This past weekend was the 34th Annual Construction and Public Contracts Law Seminar at the Boars Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA. I have stated my thoughts on this great seminar in the past and my feelings haven’t changed.
I began attending the event in 2009 at the encouragement of Brett Marston, a good friend and one of the authors over at the Virginia Construction Law Update (I encourage a twitter follow at @vaconstrlawyers for those that want to get another perspective on VA construction law). I have attended every year since (except the 2010 seminar when I was busy getting my firm up and running). Each and every year I come away from it with a better understanding of the nuance of my chosen profession. The speakers are always knowledgeable and the information more than worth the price of admission.
The topics this year ranged from the pitfalls inherent in state and local government contracting (and how to avoid them) to e-discovery (it’s just like regular discovery, just with more of it and an “e” in front of it) to construction scheduling. As you can see, the range of legal and practical topics is a good one.
While the great information (not to mention the total of 12 MCLE hours with 2 ethics hours) is worth both joining the Construction Law & Public Contracts Section and attending the seminar, this is only a portion of the great benefit I get from attendance. I have “mused” on many occasions about the need for “boots on the ground” and face to face networking. Attendance at this event and being active at breaks in the action to try and meet at least one new person at each one led to my membership in the Board of Governors (a group of great construction lawyers and judges with whom I’m honored to be affiliated) of the section and, even more importantly, friendships and connections with lawyers across our fair commonwealth. The friendships and connections have helped me to assist clients on many an occasion, whether with the ability to “bend the ear” of another knowledgeable attorney, or to refer (or be referred) a piece of business in a manner that keeps the client happy.
So thanks to all of you who attended this great weekend. To those of you I missed saying “hi” to: Sorry I missed you. To those of you interested in construction law that are not members of the section, I encourage you to join, it’s a great group of lawyers and people that I enjoy hanging out with. The fun and other benefits of membership will more than pay for the section dues.
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