Do I Really Need to Create Corporate Minutes?

From time to time I get asked this question from small business owners. My response is typically a question along these lines, “How attached are you to your boat?” This might sound like a strange response, and it certainly does not apply in all circumstances, but the...

Language You Need for an Enforceable Arbitration Clause

By Stephen A. Hilger This is Part 2 in a 20-part series of articles dealing with issues of arbitration in the construction industry.  Arbitration is voluntary Absent a statute to the contrary, arbitration is a voluntary, contractual process. A court will not require...

Construction Disputes: Arbitration or Litigation?

By Stephen A. Hilger This is Part 1 in a 20-part series of articles dealing with issues of arbitration in the construction industry. The question of whether to arbitrate or litigate disputes comes up fairly frequently in the construction industry. From my humble...
AIA 2017 – What’s New About The Old?

AIA 2017 – What’s New About The Old?

By Aileen Leipprandt In April 2017, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) released the 2017 editions of its flagship agreements, including the Owner-Contractor Agreement (A101), Owner-Contractor Agreement, Cost Plus a GMP (A-102), the General Conditions of...

Minding Your Zoning Ps & Qs

By Aileen Leipprandt Some say it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. That’s not the case when it comes to complying with zoning ordinances, as recently learned by defendants in a zoning enforcement action brought by the Village of Pentwater. In Village of...

Labor Under the Federal Miller Act: The Known Unknown

By Daniel Hatch Here’s what we know. On federal projects, the Miller Act requires prime contractors to furnish a payment bond “for the protection of all persons supplying labor and material in carrying out the work provided for in the contract for the use of each...