Nonresidential Construction Employment Expands in August, Says ABC
December 16, 2019 —
Associated Builders and Contractors - Construction ExecutiveThe construction industry added 14,000 net new jobs in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 177,000 jobs, or 2.4%.
Nonresidential construction employment increased by 11,600 net jobs in August and is up by 114,200 net jobs over the last 12 months, translating into 2.5% growth. The majority of job gains emerged from nonresidential specialty trade contractors, which added 5,400 jobs last month and nearly 103,000 positions over the past year. Heavy and civil engineering added 4,400 net new jobs, while nonresidential building added 1,800 jobs on a monthly basis.
The construction unemployment rate stood at 3.6% in August, up 0.2 percentage points from the same time last year. Unemployment across all industries stood at 3.7% in August, unchanged from the previous month.
“While job growth across all industries fell short of projections, today’s employment report was just about perfect,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Yes, employment growth has been softening for quite some time, with average monthly job growth totaling 150,000 during the last six months after approaching 200,000 during the prior six-month period. And employment growth estimates were also revised lower for both June and July. That said, looking beyond the headline number, August’s labor market performance was more than respectable, even accounting for about 25,000 of the jobs being added for temporary Census work.
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ABC, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.
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ASCE Statement on Hurricane Milton and Environmental Threats
October 15, 2024 —
Feniosky Peña-Mora, P.E., President - American Society of Civil EngineersWASHINGTON, DC. – On the heels of the tragic damage caused by Hurricane Helene throughout the Southeast, Floridians were struck by another major hurricane, Milton, less than two weeks later. Our hearts go out to those impacted again by this storm through property damage, lack of water access, power outages, or worse, loss of life, all before getting a chance to recover from Helene. Civil engineers are dedicated to protecting the public with projects that can lessen the impacts of these storms, and we are eager to help communities rebuild as quickly as possible following events like Milton and Helene.
Although we do not yet know the full scope of destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, severe weather, including compound flooding events, are increasing regularly and pose a great risk to our safety and economic vitality. While so many eyes are fixated on hurricanes impacting the Southeast, wildfires are burning across several western states, including the Elk Fire in Wyoming, the largest wildfire the Bighorn National Forest has experienced in more than a century, now spanning over 75,000 acres as the region is experiencing unusually hot and dry weather and strong winds that are helping this fire to spread rapidly. The climate impacts we are accustomed to – wildfires in the West and hurricanes in the Southeast – are getting stronger, and now environmental challenges are occurring in areas we wouldn't suspect, such as Hurricane Helene striking mountain communities in Western North Carolina that have been labeled as "climate safe-havens," and Texas dealing with annual winter storms.
ASCE is a leader in codes and standards development and has created an
easy-to-understand toolkit for legislators and the public to learn the benefits of these up-to-date standards and determine when and how to adopt them, making our built environment more resilient to natural catastrophes. ASCE's flagship standard,
ASCE/SEI 7-22, recently underwent the most significant update to its
flooding chapter to ensure structures following this standard are prepared for 500-year flood events.
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Haight Ranked in 2018 U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" List
November 02, 2017 —
Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLPHaight Brown & Bonesteel LLP is listed in the 2018 U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" list with five metro rankings in the following areas:
Los Angeles
- Tier 1 in Insurance Law
- Tier 1 in Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
- Tier 1 in Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Tier 2 in Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Tier 2 in Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs
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New Proposed Regulations Expand CFIUS Jurisdiction Regarding Real Estate
January 20, 2020 —
Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law BlogOn September 17, 2019, the U.S. Department of Treasury issued two new proposed rules for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) implementing the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA). Of particular interest to readers of this blog was the second of the proposed rules, which addressed FIRRMA’s real estate-related expansion of CFIUS jurisdiction.
Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team
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Savera Sandhu Joins Newmeyer Dillion As Partner
March 23, 2020 —
Newmeyer DillionProminent business and real estate law firm Newmeyer Dillion is pleased to announce that
Savera Sandhu has joined the firm's Las Vegas office as a partner. Sandhu's addition formalizes Newmeyer Dillion's
Healthcare practice group, which will draw on the firm's existing strengths and service offerings in the healthcare industry.
"Newmeyer Dillion has been delivering services within the healthcare industry for many years, offering our premier legal services across a large range of sectors," said Office Managing Partner Nathan Owens. "We are excited to welcome Savera to our team, and believe her experience will help us to more broadly service the healthcare industry as we continue to work closely with companies in the Western region."
The firm's Healthcare practice will comprise attorneys from the firm's business, litigation, employment law and real estate practice groups, who have extensive experience advising the healthcare industry in the areas of state and federal regulatory compliance, general business matters, medical malpractice and litigation defense. Newmeyer Dillion offers a range of key legal services to healthcare clients including entrepreneurs, technology companies, physicians, dentists and other healthcare professionals, suppliers, medical device manufacturers, hospitals, physician groups, out-patient and long-term care facilities.
In addition to health care, Sandhu expands the firm's capabilities to service clients in the transportation, finance, entertainment and construction industries.
For over a decade, Sandhu has worked intimately with the healthcare industry as their legal advocate, offering solution-oriented approaches to the business side of healthcare. As a partner with the firm, Sandhu counsels a wide range of corporate and healthcare clients on business and litigation matters throughout the state and nationwide. Embracing the firm's commitment to propel businesses forward, she combines a deep knowledge of commercial litigation with finely-honed experience as a trusted legal advisor to Fortune 100 companies. She also brings a broad perspective to her work with healthcare clients, based on her exceptional knowledge of corporate law, healthcare litigation, and state and federal regulatory matters.
Sandhu believes that her effectiveness as legal counsel is enhanced by her strong commitment to both her profession and to the communities where she lives and works. Dedicated to the tenets of diversity and inclusion rooted in the firm's culture, she has held leadership roles as a long-time member of the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys (SNAWA) and the South Asian Bar Association.
Sandhu received her B.A. from the University of Washington and her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.
About Newmeyer Dillion
For 35 years, Newmeyer Dillion has delivered creative and outstanding legal solutions and trial results that achieve client objectives in diverse industries. With over 70 attorneys working as a cohesive team to represent clients in all aspects of business, employment, real estate, environmental/land use, privacy & data security and insurance law, Newmeyer Dillion delivers holistic and integrated legal services tailored to propel each client's success and bottom line. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with offices in Walnut Creek, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, Newmeyer Dillion attorneys are recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©, and Super Lawyers as top tier and some of the best lawyers in California and Nevada, and have been given Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review's AV Preeminent® highest rating. For additional information, call 949.854.7000 or visit www.newmeyerdillion.com.
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Meet the Forum's In-House Counsel: J. PAUL ALLEN
May 28, 2024 —
Jessica Knox - The Dispute ResolverCompany: Fischer Homes
Email: paul@jpaulallen.com
Law School: Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University (JD 1992)
States Where Company Operates/Does Business: Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Missouri, Florida
Q: Describe your background and the path you took to becoming in-house counsel.
A: I started at a large Cincinnati firm straight out of law school. I moved in-house for a client of the firm after about 8 years and have remained in-house ever since. The in-house experience has been rewarding and varied over the last 24 years. I have worked for a Fortune 500, publicly traded steel company, a private equity led construction products company, and, finally, a family-owned residential homebuilder. I had the good fortune to be General Counsel at the last 2 in-house companies and was able to establish a legal department from scratch at Fischer Homes. As time went on and I gained experience, I stayed in-house because of the ability to work for a single client and have a greater impact on the business side of things.
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Jessica Knox, Stinson LLPMs. Knox may be contacted at
jessica.knox@stinson.com
Rooftop Solar Leases Scaring Buyers When Homeowners Sell
June 26, 2014 —
Will Wade – BloombergDorian Bishopp blames the solar panels on his roof for costing him almost 10 percent off the value of the home he sold in March.
That’s because instead of owning them he leased the panels from SunPower Corp. (SPWR), requiring the new owner of the house to assume a contract with almost 19 years remaining. He had to shave the asking price for the house in Maricopa, Arizona, to draw in buyers unfamiliar with the financing arrangement.
Leasing is driving a boom in solar sales because most require no money upfront for systems that cost thousands of dollars. That’s made solar affordable for more people, helping spur a 38 percent jump in U.S. residential installations in the past year. Since the business model only gained currency in the past two years, the details embedded in the fine print of the deals are only starting to emerge.
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Will Wade, BloombergMr. Wade may be contacted at
wwade4@bloomberg.net
California Supreme Court Finds that When it Comes to Intentional Interference Claims, Public Works Projects are Just Different, Special Even
November 21, 2017 —
Garret Murai - California Construction Law BlogOriginally published by CDJ on April 20, 2017
Earlier, we reported on a California Court of Appeals decision – Roy Allan Slurry Seal, Inc. v. American Asphalt South, Inc. – which held for the first time that a second-place bidder on a public works contract could sue a winning bidder who failed to pay its workers prevailing wages, under the business tort of intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
Fast forward nearly two years, several amicus briefs, and “one doghouse”* later and the California Supreme Court has . . . reversed.
The Roy Allan Slurry Seal Case
To catch you up, or rather, refresh your recollection . . .
Between 2009 and 2012, American Asphalt South, Inc. was awarded 23 public works contracts totaling more than $14.6 million throughout Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Two of the losing bidders on those projects – Roy Allan Slurry Seal, Inc. and Doug Martin Contracting, Inc. – sued American in each of these counties for intentional interference with prospective economic advantage as well as under the Unfair Practices Act (“UPA”) (Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17000 et seq.) and the Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”) (Bus. & Prof. Code §17200).
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Garret Murai, Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLPMr. Murai may be contacted at
gmurai@wendel.com