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| COVID-19 Time Capsule Photo. Note the Forum branded vest. Buff for face coverings. And, of course, the long hair with a hat! |
For the past nine years, the ABA Forum on Construction Law's Division 1 (Litigation & Dispute Resolution) has been an active, fun, and rewarding part of my career.
One of my goals was to work to improve our blog that Tony and I started many years ago. I am jazzed about the planning Catherine Delorey, TDR's Editor-in-Chief, has done to improve this blog. She scheduled numerous meetings with interested participants and has finally formed an impressive editorial team of contributors:
First, I attended D1's breakfasts/lunches. I tested out 2-3 Divisions at the time to see which one fit the best.
Next, I attended a D1 Planning Retreat as a guest and started to communicate with the D1 Chair (Buzz Tarlow) about involvement. He asked that I draft the Division meeting minutes, join the publications subcommittee, and serve as D1 liaison to the Forum's Membership Committee.
Tony Lehman (former D1 Chair and incoming Governing Committee Member) and I, with the assistance of others (oddly mostly named Anthony or Tony), started The Dispute Resolver blog under Buzz' guidance. We did it in PDF / paper format for a number of years before transitioning it to this blog. Working as one of the editors of this The Dispute Resolver blog led me to becoming the Editor of the Forum's publication, Under Construction, in 2015. I also serve as an at-large member of the Membership Committee doing various things for the Forum. None of those leadership opportunities would have been available without Division 1!
Following the incredible leadership of Buzz, Luis Prats, Nick Holmes, Tony Lehman, and Cassidy Rosenthal, it is now my time to serve as the Division 1 Chair. I am SO EXCITED to work with you all! I view my role as D1 Chair to be a matchmaker / facilitator for our members. You tell me what you are thinking and I do my best to give you an opportunity:
If you have an idea, I want to hear it.
If you want to volunteer, but don't know how, contact me and I will find a place for you.
If you don't know why it makes sense to get involved with the Forum or Division 1, reach out to any of Division 1's Steering Committee members. You will find out that each of them have stories similar to mine.
If you are a trial attorney, arbitrator, mediator in the construction industry, we want to hear from you on The Dispute Resolver, we want you to speak at one of our programs, we want you to help plan our events, and/or we want your input.While Division 1 is one of the larger Divisions of the Forum, we have a strong steering committee and dedicated volunteers. So, you have the benefit of a larger platform while being able to form strong contacts within Division 1.
One of my goals was to work to improve our blog that Tony and I started many years ago. I am jazzed about the planning Catherine Delorey, TDR's Editor-in-Chief, has done to improve this blog. She scheduled numerous meetings with interested participants and has finally formed an impressive editorial team of contributors:
- Megan Burnett
- Patrick McKnight
- Lexie Pereira (a law student!)
- Christopher Wise
I can't wait to see the great articles this team publishes in the coming months! Thank you for your efforts!
In addition to this blog, remember to join Division 1's ABA Connect Page and set your notifications to current notifications (as opposed to digests). This will ensure you get our posts as soon as they are made.
I know the past 3+ months have been a challenge for us all in dealing with COVID-19. The numerous zoom calls I have had with Forum members over the past months have made it a lot better for me. Whether a zoom happy hour, webinars, or business meetings, this technology has enabled Forum members to stay connected throughout the country. Division 1's monthly calls (second Monday at 3PM) will be on the zoom platform and I welcome each of you at attend:
Click here to join
Meeting ID: 669-178-3882Password: ForumCL2020!
Before our next call (July 14th), send me your ideas or express your interest in joining Division 1 in a more active manner. I will add you to our "Friends of D1" email list and work with you on getting a D1 job!
Looking forward to collaborating with all of Division 1's Members -- new and old! If you have questions, reach out. Stay safe and be well.
Tom Dunn, Division 1 Chair
Pierce Atwood LLP
508-838-9779 (m)
#TheDisputeResolver #FCL_D1
I am happy to see the Dispute Resolver revitalized and back on track with posting regularly! Keep up the great work, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
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