Contractor licensing violations raise serious concerns for all parties. For an owner, an unlicensed contractor may affect financing options on one end and the contractor’s entitlement to recover profits on the other end. For contractors, a licensing violation can have a crippling effect on all projects, the ability to perform, and the ultimate ability to
Best Practices
Email Sent After Final Payment Held Insufficient to Preserve Timeliness of Claim Against Government
They say that hindsight is 20/20. Who is they, anyway? The old proverb means that it is easy to understand something after it has already happened. In the world of construction contracts, preservation of claims made in hindsight does not always get you what you want.
In Appeal of Matcon Diamond, Inc., ASBCA No.…
Tornadoes and Other Catastrophic Events Can Cripple a Construction Project—And How to Respond
I missed it by less than an hour. I was working late last week and left my office right before midnight … which happened to be right before a Category 5 tornado ripped through the outskirts of downtown Nashville and then proceeded to East Nashville and Putnam County. The next morning, the skies were clear…
Lump Sum or Cost-Plus Contract: You Can’t Have It Both Ways
As a single dad of a handful of kids, my evenings and weekends are always a joyful ride. Just last weekend, I had a mini trial with one of my Littles who, get this, wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house, but also wanted to go to the movies with her other siblings. …
Construction Law Summit in Nashville: How to Claim an Invitation!
I have been blogging for over 10 years now. I have spoken at construction and leadership conferences all over the country. Do you want to know my favorite place to speak?
My favorite place to speak is wherever I am. That’s right, I enjoy people-meeting, story-telling, and especially problem-solving. Best Practices Construction Law is…
What About Changes? A Lesson from the Side of the Interstate on Christmas Morning
You know that I have a lot of kids. But what you may not know is that our family went through a major change last year—their mom and I got a divorce. And so … like a construction project sometimes riddled with uncertainty … we each have a choice about how we are going to…
9 Best Practice Tips for a Schedule Analysis of Construction Delays

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The Broccoli Incident: Making Sure You Ask for What You Want In Construction Claims
You may have met my 22 year old Princess when she was 11. A few years ago, I was teaching her about grace … undeserved merit or favor.
Well, my daughter was stalling and delaying on eating her meal … by almost an hour. So, naturally, I saw this as a teachable moment.
“Honey,
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Can A Construction Contractor Email Notice of a Claim? Maybe!
A few years ago, I did a post on whether a digital signature in a construction contract was valid. Given the regularity by which parties now communicate by email, it is certainly a subject worth revisiting.
In United States ex rel. Cummins-Wagner Co., Inc. v. Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Maryland, the United States…
Arbitrator: Produce Those Construction Documents . . . And Me: You Have No Authority!
Construction disputes often involve voluminous amounts of discovery, including documents in the hand of third parties. And if the case is subject to arbitration, it is likely that there will be a dispute about whether the arbitrator has the authority to compel production of third-party documents or witnesses for deposition.
On September 18, 2019, in …