Thoughts on construction law from Christopher G. Hill, Virginia construction lawyer, LEED AP, mediator, and member of the Virginia Legal Elite in Construction Law

Sustainable Construction

Sustainable Construction is Here to StaySustainable “green” construction is in the news and here to stay.

Here at Construction Law Musings, we like to keep up with the world of sustainable construction and the legal issues that face contractors, subcontractors and even construction lawyers relating to this growing field.  The topics range from LEED certification issues to potential risks and rewards of “green” building and how to draft your construction contract to plan for such risks and take advantage of the rewards.

These posts are not just my “musings,” but those of many individuals who have posted in the Guest Post Friday series.  I hope that you will check out the posts below (or click here if on a mobile device) and let me know your thoughts.

Musings: Moving or Going into a New Service Area, There is More to It Than Just…

Originally posted 2014-08-08 09:00:50. For this week’s Guest Post Friday here at Construction Law Musings, we would like to welcome back (again) Sean Lintow Sr. (@The_HTRC) Sean has over 20 years in the construction and project management fields. As many know he pulled up stakes and moved to the State of Illinois almost a year

CALGreen. It’s finally here. Now what?

Originally posted 2017-03-22 13:35:13. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, Musings welcomes Imad Naffa.  Imad was the Founder and President of NAFFA International, a private Building Code Services firm in Fresno, CA. He is also the Developer and Administrator of the Building Code Discussions Group (BCDG), one of the largest building code online communities on

Certification Bodies: Who Are They And How Do I Do Business With Them?

Originally posted 2016-01-14 14:20:31. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, Musings welcomes back Doug Reiser (@douglasreiser) for the fourth time.  Doug is a construction attorney, LEED AP and the principal at Reiser Legal PLLC in Seattle, WA. His office provides construction counsel for businesses in the construction industry. He also runs the Builders Counsel, a blog focused

Random Thoughts on LEED Challenges and De-certification

Originally posted 2010-05-10 09:00:01. Here at Musings, we have discussed the issues to do with LEED de-certification because of energy reporting (or lack thereof) by the owner of the building.  Remember the italicized portion of this last sentence, because the de-certification discussion has taken a new turn.  Now, not only can the Owner of a

Personal Musings on the LEED AP Process

Originally posted 2015-12-25 10:00:48. As a new LEED AP, I could not help but reflect on my studying and the learning curve that I went through during the process. First of all, thank you to all who helped along the way. Your support and advice was invaluable to my success. Without the support of family

LEED Certification Challenges: What is “Close Enough”?

Originally posted 2014-10-13 09:15:02. There have been many discussions lately regarding the Northland Pines challenge to the LEED certification of its high school facility recently rejected by the USGBC, notably at the Builder’s Counsel Blog and at the Green Building Law Update.  You can check out the Green Building Law Update link for the entire

Musings On the LEED De-Certification Firestorm

Originally posted 2010-12-13 09:00:10. Much debate has occurred relating to the USGBC determination to use potential de-ceritification of buildings as an enforcement mechanism to assure energy reporting guidelines are met. As ENR reported last week, this new requirement has caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth. My question is this: Why the fuss? When you

Limiting Services Can Lead to Increased Liability

Originally posted 2012-04-06 09:00:08. For this week’s Guest Post Friday Musings, we welcome Nick Pacella.  Nick is an architect licensed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. His practice has spanned several economic swings and he has been able to reposition the eggs in his basket to make the most of each recovery. He is

Communicate Right: Communicate and Write

Originally posted 2015-02-09 09:51:26. For this week’s Guest Post Friday, we welcome back Melissa Dewey Brumback.  Melissa is a North Carolina construction lawyer and a partner at Ragsdale Liggett in Raleigh. She mostly represents architects and engineers in construction-related lawsuits. She also guides owners, developers, general contractors, and designers in drafting effective, efficient contract documents