Easements—the rights to use the land of another—are abundant in our world, but few people have more than a vague idea what they mean and how they work, let alone how to create them and terminate them when their usefulness has passed.  This CLE presentation will discuss the steps and considerations in creating an express easement (such as parties, estates, and uses), and will also touch on the different varieties of non-express easements recognized by Virginia law.  It will then shift to the termination or release of existing easements, both by express release and also by non-express terminations.  The presentation will touch on some of the peculiarities of Virginia law as it pertains to easements, and also some of the pitfalls that await unwary practitioners.

Minturn Wright 

Partner

Shannon & Wright LLP

Minturn Wright is a founding partner at Shannon & Wright LLP where he primarily focuses his practice in Real Estate transactions and Litigation matters.

Minturn’s three decades of experience as a lawyer have been almost equally divided between real estate transfers and other transactions on the one hand, and litigation (principally real estate, tax appeals and tax sales, civil rights, and insurance defense) on the other. He also has had experience dealing with environmental issues, business entities (corporations, limited liability companies, and the like), and trademark issues, particularly licensing.

Minturn has worked at firms ranging from large international firms to small boutiques. Most recently, he was at Rich Rosenthal Brincefield Manitta Dzubin & Kroeger, LLP, where he concentrated in real estate and business issues, and affiliated with a property tax consultancy, working against over-taxation. In addition, he has done pro bono work for a wide range of non-profit and governmental organizations, and sits on the governing boards of a number of charitable foundations.

Minturn earned a B.S. in biology and lettered in crew at Yale. He earned an M.S. in biology from the University of Southern California on the way to law school at U.S.C. His law dissertation concerned the ownership of Antarctica and its natural resources. After finishing law school, Minturn completed his graduate work, earning a Ph.D. in biology, also from U.S.C. His work centered around natural antibiotics from marine invertebrates and on the larvae of calcareous tubeworms. His scientific background enables him to understand many issues quickly and allows for creative approaches and thinking in his legal work.

In addition to being a lawyer, Minturn makes guest presentations at local schools, has taught college-level material, has written articles for scientific journals, and has participated in a number of academic and professional conferences and research expeditions. He is a big believer in participatory democracy, and probably will not be in the office on Election Day.