It seems that lawyers spend a lot of time dealing with problems and crises, but it is healthy to celebrate successes as well. Here are a few things around Seattle that we can celebrate.
Sound Transit continues its expansion of the light rail system. The station next to Husky Stadium opened in March, connecting folks
Indemnity provisions are often among the most negotiated and least understood provisions of commercial contracts, and construction contracts are no exception to this rule. Despite, and perhaps because of, the importance of these clauses, they have evolved into an almost impenetrable jumble of legal terminology.
This jumble of words is not, however, without meaning. Although
The recent termination of the joint venture of Skanska-Hunt from the Washington State Convention Center project (article here) is a good reminder of the importance of well-written termination clauses in your owner-contractor contracts. The reasons for termination (or “severance,” a slightly kinder word) can be many, including failure to agree on pricing (the reason
Design-build is growing in popularity with public owners. But it presents challenges and potential pitfalls for the unwary. In my recent article for the Daily Journal of Commerce, I address some of those challenges and pitfalls and offer considerations that go into a successful design-build project. Read the full article here.
“An Introduction
On May 6, 2015, the Design-Build Institute of America (“DBIA”) released a suite of new bond forms prepared specifically for design-build projects. According to DBIA’s press release, the forms were co-authored by designers and builders and have been endorsed by two surety industry groups. As with any industry template form, consultation with an attorney is
In my latest Daily Journal of Commerce Construction column, I discuss some the potential risks for project teams to consider when drafting construction agreements under the current version of the LEED building rating program (3.0). Version 3.0 provides for Minimum Program Requirements ("MPRs") which a project must comply with to be certified under the LEED
Those that “dig in the dirt” are very familiar with the Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT), which was launched in 2003 by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA). Over the years California has enacted several statutes requiring anyone moving dirt to notify a regional notification center of the area of planned disturbance that may impact a subsurface
Residential and non-residential contractors in California have been waiting for the new California energy-related regulations to be issued for the January 1, 2014 compliance deadline. Although many became effective on January 1, delays in the software performance compliance programs by the California Energy Commission required that additional time be provided for contractors to obtain and
The City of Seattle is replacing the two-level highway viaduct that dominates the downtown shoreline with a two-level tunnel. A very large tunnel boring machine, named Bertha in honor of an early Seattle mayor, has been excavating the tunnel for several months. In December, Bertha encountered an unknown obstruction and came to a halt. Seattleites
In my latest Daily Journal of Commerce Construction column, I discuss generally the grounds for, and the potential consequences of, certification challenges on LEED-rated projects. As LEED-certified projects grow in popularity and abundance in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere, all project participants need to know the basis for challenging LEED certification and the impacts arising from