A full-time practicing expert witness, land surveyor, author, speaker, educator and attorney, Charles “Tony” Nettleman, III has kept busy over the last 20 years.
AALM: Tell us about your career which has spanned research, engineering and teaching.
TN: Currently, I am the president/owner of Nettleman Land Consultants, Inc. and the CEO of NLC Test Prep.
I regularly testify in court proceedings regarding land surveyor standards of care, boundary disputes, easement, title issues, water rights disputes, and other surveying-related matters. I have been retained as an expert witness in dozens of court cases nationwide. My entire team at Nettleman Land Consultants, Inc. serves as a partner to efficiently resolve any land disputes using their depth of surveying knowledge, commitment to the objective truth and professional credibility.
I have held distinguished professorships at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, and Troy University. When not in the field or in the courtroom, I help surveyors become licensed. In fact, over the course of my career, I am proud to say that I have helped over 1,000 land surveyors become licensed.
I am the author or co-author of several surveying related reference publications, which have been collectively cited in over 200 court decisions throughout the United States. And, since 2016, I have given dozens of presentations to various state societies on a variety of topics.
AALM: You earned your Juris Doctor in 2014. While you’ve never practiced law, how has this degree shaped your work as an expert?
TN: Although I don’t regularly engage in the practice of law, holding a law degree helps me work closely with our attorney-clients in understanding the importance of having an expert to provide technical expertise to the subject matter. I tell people that as an expert, I am the “subject matter expert” and the attorney-client is the “legal expert.” This collaboration, in my experience, has empowered the property owner in confidently pursuing his or her claims in court.
Having a law degree also streamlines and clarifies the communication with our attorney-clients since I can speak and understand “legalese” when necessary. Also, I have a greater understanding of the litigation process itself. Additionally, I can more easily adjust my team’s workflow for a client’s matter based on court deadlines and procedures.
AALM: How would you describe your approach to your work as an expert witness?
TN: I take a collaborative approach to providing expert services. I work together with the attorney-client or property owner seeking a positive resolution to their dispute. Additionally, I use my teaching skills to educate the attorney-client and property owner on the more technical (and sometimes difficult to understand) aspects of property disputes, land boundary, title and water rights issues.
In my opinion and based on what I have seen through the course of my career, my approach is different than other experts. My approach is one grounded in collaboration and education. Objective fact finding to support my opinions forms the basis of every one of my expert reports and courtroom testimony. Unlike some other experts, I am not compensated to render a specific opinion. I am compensated to render an expert opinion based on the facts of the case and my extensive experience and subject matter knowledge.
AALM: Tell us a bit about the team that you’ve developed at Nettleman Land Consultants.
TN: I have a great team and couldn’t be successful without them. We have an assistant and vice president of expert services who handle a lot of the logistics and day-to-day communication with our clients. I have a financial controller who handles the books. For NLC Prep, we have a great sales team and customer fulfillment individuals. And I certainly can’t forget my field crew and technical assistants who help with property records research, drafting, and operating the equipment out in the field. We work together, meet regularly and keep each other accountable.
AALM: You’ve worked on disputes in multiple states. Would you say there are any areas that are particularly prone to these types of disputes?
TN: People own property all over the country (and the world!). Surveyors are located in every state (and around the world). Thus, a property dispute, title dispute or surveyor negligence matter could arise anywhere. That being said, I do find that many of the water rights’ cases I have handled are out of the state of Florida, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering how water-rich the state is. Recently, we have assisted in a couple of disputes concerning oil and mineral rights in New Mexico and Texas, which is fairly unique to those states.
