Email from attorney

I would ask help to please send you a copy of his notes showing the math longhand and where he thinks you made the mistake.

I heard the only math lawyers know is 30% of any number.

That is how most of the Nigerian money scams start out, "My associate...."

[sarcasm]Delete the border and re-submit the plan.[/sarcasm]

Dear Attorney,

The border is graphic art and not related to my drawing in any way.

For the purpose of direction, please note the location and direction of the North arrow and any specific instructions pertaining to reference basis.

Please follow that for any further conclusions you and your associate are not qualified to judge.

😛

I would have explained the border was there as a rough guideline for when he and his associate started coloring on the map they would stay within the borders for aesthetic purposes. 😉

yeah, ask him what he scored on the math part of the bar exam.

wow

You could just respond by asking them to double check the declination they have dialed into their protractor.

If they act confused, just tell them you'll make them a deal. You won't practice law without passing the bar if they won't practice surveying without first getting licensed.

Dear Mr Attorney,
The survey is correct. Thanks.

Seems like he is saying that he's measuring 32d with his protractor but the survey says 31d? Is that correct. I would point out that 31d36'56" is closer to 32d than 31d, so it seems you are in agreement.

BTW, I've met some lawyers who think 31d36'56" means 31 degrees 36 feet 56 inches ... so expect additional follow-up questions. 😀

>
> BTW, I've met some lawyers who think 31d36'56" means 31 degrees 36 feet 56 inches ... so expect additional follow-up questions. 😀

The HARN point data sheets put out by TDOT do that very thing.

:good:

Seems to me the law firm is trying to run up a client's bill. Why in the heck would they think they have to check something like this?

> What do you guys think of the below email?
>
> I take it as the attorney used a protractor and thinks my lines are 1 degree off/
>
>
> "Subject: survey
>
> My associate reviewed the survey and questioned whether, when you consider the survey border as a square frame of reference, the straight lines are off +1 degree. E.g., if survey says "thence south 31?36'56"" then the parcel lines on the survey, using the borders of the survey as a frame of reference, support that the line should be 32 ? instead of 31 ?. The border is square but the parcel may have been interposed in a way that offset all the parcel lines by +1 degree or vice versa. Same issue occurred on both parcels.
>
> Can you please see if you agree or if the surveyor can respond?"
>

Use this as an opportunity to help. I'd set a meeting, ask a few pointed questions and spend some time teaching and addressing his concerns. If you handle this correctly, he could be a source of future business. Yes, it is a stupid question, but the last thing I would be is condescending. Be thankful he asked you the question now, and didn't raise the concern for the first time in front of the judge or during deposition.

> Use this as an opportunity to help. I'd set a meeting, ask a few pointed questions and spend some time teaching and addressing his concerns. If you handle this correctly, he could be a source of future business. Yes, it is a stupid question, but the last thing I would be is condescending. Be thankful he asked you the question now, and didn't raise the concern for the first time in front of the judge or during deposition.

Mr. Allen is exactly right.

There are a couple of different ways to approach the issue.

First you can assume the attorney is an idiot who is trying to prove he knows more than you about your map. Maybe you have plenty of evidence to support that view. But before you assume that, it might be a good idea to consider a second possibility.

Maybe, perhaps, the attorney is trying to be careful and check your work so that what gets recorded has been checked by several sets of eyes. In that case, doing as Mr. Allen suggests is a way to thank the attorney for helping your QA/QC and also help them understand some of the finer points of preparing plats and surveys.

If you assume the latter but discover the former, then you can always go back to assuring the attorney that you are competent.

Larry P

You'll need to explain that the borders on the left and right sides of the sheet are not parallel to begin with, due to convergence of the meridian. Then explain that the bearings only relate to true north in the center of the sheet, due to the earth not being flat. Then provide him with the mapping angle to convert geodetic to grid, along with links to the NGS web site. Ha!

THERE'S A MATH PART OF THE BAR?

I cannot believe it.

:good: :good:

Andy

> What do you guys think of the below email?
>
> I take it as the attorney used a protractor and thinks my lines are 1 degree off/
>
>
> "Subject: survey
>
> My associate reviewed the survey and questioned whether, when you consider the survey border as a square frame of reference, the straight lines are off +1 degree. E.g., if survey says "thence south 31?36'56"" then the parcel lines on the survey, using the borders of the survey as a frame of reference, support that the line should be 32 ? instead of 31 ?. The border is square but the parcel may have been interposed in a way that offset all the parcel lines by +1 degree or vice versa. Same issue occurred on both parcels.
>
> Can you please see if you agree or if the surveyor can respond?"
>

I would love to explain this for any attorney for my standard hourly rate + expenses.

I would likely not respond. Are you under any obligation to this attorney or his associate? I'm all in for educating the public, but this doesn't sound profitable for anyone. Not the surveyor, the client, or the attorney. I might respond and tell the attorney I will look into it and conveniently lose his contact.