2025-516-E-DEAPR-Kennon Craver, Attorneys at Law-Legal services for completing Orange County's purchase of a conservation easement

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4011 university drive, suite 300, durham, nc 27707  post office box 51579, durham, nc 27717-1579 TELEPHONE 919 490 0500 FAX 919 490 0873  www.kennoncraver.com bferrell@kennoncraver.com ENGAGEMENT MEMORANDUM To: Orange County, North Carolina Attn: Christian Hirni, Land Conservation Manager Via Email: chirni@orangecountync.gov From: Brian M. Ferrell, Attorney, Kennon Craver, PLLC Date: August 12, 2025 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for considering engaging Kennon Craver, PLLC to assist with the purchase of a conservation easement from Darin Knapp and Jane Saiers over properties in Orange County, North Carolina having PIN Numbers 9861-27-9688 and 9861-28-7047 (collectively the “Property”). This letter summarizes the basis on which our firm will provide legal services and how we will be paid for our services. I will be primarily responsible for the matter. I may use other attorneys and/or paralegals in the best exercise of my professional judgment. If, at any time, you have questions or concerns, please contact me at once. I. Title Search We will perform a title search on the Property. The nature of that search may take on one of two forms, depending upon whether the title to the Property has previously been insured. If the title has not been previously insured, a search of the public records for a period satisfactory to the title insurance company will be required. If the title has previously been insured, we can obtain coverage for the County by having the title examined from the effective date of that coverage to the present. The process of performing only a limited title search is what is known as “tacking”. If we tack to an existing title insurance policy, the County will be relying on its policy of title insurance and not our having examined the public records for any matter affecting title prior to the date of the existing policy of title insurance to which we tacked. Therefore, absent your timely objection, we will determine if title insurance coverage exists on the Property and, if so, have the public records examined only from the date of that coverage to the present. In other words, absent your timely objection, we will “tack” to that existing policy of title insurance. This procedure will enable us to keep the County’s costs to a minimum while, at the same time, providing full title insurance coverage, should the County elect to purchase a policy. If we are unable to locate a prior title policy for the Property we will conduct a “full” title search for the period required by the North Carolina Real Property Title Act of not less than thirty (30) years. Be advised that title insurance, while a valuable insurance coverage, does not cover all damage that may arise from a title defect. Title insurance also does not necessarily provide immediate relief in the form of the payment of a claim given title insurers have a reasonable time to correct defects in title which the insurer reasonably believes can be corrected. What constitutes a “reasonable time” depends upon the nature Docusign Envelope ID: 43880E1A-E019-465B-814A-98B2D6D6936C