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Haight Proudly Supports JDC's 11th Annual Bike-A-Thon Benefitting Pro Bono Legal Services

July 21, 2018 — Stephen M. Tye - Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP
Haight proudly donates to the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s 11th Annual “Ride for Justice” in support of San Francisco attorney Stephen M. Tye. This is Mr. Tye’s second year participating in the JDC’s Bike-A-Thon, which raises funds to provide pro bono legal services programs that provide access to justice for thousands of San Franciscans every year. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Stephen M. Tye, Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP
Mr. Tye may be contacted at stye@hbblaw.com

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New Report: Civil Engineering Salaries and Job Satisfaction Are Strong and Climbing at a Faster Rate Than Past Reports

October 16, 2023 — The American Society of Civil Engineers
RESTON, Va. – Civil engineering salaries continue to trend up and at a higher rate than recent years according to the 2023 ASCE Civil Engineering Salary Report today released by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), which cites a median pre-tax income from all sources of $128,000. Base salaries have risen by approximately 7% from 2022 to 2023, up from approximately 6% from 2021 to 2022 and 5% from 2020 to 2021. The median primary income for those civil engineers with a Professional Engineers license was $132,000, nearly $30,000 more than those with no licenses or certifications. "The current workforce crisis has created a great demand for civil engineers that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states will continue for the next decade," said ASCE 2023 President Maria C. Lehman, P.E., ENV SP, NAC, F.ASCE. "When you consider the age and condition of much of our infrastructure, along with the additional funding being brought to bear, the demand will continue." The report also shows high job satisfaction and opportunities for career growth in 2023. Of the salary survey respondents, 66.3% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their financial compensation, up from 63.3% in 2022. That number was even higher, though, when asked about overall job satisfaction: 86.7% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. In a field that plays such a large role in giving back to and shaping communities, employees want to feel like their role is impactful and creating positive change for others. The ASCE Civil Engineering Salary Report is released every fall, collected from responses of Society members about their jobs and financial compensation. This year's report is derived from over 3,200 member responses. ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel. Read the court decision
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Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance May Be Immune From Bad Faith, But Is Not Immune From Consequential Damages

July 15, 2019 — Michael S. Levine, Andrea DeField & Daniel Hentschel - Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog
A coverage dispute arising as a result of property damage from Hurricane Frances, which occurred in 2004, will continue following a Florida appellate court decision in an action brought against Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The insureds, Manor House, LLC, Ocean View, LLC, and Merrit, LLC, presented a claim to Citizens for damage sustained at nine apartment buildings as a result of Hurricane Florence. After payments for a portion of the property damage were sustained, Citizens continued to dispute the full amount due. Meanwhile, the insureds suffered lost rental income because of the delay. Ultimately, the insureds filed suit against Citizens alleging, among other things, breach of contract and fraud, and sought to recover extra-contractual damages for loss of rental income due to the delay in adjusting and repairing the damaged property. The trial court granted Citizens’ motion for partial summary judgment on several issues, including Citizens’ motion for partial summary judgment regarding appraiser and umpire fees; motion for partial summary judgment to prevent the insureds from pursuing a claim for extra-contractual, consequential damages; and motion for judgment on the pleadings on the insured’s claim for fraud. Reprinted courtesy of Hunton Andrews Kurth attorneys Michael S. Levine, Andrea DeField and Daniel Hentschel Mr. Levine may be contacted at mlevine@HuntonAK.com Ms. DeField may be contacted at adefield@HuntonAK.com Mr. Hentschel may be contacted at dhentschel@HuntonAK.com Read the court decision
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Top Five General Tips for All Construction Contracts

October 26, 2020 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
For this week’s Guest Post Friday here at Musings we welcome Spencer Wiegard. Spencer is a Partner with Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Construction Law and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Spencer focuses his practice in the areas of construction law and construction litigation. Spencer is a member of the Board of Governors for the Virginia State Bar Construction Law and Public Contracts Section, and a member of the Legislative Committee of the Associated General Contractors of Virginia and the Executive Committee for the Roanoke/SW Virginia District of the Associated General Contractors of Virginia. I would like to thank Chris for inviting me to author today’s guest post. Over the past few days, I have found myself wading through the terms and conditions of a lengthy and complicated construction contract, while at the same time aggressively negotiating for Houston house leveling cost readjustments. As I slogged through the legalese, I was reminded of a presentation that I gave earlier this year to the Roanoke District of the Virginia Associated General Contractors. The district’s executive committee asked me to speak to its members concerning the broad topic of “Construction Contracts 101.” At the beginning of my presentation, I passed along my top five general tips for all construction contracts. Although some of these tips may sound like common sense, I often encounter situations where these basic rules are violated by experienced contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and design professionals. My top five general tips for all construction contracts are:

1. Reduce the terms of the agreement to writing.
   1. The written agreement should include all important and relevant information and terms. If it was important enough to discuss prior to signing the contract, it is important enough to include in the written contract;
   2. At a minimum, include who, what, when, where, how, and how much;
   3. Both parties should sign the written agreement; and
   4. Don’t ignore handwritten changes to the contract, as these changes may either mean that you don’t have a deal, or they may become part of the contract when you sign it.
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   Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
   Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com

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   A Special CDJ Thanksgiving Edition

   November 21, 2017 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
   Welcome to the Construction Defect Journal’s special Thanksgiving edition. The CDJ staff has compiled the most important and interesting stories so far from 2017. From Supreme Court decisions to state construction defect law shake ups, this week’s edition showcases significant construction defect industry changes. With a mug of hot spiced cider in hand, relax and reflect on what has happened in our industry so far in 2017. CDJ wishes to give thanks to its amazing contributors and readers. It’s due to your efforts and support that CDJ is able to present a weekly summary of what is happening in the construction defect industry. We hope you enjoy this special edition, and wish you and your family a fun and festive Thanksgiving holiday. Read the court decision
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   Boston Nonprofit Wants to Put Grown-Ups in Dorms

   March 19, 2015 — Patrick Clark – Bloomberg
   Here's a broad summary of millennials' housing problems: Stagnant wages and heavy debt loads have made it hard to afford a house, while high demand for rental units in the most happening cities allow landlords to raise rents, making it even harder to save for a down payment. In Boston, where these forces are particularly acute, urban policy wonks are offering a new solution: Put the young people in pens. OK, not quite. The authors of a new report from the Boston Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds local nonprofits, prefer the phrase "millennial villages," dorm-like developments that maximize space by combining smaller living spaces with lots of common areas. Specifically, the report suggests building 10,000 units that make up for cramped living quarters by including shared lounges, health clubs, and shared areas for study, music practice, or launching a technology startup. For young tenants really interested in cutting costs, some could be built with shared kitchens. Read the court decision
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   Reprinted courtesy of Patrick Clark, Bloomberg
   Mr. Clark may be contacted at jclark185@bloomberg.net

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   Former SNC-Lavalin CEO Now Set for Trial in Bribe Case

   December 11, 2018 — Debra K. Rubin - Engineering News-Record
   Pierre Duhaime, the former CEO of Canadian design-build giant SNC-Lavalin—who resigned from the firm in 2012 in the wake of a contracting bribery scandal in which he was arrested for his alleged role—is now set for a February trial start in Quebec Superior Court. The case relates to payoffs on one project, a multibillion-dollar Montreal hospital on which the firm led the public-private construction consortium. Read the court decision
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   Reprinted courtesy of Debra K. Rubin, ENR
   Ms. Rubin may be contacted at rubind@enr.com

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   Vancouver’s George Massey Tunnel Replacement May Now be a Tunnel Instead of a Bridge

   January 06, 2020 — Tim Newcomb - Engineering News-Record
   The constant political back-and-forth in British Columbia, Canada, over how to deal with an aging George Massey Tunnel, opened in 1959, has ping-ponged from uncertainty to a $3.5 billion, 10-lane bridge, back to uncertainty, to no bridge and now to an eight-lane submerged tunnel. Tim Newcomb, Engineering News-Record ENR may be contacted at ENR.com@bnpmedia.com Read the full story... Read the court decision
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