This past Thursday and Friday, I taught another course at the AGC of Virginia Richmond District headquarters. This time it was the “Contract Documents” module of the Supervisor Training Course. While similar to prior training I have given, the focus of the training was on field supervision and how best to run a construction project and avoid conflicts. Most of the attendees were superintendents and those that had “boots on the ground” for their construction companies.
After close to two years of COVID-related restrictions, it was great to get out and actually interact with those that practice construction here in Virginia. Not only does teaching remind me why I enjoy being a construction attorney, but I always learn something. As a Virginia construction lawyer, it is easy to forget that what I do affects how construction projects proceed. The contracts that I review have real-world consequences for those building things. Without talking with those that actually carry out the scopes of work in the “real world,” I could (and sometimes do) look at the contracts and legal advice I would give in a vacuum. While certain contractual clauses are somewhat non-negotiable and while some contracts, and the law in Virginia, would allow termination of a contract, advising on these types of matters without an eye toward the practical consequences of that advice on the finances and the smooth operation of a construction site would be short-sighted.
The two-way interaction provided by these trainings helps me keep my feet on the ground by allowing those that implement the advice to tell their stories and ask practical questions. This in turn informs my advising to my clients and others in the Virginia construction industry. In short, hearing directly from construction professionals like those that attended the class gives me more insight into the landscape in which construction occurs. I always come away from these classes I teach thinking that I learned at least as much as the participants and feel that teaching these classes keeps the advice I give practical.
Hopefully, I will continue to learn something from teaching every time I do it despite close to 20 years of dealing with construction law.
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