Posted on by Clayton Walker

Alaska Attorney Headed to Annual ABA Conference

ABA Conference on Construction Law
Clayton Walker, Jr.

PRESS RELEASE

Who:  Clayton Walker, Jr. of Alaska Law Offices, Inc., 240 E. Tudor Ste. 230, Anchorage, AK 99503  907-375-9277.

What:  The American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on the Construction  Annual Meeting:  Themed: Surfing the Next Wave: The Future of Construction Law.

When April 25-27

Where:  DanaPoint, Calif.

Why:  Building the Best Construction Lawyers.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on the Construction Industry will hold its annual meeting, entitled “Surfing the Next Wave: The Future of Construction Law and Practice,” April 25-27 in Dana Point, Calif. The event will focus on technological advances for construction projects; the future of government regulation for preference programs and workforce issues; the future of construction insurance, bonding, and construction law practice; and the globalization of construction alternative dispute resolution.

 

 

  • THE LEGAL ISSUES ARISING FROM FUTURE ON-SITE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

The construction industry is finally focusing on its lack of productivity and efficiencies compared to other industries and is looking to advanced technology to change the paradigm. This session looks at the potential roles of emerging super hi-technology in construction, including robotics, modular construction, new contracting and administration techniques, and some key legal issues that may arise with the use of these new and emerging construction concepts, methods and materials.

 

  • PREFERENCE PROGRAMS IN PUBLIC PROJECTS: WILL THIS TREND CONTINUE?

This session is an opportunity to learn about future trends in federal, state and local government procurement, and particularly the expansion of programs to involve disadvantaged, small and local, disabled veteran-owned, minority-owned, and women-owned contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, to require use of U.S. and local products and services (Buy America, ARRA and state/local initiatives) to protect particular industry sectors (anti-bid shopping laws), and to provide greater access to bonding

  •  THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE AND BONDING

What is the future of construction insurance and bonding and the law that governs them? Will domestic and international underwriting standards, coverages, and policy language begin to merge? Will there continue to be coverage for construction defects? Will subcontractor default insurance continue to make inroads into the surety market and will law governing it develop? Will legislatures eliminate the statutory requirements for bonds?

 

  • THE CONSTRUCTION LAWYER’S TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX

(Presented in conjunction with the ABA Law Practice Management Section)

The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct now state that a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, “including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.” This session showcases both hardware and software beneficial to a construction lawyer’s practice, while both in and out of the office. These new practice management tools have the potential to enhance client service many-fold, and are likely integral to the new paradigm that is “practicing construction law” in the 21st Century.

 

  • LEGAL SERVICES ARISING FROM NEW PROCUREMENT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES

New technologies are revolutionizing the way projects are bid, negotiated, memorialized, and managed. This session examines the legal services that will likely be spawned by future advances in procurement and back office project management, such as internet-based procurement, reverse online auctions, on-line real time simultaneous contract drafting and

 

  • FORECASTING CHANGE IN CONSTRUCTION LAW PRACTICE — IDENTIFYING THE TRENDS AND TOOLS FOR THRIVING IN A CHANGING MARKETPLACE

This session explores how the construction business is changing and where the practice of construction law is headed. Given the dramatic need for construction services in the developing world, how will this globalization of the industry impact U.S. construction lawyers? What effect will the emergence of the “non-firm” law firm, contract lawyers, and outsourcing of legal services have? How will growing pressure to control fees and costs drive law firms’ use of technology and the possible use of construction litigation funding? Future consumers of legal services will likely demand counsel with higher levels of specialization, so how can small firms and solo practice lawyers compete in a more segmented legal market?

 

  • THE FUTURE IS NOW — THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON CONSTRUCTION DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The project may be in your backyard, but the architect is from Sweden, the general contractor is owned by a Spanish conglomerate, and the steel is from China. Your local project may use the FIDIC contract forms, not AIA; and the UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods, not the UCC; and the New York Convention, not the Federal Arbitration Act, may be the governing law. Dispute resolution is as likely to be under ICC, ICDR, LCIA, or UNCITRAL rules as AAA. International norms are revolutionizing construction contracting and will influence the dispute resolution process. This session will explore the impacts of globalization on the future of domestic dispute resolution.

 

For more information on the event click here:

http:://www.americanbar.org/groups/construction_industry.html.

 

For more information regarding this seminar, you can contact Mr. Walker at [email protected] or visit our website at www.aloinc.com.