Chambers Global 2026 Recognizes Sheppard Practices and Attorneys
March 03, 2026 —
SheppardSheppard has been recognized by Chambers Global 2026 in the following practice areas:
- Privacy & Data Security in the United States
- Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional in the United States
- Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy in the United States
Additionally, the following Sheppard partners have been recognized by Chambers Global 2026:
- Justin Boose (Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy – USA)
- Will Chen (Intellectual Property: International Firms – South Korea)
- David Chun (Intellectual Property – South Korea)
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Sheppard
Buffalo, NY Stadium Work Resumes After Suspects ID'ed in $150K Graffiti Vandalism
March 17, 2026 —
Emell D. Adolphus - Engineering News-RecordConstruction work is back on track at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., after police identifed, but did not arrest two suspects in connection with $150,000 in property damage that paused work for nearly one week at the $2.1 billion stadium project, said the Gilbane Building Cos. and Turner Construction joint venture building it for the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.
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Emell D. Adolphus, Engineering News-RecordMr. Adolphus may be contacted at
adolphuse@enr.com
Georgia HB 676: A Bill Property Owners and Contractors Should Watch
March 24, 2026 —
Robert Lafayette - The Construction SeytProperty owners, contractors, and others dealing with mechanics and materialmen’s liens in Georgia should keep an eye on
HB 676, which is currently making its way through the Georgia General Assembly. The bill aims to curb misuse of the lien process and provide additional remedies to those challenging a frivolous lien filing.
What HB 676 Would Do
HB 676 would add a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 44-14-366.6) to the mechanics and materialmen’s lien statutes. If a lien is filed “without substantial justification or that is not made in good faith or that is made with malice or a wrongful purpose,” this new Code section would impose a fine of $1,500 per lien on the lien claimant, in addition to any attorney’s fees or court costs incurred by the party challenging the lien.
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Robert Lafayette, Seyfarth Shaw LLPMr. Lafayette may be contacted at
rlafayette@seyfarth.com
Pursuing Claims for Loss Caused by Recent Kona Low Storms for Homeowners and Businesses
May 12, 2026 —
Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law HawaiiThe recent Kona Low storms that hit all islands were devastating, causing significant property damage. Homeowners and businesses will be seeking coverage under their insurance policies to recover for their losses. Here is a brief look at what may be covered and which exclusions may be troublesome in homeowners’ and commercial property policies.
Typically, both a homeowners’ policy and a commercial property policy include a grant of coverage for “direct physical loss of or damage to Covered Property.” Covered perils are listed, including such events as fire, lightning, or windstorm. Covered Property includes dwellings, other structures on the property and personal property. Additional coverages are usually provided. This includes debris removal after a peril insured against or collapse of a structure. In a homeowners’ policy, additional living expenses are likely covered when the damaged home is not fit to live in.
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Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak HastertMr. Eyerly may be contacted at
te@hawaiilawyer.com
Water Reuse Emerges as a Critical Strategy for Data Center Development
June 22, 2026 —
Ashleigh Myers, Jillian Marullo & Jason Drogin Atwood - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law BlogAs demand for data centers continues to accelerate, water availability is emerging as a critical factor in project development and long-term operations. Although power supply and transmission access have historically dominated siting discussions, increasing water constraints in many regions are placing greater focus on the substantial volumes of water required to support data center cooling systems. As we
covered previously, data centers are frequently located in areas already experiencing water stress and require substantial volumes of water to operate—roughly 228 billion gallons in 2023 in the United States alone—with water use projected to
increase by up to 170% by 2030.
Alternative cooling options, such as free-air cooling or mechanical chillers, can reduce direct water consumption but introduce their own tradeoffs. Free-air cooling is climate-dependent and often ineffective in hotter regions, while mechanical chillers increase energy demand, potentially shifting water consumption upstream through increased electricity generation.
Reprinted courtesy of
Ashleigh Myers, Pillsbury,
Jillian Marullo, Pillsbury and
Jason Drogin Atwood, Pillsbury
Ms. Myers may be contacted at ashleigh.myers@pillsburylaw.com
Ms. Marullo may be contacted at jillian.marullo@pillsburylaw.com
Mr. Atwood may be contacted at jason.atwood@pillsburylaw.com
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Construction Liens and the “Substantial Performance” Doctrine
April 08, 2026 —
David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal UpdatesIn a recent case dealing with a construction lien, the driving issue was whether the air conditioning contractor “substantially performed” before recording its construction lien against residential property. The importance here pertains to the substantial performance doctrine with respect to construction liens. The Third District Court of Appeal explained, with relevant citations, this doctrine as follows:
Under Florida law, a contractor is entitled to a mechanic’s lien if he complies with all provisions of Chapter 713, governing construction liens, and “has substantially performed the contract.” Grant v. Wester, 679 So. 2d 1301, 1307 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996) (quotation omitted); Langley v. Knowles, 958 So. 2d 1149, 1151 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007) (“The substantial performance doctrine recognizes that a contactor who complies with all of the provisions of the contactor’s lien statute is entitled to enforce a lien if he has substantially, but not completely, performed his contractual obligations.”). Substantial performance is performance “so nearly equivalent to what was bargained for that it would be unreasonable to deny the promisee the full contract price subject to the promisor’s right to recover whatever damages may have been occasioned him by the promisee’s failure to render full performance.” Ocean Ridge Dev. Corp. v. Quality Plastering, Inc., 247 So. 2d 72, 75 (Fla. 4th DCA 1971).
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David Adelstein, Kirwin NorrisMr. Adelstein may be contacted at
dma@kirwinnorris.com
Mandatory Arbitration Isn’t All Bad, if. . .
July 13, 2026 —
Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law MusingsIn the past week or so mandatory arbitration has been all the rage. From those that argue that
arbitration is becoming more burdensome than litigation, to my friend and fellow construction attorney Scott Wolfe who gives great advice on how to make arbitration worth it again. You can place me in the camp of those that think that mandatory arbitration clauses of the type typically found in contracts can add a layer of expense that can be unnecessary.
However, if an arbitration clause is carefully drafted, and properly used, these clauses an be helpful in assuring that the streamlining effect for which arbitration was created actually occurs. Because the
contract is king in Virginia, these provisions can essentially create the rule of civil procedure used to resolve any dispute relating to the project.
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The Law Office of Christopher G. HillMr. Hill may be contacted at
chrisghill@constructionlawva.com
LA Fire Victims Can Pursue City Utility Claims, Judge Rules
March 10, 2026 —
Jef Feeley & Maxwell Adler - BloombergThe water and power utility that serves the city of Los Angeles must face hundreds of lawsuits faulting its response to the massive 2025 wildfire that leveled one of the city’s premier seaside neighborhoods and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.
In a significant victory for fire victims, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Samantha Jessner concluded in a
written ruling Thursday that a unique California law allows property and business owners to pursue claims that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power failed to supply enough water to fight the blaze that consumed the Pacific Palisades area.
Over strong objections from lawyers for the nation’s largest public utility, Jessner finalized a tentative ruling she issued last week concluding victims have a legal basis to move forward with allegations a city reservoir drained for repairs left fire hydrants with inadequate water pressure and helped the wind-whipped blaze get out of control.
Reprinted courtesy of
Jef Feeley, Bloomberg and
Maxwell Adler, Bloomberg Read the full story...
