I hope everyone had a great
summer! I certainly did. One of the highlights for me was a trip to Alaska for
the Forum’s Annual Planning Retreat where I got to see a beautiful state with
my family and work with Forum Leadership to plan an exciting year of Forum
events. Forum Chair Keith Bergeron led us in a session on strategies for better
communication which is sure to set a tone for great collaboration and
communication within the Forum.
While it is sad to say goodbye to summer, the
Fall has a special energy. The kids go back to school. Football season starts.
And for the Forum devotees, we get to kick off another fantastic bar year.
If
you are new to the Forum or to Division 1, please join me on Zoom for the next "Get to Know D1" call on Thursday, September 26, Noon ET. During this call, I
will break down all the great work and activities Division 1 has to offer, give
tips for getting involved in Division 1 and the Forum, talk about how people
get into leadership, and answer questions. To join, click
here: https://phelps.zoom.us/j/3094394839?omn=89201225567
or go to Zoom and use Meeting ID: 309 439 4839.
You can also join Division 1's monthly business meetings held on the second Thursday of each month at 3:00 ET. To join, click here: https://phelps.zoom.us/j/83282456686?pwd=dGZzbWQ1QXp5WmxtdWJzNTh1UzVVUT09
or go to Zoom and use Meeting ID: 832 8245 6686 and Password: D1.
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At the Forum salmon fishing
trip with my kids
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Division 1 will have great
programming at each meeting this year, but I want to highlight the new
Practicum series on discovery in construction litigation that we are kicking
off at the Fall meeting happening in Pittsburgh October 23-25, 2024. We will
start the day on October 23, 2024 with our annual Division 1 planning retreat at
the conference hotel where we will network, brainstorm and plan for upcoming
programs. I invite you all to join us. In the afternoon, we will present a
practicum on “Mastering Document Discovery.” We will explore best practices and
practical lessons for effective document discovery in construction cases. Our
experienced panel will cover how to efficiently collect, manage and review
electronic information, how to draft your ESI protocols, and how to be sure you
discover the documents relevant to damages.
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| Hiking with former D1 Chair Cassidy Rosenthal |
The Mid-Winter Meeting is set
for January 15-17, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Our practicum on January 15 will be
focused on fact discovery. The session will focus on how to conduct fact
depositions in a construction case, interviewing your client’s witnesses,
preparing your client for depositions of their corporate representatives, and
dealing with third party witnesses. We will wrap up the series at the Annual
Meeting in Austin, Texas in April 2025 with a focus on expert discovery in
construction litigation. The panel will teach attendees how to effectively work
with experts in pursuit and defense of claims in a construction case.
In addition to this exciting
practicum series, we have a diverse set of Toolbox Talks scheduled monthly from
now until the end of the year. You can check out the full schedule on the
Dispute Resolver Blog under Upcoming Programs and events. Our next call is on
August 29 at noon EDT when Don Rea will analyze the issues arising from
undocumented change order work. To register, go to the following link: https://americanbar.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYrduyqqTMqE9IROXDz3DGo9wlDjsGnD7fB#/registration
I recently heard this African proverb, “If you want to go
fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It reminded me how lucky I
am to be surrounded by great colleagues and friends at my firm and in the Forum
and Division 1 communities. Join us!
Editor-in-Chief Marissa L. Downs is a construction attorney in Chicago, Illinois where she has been practicing law since 2009. Marissa is a partner at Laurie & Brennan, LLP and represents owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in all phases of project procurement, claim administration, litigation, and arbitration/trial. Marissa can be contacted at mdowns@lauriebrennan.com.
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