Description

Principles & Practice IV – 1.5 Contact Hours
The Principles & Practice series is a focus on the fundamental principles of land surveying and how those principles impact land surveying practice. The case-in-chief for this edition is Cherry v. Slade’s Administrator, North Carolina Supreme Court, 1819. This is the early and classic case that helped to establish the fundamental ‘rules of construction’ for the interpretation of deeds; which rules, in turn, instruct surveyors on important principles in the practice of boundary surveying. What is interesting about the case is the context within which the opinion was rendered. The country was only 42 years old in May of 1819. The North Carolina Supreme Court Justices who rendered the decision could have been in their late teens or early 20’s at the time of the American Revolution and may have participated in it. American jurisprudence was in its infancy and was largely the English Common Law, especially with regard to court decisions. Because this is such an early decision, it would have been precedent settling, helping to establish the law relative to deed interpretation and land surveying practice as it would be further articulated by the legion of cases to follow over the next two centuries. This is a 2-Page Letter covering one Court Opinion consisting of 10 pages. Altogether, this is a 12-Page document with a 10-Question examination based on the text of the newsletter and the case-in-chief.

OBJECTIVES: To enhance professional competency and improve practitioner’s knowledge of the law as it relates to the practice of land surveying.