Happy 4th of July from Construction Law Musings.  As I sit here in my office after my first two days and weekend as a solo practitioner at The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill, PC, the idea of independence has a whole new meaning (hat tip to Carolyn Elefant of the My Shingle blog for pointing out my interesting, yet totally unplanned, timing for a move).

The independence of solo practice is both exhilarating and scary.  I feel like I am on a roller coaster at the top of that first, very tall, hill and looking down at the wild and great ride ahead of me.  I am in charge of my own destiny and feel like I am forging ahead into a new and exciting land of opportunity.  I don’t know if this is how the pioneers felt (I find it hard to relate to them as I type on a computer and see my blackberry blinking beside me), but the idea that I am both in control of and totally responsible for the future of my law practice is a wonderful feeling.

I will certainly be working as hard or harder than I was before, but I am working for myself and my family with total focus.  If I need something, I go get it (within reason of course).  No more “bucking it up the chain of command” because I am the first, last and middle link of that chain.

Thank you again to my absolutely wonderful wife and children for their awesome support throughout this change.  Without their support my transition never would have happened.

As I reflect on my move to solo practice, I can’t help but be thankful that I live in the United States where such a move is possible thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of everyone who works to keep this country free.

Happy Independence Day everyone!

As always, I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Construction Law Musings.

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This was last year, I’m sure I’ll have a similar post this year as well.

As Musings enters the end of its first year in existence, I am humbled by the great reaction this little corner of the blawgosphere has garnered.  To all the guest posters, I truly appreciate your time and effort in sharing your expertise, wisdom and insight into different aspects of the contracting and construction landscape.  Musings would not have the breadth and depth it does without you.

To all my readers, I thank you for your continued interest and the comments that you take the time to make.  Please consider voting for Musings for the Blawg 100 to keep the momentum going.  The deadline, should you choose to vote for Musings, is October 2, 2009.

I hope you will consider a vote and keep the comments coming.

As always, please comment below and subscribe to keep up with the latest Musings.

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Musings would like to thank @22twts for the great “Twitterview.” I enjoyed the format and the great use of Twitter. Please follow him and check out the archives at 22 Tweets.

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I want to say how grateful I am to all who read this new blog. I truly appreciate the time folks have taken to read my rants, comment on my posts, tweet their thoughts and generally let me know how they feel. I hope to continue to keep your confidence and look forward to hearing what you would like more info on as this community and blog grows.

Have a wonderful holiday and I hope we can continue the conversation in 2009.

Chris

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http://documents.scribd.com.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/jg5pb1ilsujg14w.pdf?t=1271778294

As always, I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Construction Law Musings.

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Safety Codes Lack Standards For Critical Crane Repairs ENR: Engineering News Record McGraw-Hill Construction

A post from ENR about yet another safety failure by OSHA. Do we need more regulation or just better enforcement? Join the conversation and let me know.

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Not only will Musings get a great post on legal tech, we get to post at the Studio while she’s busy looking the other way!  I look forward to it, and so should you.

Thanks for the great idea Martha.

UPDATE: The link to the post at the Studio is here.

As always, I welcome your comments below.  Please subscribe to keep up with this and other Construction Law Musings.

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THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY POSTED IN FEBRUARY OF 2009.  E-VERIFY IS ACTIVE AND HAS BEEN FOR A WHILE.  FOR MORE, CHECK THE RELATED POST LINKS

In a sudden rash of common sense, the Federal government has shelved implementation of the controversial proposed regulation, based upon an amendment to Executive Order 12989, that would make use of the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify System mandatory for contractors working on Federal projects. The proposed regulation also extends E-Verify use to all employees of a contractor.

The E-Verify system is Internet-based system that checks the names and Social Security numbers of all its workers against Social Security Administration and DHS data. The system either verifies that the information matches or gives the employer a “tentative non-conformation.” After a non-conformation notice, the employee must then resolve any non-confirmation issues in order to be eligible to work in the United States. If the mismatch is not resolved and the employee remains with the company, the employer faces losing its federal contracts.

Originally scheduled to be implemented in January, the regulation will not take effect until May of 2009 at the earliest. The Chamber of Commerce filed suit in December of 2008 to challenge the regulation. For now E-Verify usage is voluntary and only applies to new hires should a federal contractor wish to use the system.

The good news? At least until May, federal contractors can breathe easily that one more administrative cost will be postponed for an already stressed construction industry.

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I want to take a minute to say thank you to all who read and comment here at Musings.  I find it hard to believe that almost a year of Musings has gone by.  I am very grateful for the friends I’ve made on and off line in the last year and look forward to making more.  I particularly want to thank those that have given me guidance and support in the last year with constructive tips and friendly suggestions.  Additionally, I want to thank those that contributed their personal musings and enriched this corner of the web with Guest Post Friday posts.  Without all of the input from too many places and people to name, Musings would not be the place it is today.

Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving Day!

© Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 U.S. license.

The much anticipated “live” version of the Federal E-Verify program began September 8, 2009. This much awaited, and debated, program hit the ground after legal challenges and some watering down of language.  This program requires federal contractors to use the “E-Verify” program to confirm the legal immigration status of present and future employees.

However, the debate is far from over.  As James McConnell points out, false positives and false negatives based on the use of E-Verify are almost a certainty.  For this reason, legal challenges are sure to follow.  Additionally, without a further appropriation from Congress, funding for this program may very well dry up, leaving it as an unfunded mandate.  Musings will keep an eye on the latest developments.

Contractors should also keep an eye out for changes and updates to the program and its requirements.  The wrinkles are not all ironed out and changes could be on the way.

I would enjoy hearing thoughts from contractors and those with an eye toward the legal issues presented by this hastily rolled out program.

If you have thoughts on the E-Verify program, please comment below.  Also, please subscribe to keep up with the latest Musings.

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