Cambridge Massachusetts Building Expert Directory

Meet the Forum's In-House Counsel: ERIN CANNON-WELLS

June 26, 2023 — Jessica Knox - The Dispute Resolver
Company: Keller North America, Inc. Email: ecannon@keller-na.com Website: https://www.keller-na.com/ Under Grad: University of Delaware (Bachelor of Civil Engineering 2000) Grad School: The University of Texas (Master of Civil Engineering 2002) Law School: Howard University (JD 2008) States Where Company Operates/Does Business: Throughout the US and Canada Q: Describe your background and the path you took to becoming in-house counsel. A: I studied civil engineering in undergrad and finally found my "calling" when I took a construction course, prompting me to pursue a master's in construction engineering. I started my career at Turner, holding various engineering positions, the last of which introduced me to the "contracting" side of construction. I was inspired to go to law school (in hopes of becoming an in-house lawyer there). After law school, I joined BigLaw, but maintained my desire to practice construction law. I then jumped to a small construction practice group at a mid-size firm, and the mentoring and experience there was everything I could hope for (but for the looming business development and billable hour requirements). From there, I became the sole in-house counsel for a large cement manufacturer and was a true construction generalist. Now I am part of a great legal team for a leading geotechnical specialty contractor. My moves were strategic, and I'm pleased to say that this is the very career I went to law school to have. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Jessica Knox, Stinson LLP
Ms. Knox may be contacted at jessica.knox@stinson.com

Use It or Lose It: California Court of Appeal Addresses Statutes of Limitations for Latent Construction Defects and Damage to Real Property

August 02, 2017 — Omar Parra & Jesse M. Sullivan - Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP
The First Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal recently confirmed California’s latent defect statute of limitations, codified in California Code of Civil Procedure section 337.15, bars only claims based on construction defects. Estuary Owners Association v. Shell Oil Company, No. A145516, (Cal. Ct. App. July 26, 2017). The Court also reemphasized that under California’s three-year statute of limitations for damage to real property, delineated in California Code of Civil Procedure section 338(b), the actual and constructive knowledge of the prior landowner is imputed to the current landowner. Estuary Owners Association concerned the development and construction of a 100-unit condominium by Signature at the Estuary, LLC (“Signature”) on land Shell Oil Company (“Shell”) previously used as a fuel distribution terminal. Construction of the condominiums was completed in 2006. In 2008, it was discovered that residual concentrations of petroleum related chemicals remained in the soil, soil gas, and groundwater beneath the development. Later that year, Signature revealed that the condominiums had been constructed with moisture barriers beneath the building slabs instead of the vapor/gas barriers called for in the corrective action plan. Reprinted courtesy of Omar Parra, Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP and Jesse M. Sullivan, Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP Mr. Parra may be contacted at oparra@hbblaw.com Mr. Sullivan may be contacted at jsullivan@hbblaw.com Read the court decision
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First Trump Agenda Nuggets Hit Construction

January 26, 2017 — Pam Radtke Russell, Mary B. Powers & Debra K. Rubin - Engineering News-Record
President Donald J. Trump began making good on campaign promises to put Americans back to work and reduce the size of government, as he signed orders and memoranda setting in motion approval of the Obama administration-halted Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and streamlining of infrastructure and manufacturing permitting processes. But firms and watchdog groups are concerned how an announced freezing of government hiring and contracting will play out, as well as the future of environmental protection. Reprinted courtesy of Engineering News-Record staff Pam Radtke Russell, Mary B. Powers and Debra K. Rubin Read the court decision
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Ms. Rubin may be contacted at rubind@enr.com

Cyber Security Insurance and Design Professionals

March 29, 2017 — David Adelstein – Florida Construction Legal Updates
Cyber security insurance is a relatively new insurance product that has probably become more popular and important in today’s digital age. Think about it. Almost everything is created, transmitted, shared, and stored digitally. Companies utilize cloud-based platforms to store documents, share documents, and transmit documents. Documents are transmitted via e-mail. Documents are created electronically with various software programs. And, finally, technology has made it convenient to create, access, store, share, and transmit documentation digitally through smartphones, tablets, or laptops (and various applications) – so technology enables things to be done remotely in the moment to maximize efficiency and production. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Florida Construction Legal Updates
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dadelstein@gmail.com

Settlement Reached in California Animal Shelter Construction Defect Case

May 13, 2014 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
A construction defect case involving an animal shelter in Healdsburg, California has settled after two years of litigation, according to The Press Democrat. The $3.5 million, 7,500-square foot building had been “built largely with a behest from the estate of the late vintner Rodney Strong and his wife, Charlotte.” However, “shortly before the facility could be completed in late 2011, general contractor Syd Kelly went bankrupt. Unpaid sub-contractors filed liens for payment against the Healdsburg Animal Shelter, which in turn alleged construction and design defects in the building.” The Press Democrat reported that “[t]he most visible signs of problems were cracks in the cement foundation.” Robert Wilkie, the Healdsburg Animal Shelter board’s secretary-treasurer, stated that the shelter is “perfectly structurally viable and a rather attractive building” and that “the defects that make it not usable today can be mitigated in a variety of different ways.” Read the court decision
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Serving the 558 Notice of Construction Defect Letter in Light of the Statute of Repose

November 06, 2018 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
Florida Statutes Chapter 558 requires a Notice of Construction Defect letter (“558 Notice”) to be served before a construction defect lawsuit is commenced. This is a statutory requirement unless contractually waived for a completed project when latent defects or post-completion construction or design defects are pursued. A recent Florida case held that this statutory requirement is NOT intended to bar a lawsuit based on Florida’s ten-year statute of repose for construction defects IF the 558 Notice is timely served within the statute of repose period. After the expiration of the statute of repose period, a construction defect lawsuit can no longer be commenced. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

New Spending Measure Has Big Potential Infrastructure Boost

February 14, 2018 — Tom Ichniowski – ENR
Construction and engineering companies find lots of good news in a newly enacted budget and appropriations package that keeps federal agencies open until late March, provides $89 billion for post-disaster relief and rebuilding and also holds out the prospect of an additional $20 billion in infrastructure funding over the next two years. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Tom Ichniowski, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Ichniowski may be contacted at ichniowskit@enr.com

Invest In America Act Offers 494 Billion In Funding to U.S. Infrastructure and Millions of New Jobs

July 20, 2020 — Stefanie A. Salomon - Peckar & Abramson
The Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on June 18, 2020 and is making its way up to Congress. The bill will create millions of jobs and provide substantial investment in the nation’s deteriorating highways, bridges and public transit systems. The bill also endeavors to leave behind a smaller carbon footprint, a major improvement for the nation’s biggest source of carbon pollution. Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the current condition of the nation’s infrastructure earns a grade of D+, and there exists an estimated $2 trillion funding gap to bring it into a state of good repair by 2025. While Americans have benefited from a century of infrastructure building, neglect has befallen our once greatest achievements – the roadways and arteries that led to the explosive growth of our nation. In the 1930s, 4.2 percent of the country’s GDP was spent on infrastructure investment. Unfortunately, by 2016 that number fell to 1.5 percent resulting in the substandard conditions that now confront us. Stated more bluntly, our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling and immediate investment in required to bring it up to par. The INVEST in America Act is our “immediate” opportunity to start replacing the outdated systems of the past with smarter, safer, and more resilient infrastructure. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Stefanie A. Salomon, Peckar & Abramson
Ms. Salomon may be contacted at ssalomon@pecklaw.com

CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS BUILDING EXPERT DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES