BOUNDARY DISPUTES AND VACANCIES JOHN C.D. DROLLA, JR. Law Offices of John C.D. Drolla, Jr. Town Lake Building 512 East Riverside Drive, Suite 200 Austin, Texas 78704 512.445.6838 512.445.0077 Fax [email protected] * Copyright 1997 by John C.D. Drolla, Jr. All Rights Reserved 23rd ADVANCED REAL ESTATE COURSE STATE BAR OF TEXAS June 20-22, 2001 Dallas, Texas July 11-13, 2001 Houston, Texas August 22-24, 2001 Austin, Texas CHAPTER 2 CURRICULUM VITAE JOHN C. D. DROLLA, JR. As of 11 June 2001 LAW OFFICES OF JOHN C. D. DROLLA, JR. The Town Lake Building,512 East Riverside Drive, Suite 200 Austin, Texas 78704 512.445.6838; 512.445.0077 FAX;e-mail: [email protected] PRACTICE AREA:General Civil Trial, Appellate and Federal Practice, Commercial and Residential Real Estate Law, Business Law, Bankruptcy, Corporation and Banking Law, Family Law and limited Criminal Law [Only Certified By The Texas Board Of Legal Specialization In Commercial and Residential Real Estate. Not Certified In Other Areas] EDUCATION & LEGAL BACKGROUND B.A. and J.D. University of Texas at Austin Admission to Practice State of Texas, 1972;Admissions to Practice Before:U.S. Supreme Court 1977;U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit 1976 & 1982 (upon reorganization);U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas 1974; U.S. Court of Appeals For The Armed Forces 1988 Board Certified -- Commercial and Residential Real Estate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, since 1983 and 1984 respectively. PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS State Bar of Texas 1972-present Member State Bar Of Texas Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section, Litigation Section, Corporate, Banking and Business Law Sections, Military Law Section (Council Member 1986 to 1990) and Family Law Section Travis County Bar Association (also member Real Estate Litigation Sections); Co-Chairman Continuing Legal Education Planning Committee [Member 1991 -2001] and Moderator of the Civil Litigation Institute conducted April 1991; Co-Chairman Public Image Committee 1991-1992; Volunteer Mediator, Travis County District Courts Settlement Week, 1992-1998; Member Gender Equity Committee 1996-97, 1997-98; Williamson County Bar Association, Volunteer Mediator, Williamson County District Courts Settlement Week, 1999, 2000 Federal Bar Association, Austin Chapter (Treasurer 1994-1995; Program Committee Chair, 1994-1995; Delegate National Convention 1995, 1997; Secretary 1995-1996; Vice-President 1996-1997; President-Elect 1997 - 1998; President 1998- 1999; Chapter Delegate to National Council 1999- 2000, National Presidential Appointee as Delegate to National Council 2000-2001) College of the State Bar of Texas 1985-1994; Fellow-College of State Bar 1995-present The Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas 1992 through 1998 Texas Association of Bank Counsel (former member) Texas Savings and Loan League Counsel (former member) Advanced Real Estate Law Course, State Bar of Texas Planning Committee, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 (Chairman & Course Director 1999) and 2001 Real Estate Litigation Institute, State Bar of Texas Planning Committee, 1981, 1985, 1987, and 1996 (Chairman 1987) Dealing with Insolvent Organizations Institute, State Bar of Texas Planning Committee, 1989 Strategic Use of Liens Institute, State Bar of Texas Planning Committee 1990 United States Army Reserve, Colonel, previously assigned to Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Inspections from 1988-1993 Graduate, City of Austin Citizens Police Academy, 1993 Graduate, Travis County Sheriff's Department Citizens Sheriff Academy, Class No. II, 1994. AWARDS\HONORS Membership, Phi Delta Phi, University of Texas School of Law, 1970 Chairman, Trial Advocacy Association - 1971 Member, Moot Court Board - 1970 - 1971 Member, Board of Advocates and Order of Barristers - 1971 Best Brief Award (Criminal Case), University of Texas School of Law, Spring 1971 Best Brief Award (Criminal Case), State Bar of Texas, Summer 1971 Champion, State Bar of Texas Moot Court Competition Summer 1971 University of Texas School of Law CONSUL Award for Leadership by Faculty and Students - 1972 National Order of Barristers - 1972 Who’s Who In American Law - 1998 - 1999; 1999 - 2000 Fellow-College of the State Bar of Texas 1995 Fellow-Texas Bar Foundation 2000 State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral and Information Committee-2001-2004 LECTURER Finkelstein Texas Bar Review Course Federal Courts and Procedure and Texas Workmen's Compensation Law, 1974-1976 Real Estate Litigation Course, State Bar of Texas, “Earnest Money Contract Litigation,” 1981; “Suits Affecting Title to Real Property”, 1985; and Ethics: “The Texas Lawyer's Creed” 1996 Professional Liability: A Performance Enhancement Course, State Bar of Texas, 1986 Advanced Real Estate Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 Military Law Section Seminar, “Foreclosures and Loan Workouts,” State Bar of Texas, 1989 Dealing with Insolvent Organizations Institute, “Highlights of Federal Bankruptcy Law,” State Bar of Texas, 1989 Strategic Use of Liens Institute, “Do You Really Want To Foreclose (Environmental Concepts),” State Bar of Texas, 1990 Strategic Use of Liens Institute, “The New Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct From The Perspective Of A Civil Practitioner,” State Bar of Texas, 1990 Selected Topics in Litigation, State Bar of Texas, 1992 Boundary Law And Adjoining Landowner Disputes, “Boundary Line Disputes and Agreements and The Basics of Easements,” Professional Education Systems, Inc., 1997 Ethics, Ethics, Ethics Seminar, Travis County Bar Association, “Ethics: The Texas lawyer’s Creed(Revisited)” 2001 ARTICLES PUBLISHED “Trial Techniques in Texas,” 34 Texas Bar Journal 895, 1971 “Use of Prior Testimony of an Unavailable Witness,” 35 Texas Bar Journal 929, 1972 “Suits Affecting Titles to Real Property in Real Estate Litigation,” State Bar Real Estate Litigation Institute Series, 1985 “Real Estate Agent Liability,” State Bar of Texas Professional Liability (A Performance Enhancement Course), 1986 “Broker Liability Issues” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course, 1987 Chapter 14, “Real Estate Agents and Brokers,” Texas Torts and Remedies Treatise, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., 1988 “Highlights of the Federal Bankruptcy Law,” (co-author), State Bar of Texas Dealing With Insolvent Organizations Institute Series, 1989 “Revision of Asbestos Regulations,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course, 1990 “Boundary Disputes--So You Think That's Your Property Line?”, (co-author), State Bar of Texas Advance Real Estate Law Course, 1991 “Title Disputes and Basic Causes of Action,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course, 1993 “Earnest Money Contract Disputes,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course, 1996 “Ethics: The Texas Lawyer's Creed,” State Bar of Texas Real Estate Litigation Institute, 1996 “Boundary Line Disputes and Agreements,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course, 1997 "Boundary Line Disputes and Agreements and The Basics of Easements," Professional Education Systems, Inc., 1997 “Adverse Possession and the Trespass To Try Title Lawsuit,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Law Course, 1998 “Ethics: The Texas Lawyer's Creed (Revisited),” Travis County Bar Association, Ethics,Ethics,Ethics Seminar 2001 Boundary Disputes and Vacancies Chapter 2 Table of Contents I. SCOPE OF ARTICLE ......................................................... 1 II. BACKGROUND ............................................................. 1 III. EXTENT OF OWNERSHIP .................................................. 1 A. Property Rights ........................................................ 1 B. Uses of Land ........................................................... 2 IV. LOCATING THE BOUNDARY ............................................... 2 A. Intent ................................................................ 2 B. Construction .......................................................... 3 C. Priority and Dignity of Calls ............................................. 3 1. A Little History ................................................... 3 2. Natural Objects ................................................... 4 3. Artificial Objects ................................................. 4 4. Courses ......................................................... 4 5. Distances ....................................................... 4 6. Quantities ....................................................... 4 V. TYPES OF BOUNDARIES .................................................... 5 A. Private Land .......................................................... 5 B. Roads ................................................................ 5 C. Water Courses ........................................................ 5 1. Natural Water Courses ............................................. 5 2. Navigable Water Courses ........................................... 6 3. Non-navigable Water Courses ....................................... 6 4. Tidal Waters ..................................................... 6 5. Lakes .......................................................... 7 6. Accretion, Avulsion, or Reliction ..................................... 7 VI. BOUNDARY LINE AGREEMENTS ........................................... 7 A. Oral Agreements ...................................................... 7 B. Acquiescence .......................................................... 8 C. Written Agreements ...................................................