Multi-party and complex construction claims can be difficult to navigate, particularly through the early stages of litigation. This coursebook submission focuses on past experiences and best practices on how to properly wade through the challenges of complex claims, implementing procedural and substantive strategies that may mitigate issues, and streamlining the "life" of the litigation. As detail…
ALFA International Publications
“The construction industry desperately needs qualified, skilled craft professionals to build America.”[1] - Michael Bellaman, ABC President and CEO.
While we (hopefully) leave the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, the labor market for construction continues to follow trends from before the pandemic. As with many industries, construction continues to face problems associated with the supply chain. As …
The ready availability of construction equipment and the materials used to construct projects is critical to construction-project delivery worldwide. Whether by pandemic, inflation, war, protective tariffs, or increased competition for a finite supply, scarcity of parts and materials, and their price volatility have triggered project delays — and worse still — project cancellations. Constructors a…
Litigation of Construction Defect claims often brings together an admixture of product manufacturers, product sellers/distributors, and product installers. While these groups may coordinate and work together in the field, the joint-interests and common ground can be challenged in the context of a lawsuit.
The divergence of interest among these parties arises from several factors:
The s…
“When crews began demolishing the back of the former Grand Central nightclub for a planned eight-story office redevelopment in Mount Vernon, residents of the historic building next door noticed loud construction noise and, then, something more surprising:
Large cracks appeared under the windows and at one corner of the ornate Italianate structure dating back to the 1860s.
In one of the apartment…
THE HISTORY OF MODULAR CONSTRUCTION
What is Modular Construction?
Modular construction is a system of building a structure that assembles sections or modules of that structure off-site in a manufacturing plant, and then transports and assembles the sections or modules on site. The modules are often compared to building blocks or legos that “click” together on site to form a cohesive and complete s…
The Current State of Infrastructure In Light of the IIJA
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”) is a new law that provides much-needed investments aimed at improving America’s transportation infrastructure systems. The IIJA includes the largest increase in federal highway and public transportation investment in more than 50 years.[1]
The IIJA, which was signed into law on Novem…
Wrap Insurance
What is it?
A wrap-up policy is a risk financing option. It makes sense only on larger projects because of the increased cost of administration. Also known as a Controlled Insurance Program (“CIP”), it is centrally purchased and administered for a single project or a series of projects. CIPs provide insurance coverage for all or most of the project participants—own…
Since the Federal Aviation Administration has approved drones for commercial use, they have become the way of the future. Industries such as agriculture, construction, energy, insurance, and real estate, are just a few using drones as the way of the future. Even package delivery by drone will soon be a common part of our everyday lives.
Within the construction industry, drones and the rea…
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed the Way We Litigate and Mediate
In early 2020 the Global COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. To “flatten the curve,” social distancing measures were adopted in many countries, states, and cities, with those able to work from home using virtual meeting spaces to conduct business meetings and conferences. Facing executive orders and rules limiting in-person g…