Convert Legal description to Longitude & Latitude

earthpoint.us has a great tool that came in handy for me just last week.  If you're looking for the physical location of a property you can enter the township, range and section and convert that information to longitude and latitude (or vice versa).  Very helpful in rural condemnation cases.

edit: this tool from the University of Montana appears to do the same thing.

Show Links to Appendices on SDCL website with Greasemonkey Userscript

I came up with a quick and dirty method of linking to the appendices on the SDCL website.  Previously the only way (that I'd found) to get to them online was via a text search.  I've created a userscript that adds links to the appendices of SDCL 15-6. 

You must be using Firefox and have Greasemonkey installed.  See the homepage here or install the script here.

I'd be happy to make more for any other specific chapters anyone suggests.  Drop us an email at techoflaw@gmail.com with your request.

Easy Outlook Date Calculations

No more counting! No more counting! No more counting!

If you happened to be walking by my office door a few minutes ago you may have heard this cheer, followed by my clumsily tripping over a bankers box full of papers.  OK, I didn't actually do a cheer (I did trip over the box though), but I was excited enough that I felt like doing one.

I just discovered a drop-dead simple way of setting future reminders in Outlook (ex, 30 days 'discovery responses due'). 

1. Create a new appointment in your Outlook Calendar like you would anything else;
2. Give it a subject;
3.  For the "Start Time" use a plain text description of what you want to do.  It recognizes all sorts of text strings here's a few that I've tested and work for sure in Outlook 2003
• "30 days after today" 
• "45 days after tomorrow" 
• "3 days before June 25th"  (a/k/a The "if-you-haven't-bought-an-anniversary-present-yet-drive -immediately-to-a-jewelry-store-you-idiot" reminder)
  
• "two weeks after today"
•  unfortunately it doesn't seem to recognize "weekdays" or "business days" for the sub-11 day time periods.
  
4. Hit "Tab" and then save the appointment.
   

This is going to be an extremely helpful little trick to help you stay on top of future due dates