved HalfMoon Education as a CLE provider for attorneys. This course offers 8.0 CLE hours, including no ethics hours. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization has awarded 8.0 hours in the specialty areas of Real Estate Law and Administrative Law for attorneys and Real Estate Law for paralegals..

Texas Department of Insurance has approved this course for 8.0 Escrow-Title continuing education hours.

This seminar offers 8.0 PDHs to Texas professional engineers to whom the subject matter is professionally relevant.

The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying has approved this program for 8.0 professional education hours.

The Association of Professional Landmen has accredited this event for 8.0 RL, RPL or CPL recertification credits and no CPL/ESA or ethics credits.

Attendance will be monitored and reported, as required. 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

Paul D. Barkhurst

Barkhurst & Hinojosa, P.C.

Mr. Barkhurst has extensive litigation experience in business and real estate disputes. He has developed a special concentration in the area of eminent domain, representing governmental entities as well as landowners in numerous lawsuits. He has successfully represented numerous owners in ranch power line takings. Mr. Barkhurst also represents governmental entities in construction disputes, and he has represented contractors and subcontractors in private disputes. Mr. Barkhurst has a B.A. degree, with honors, from Southwest Texas State University and a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Texas Tech University, and he is a former USAF Captain and F-111 Aviator. 

Aaron Barton

Branscomb PC

Branscomb | PC
Mr. Barton is a shareholder in the firm’s Business and Real Estate Groups. He has been practicing law for over a decade, representing businesses, title companies, developers, lenders, and individuals in a wide variety of business, financing, leasing, and real estate transactions. Prior to joining Branscomb | PC, Mr. Barton also represented title insurers and businesses in business and real estate litigation matters. This experience has assisted him in delivering legal services to the firm’s clients with an eye to avoiding litigation, and he is able to structure transactions to better protect clients in the event a dispute arises in the future.

Deward “Karl” Bowles

Independent professional land surveyor and owner of B&B Surveying Company in Houston
Mr. Bowles began working in the field of land surveying in 1978 and is certified as a registered professional land surveyor in the State of Texas. Mr. Bowles has given seminars to lawyers, real estate professionals and other land surveyors on land surveying principles, practice and codified standards. He has been an expert witness in a number of legal actions centering around boundary disputes and land surveyor negligence claims. Mr. Bowles has given expert testimony regarding boundary resolution, minimum standards and minimum content regarding land surveys. He is a member of the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors and a former member of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.

C. Howard

Andrews Myers P.C.

Andrews Myers P.C., Houston
Ms. Howard is a trial attorney focusing on commercial litigation, real estate disputes and employment law. She has handled evictions, lockouts, title and lien priority disputes, foreclosure on real and personal property, Fair Housing Act violations, enforcement of deed restrictions, ad valorem taxes, easements, adverse possession, boundary disputes, and disputes arising out of the acquisition of real property. Ms. Howard has handled hundreds of landlord/tenant disputes primarily but not exclusively on the landlord’s side. She has represented lenders and loan servicers in matters involving foreclosures and lending practices. Ms. Howard advises individuals seeking to acquire property about their possible liabilities and consults on the closing documents and indemnification agreements. She received her B.A. degree in Economics, Political Science and Managerial Studies from Rice University (TX) and her J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center.

Russell Johnson

McGinnis Lochridge

Partner at McGinnis Lochridge
Mr. Johnson has a multifaceted water law practice, with an emphasis on matters involving land use, water rights and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). His clients are generally landowners, industries, mineral owners and developers seeking to acquire, safeguard, develop or convey water resources. Formerly, he represented a large municipal water system in a variety of matters, including legislative efforts to create the Edwards Aquifer Authority and to modernize Texas water law. He is a board member of the Center for Water Law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law, as well as an adjunct professor at Texas State University teaching water policy.

Kristina Weber

Foley & Lardner LLP

Foley & Lardner LLP, Austin
As a member of the Government Solutions Practice and Austin Litigation Team at Foley & Lardner LLP (formerly Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP), Ms. Silcocks focuses her practice on civil litigation and government-related matters. She primarily focuses on eminent domain and inverse condemnation, representing both condemning authorities and property owners, having represented clients in over 250 Special Commissioners’ Hearings and in over 25 condemnation and inverse condemnation jury trials. Ms. Silcocks also has extensive experience handling civil litigation, including contract, employment, and tort cases. She is well-versed in other government-related issues, including open records laws, contract procurements, bid protests, environmental disputes and other regulatory issues with a variety of state and local agencies. Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Ms. Silcocks spent 15 years in the Office of the Attorney General of Texas primarily representing the Texas Department of Transportation, including the last five years as chief of the Transportation Division.

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HalfMoon Education guarantees its products. The self-study products are recorded from a live seminar and there are circumstances where an audio recording is not available. HalfMoon will contact you and issue a full refund if the product you ordered is not available. If you are not happy with a product you receive, you can return the product for a full refund. However, refunds will not be issued if completion certificates are requested.

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