COLES COUNTY ILLINOIS CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Brandy Price, Dean Pillarella Named to Lawdragon's "Next Generation" List

June 22, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois
Charlotte/North Charleston Partner Brandy G. Price and New York Partner Dean Pillarella have been selected to "The 2026 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation," which recognizes emerging leaders in law. Lawdragon's annual Next Generation listing highlights up-and-coming attorneys with fewer than 15 years in practice. The legal media company selected these honorees through a combination of peer nominations, extensive journalistic research by Lawdragon editors, and independent vetting. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

---

Credibility Matters…Even in Delay Claims

September 29, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
Credibility matters. Here’s another example involving a delay claim on public private partnership delivery method. The project agreement required claims to be tried by a hearing examiner. The public private partnership developer (for lack of a better term) submitted delay claims that it contended were caused by Miami-Dade County. The hearing examiner awarded the developer delay time and compensation. On appeal, the County argued that the delays awarded by the hearing examiner were concurrent critical path delays with other delays caused by the developer’s team (the developer’s contractor). This was demonstrated by the fact that in an attempt to mitigate the County delay, the contractor’s incorporated a schedule fragnet into its schedule to mitigate delay that showed the critical path was driven by events deemed caused by the contractor. This was also reported in the contractor’s monthly updates. The developer argued that its mitigation plan did not work and, thus, the schedules showed a hypothetical delay caused by the contractor when, in actuality, it was the County-caused delay that drove the critical path. The hearing officer agreed with the contractor. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

---

Tracy Cowan Honored as “Icon” in Missouri Lawyers Media’s First-Ever “Illinois Legal Leaders” Awards

September 15, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois
St. Louis Managing Partner Tracy Cowan has been named an “Icon” by Missouri Lawyers Media in its inaugural “Illinois Legal Leaders” awards program. Mr. Cowan was among 14 people who earned “Icon” status in the awards program. This category honors “senior leaders with 30 years or more of legal practice” and is one of three groups recognized. The other two include “Up & Coming Lawyers,” for attorneys with 10 or fewer years in legal practice, and “Leaders in the Law,” which recognizes members of the bar who have significantly contributed to the practice of law in the state, the local legal community, and the broader community. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

---

Global Insights Center: Monthly Newsletter

June 15, 2026 — Global Insights Center Staff - The Hartford
May in Review Last month, inflation moved higher, with Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rising to 3.8% year over year, up from 3.3% the prior month. The increase was driven primarily by energy prices, particularly gasoline, reflecting ongoing disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict. Labor market data were broadly stable. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%, wage growth increased modestly to 3.6%, while job growth continued to be geographically concentrated in the Southern states, particularly cities in Texas. On an occupational basis, healthcare once again led job gains, especially in home health services, a trend we have consistently highlighted. Business formations increased during the month, with notable strength in e commerce and digital services firms. Manufacturing activity also improved, particularly in semiconductors, IT equipment, and natural gas–related energy infrastructure. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Global Insights Center Staff, The Hartford

---

Building More Than a Ramp: HHMR and the Home Builders Foundation

September 15, 2026 — Colorado Construction Litigation Blog
Last Friday, four members of the Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell team traded briefs, depositions, and construction litigation files for lumber, drills, and a day on a jobsite. HHMR attorneys Ricky Nolen, Amanda Tynan, Kyle Thompson, and Tanner Davis participated in the Home Builders Foundation’s 2026 Blitz Build, helping construct an accessibility ramp for Andrea, a Denver-area resident whose mobility challenges had made something most of us take for granted extraordinarily difficult: leaving her own home independently. The day after the build, the volunteers received an e-mail from HBF’s Terrina Reiber with an unusual request: set an alarm for 10:00 the next morning. At 10:00 on a Saturday, she explained, they might be running errands, meeting a friend, or simply deciding what to do with the day. When the alarm went off, she asked them to think about Andrea. Because Andrea could now make that same choice. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell

---

The Firm Turns 16!

July 20, 2026 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
I have always found it appropriate that my jump to solo practice and Independence Day are so close in time. Today marks the 16th anniversary of my first day as a solo practitioner of construction law at The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill, PC. Time sure has flown by thanks to the great clients and friends who followed me to solo practice and whom I have met since the firm’s founding on July 1, 2010. I also could not have made the transition and had the fun and success I have enjoyed over the past 16 years without the support of the best wife and family that any construction lawyer could want. Since the firm’s last anniversary, my youngest child (who was 7 when this journey began!) has graduated from N. C. State University with a fisheries and wildlife biology degree and is currently in Casper, Wyoming working for Wyoming Game & Fish, my second oldest is an assistant director of admissions at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and has celebrated his second wedding anniversary, and my oldest has celebrated her fifth marriage anniversary. Our home in Captiva, Florida continues its recovery from from Hurricane Ian and subsequent hurricanes. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill

---

AI Data Centers Become City-Scale Infrastructure, Prompting New Industry Playbook

August 11, 2026 — Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-Record
AI data centers are no longer just buildings. They are increasingly reaching power-demand levels more commonly associated with municipalities, prompting industry groups to launch a new framework they say is needed to keep pace with rapidly changing power, cooling and reliability requirements. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Gottlieb may be contacted at gottliebb@enr.com

---

Alexander Hopkins Authors Law360 Article on Wisconsin Supreme Court Coverage Decision

October 06, 2026 — Alexander G. Hopkins - SDV Fenchurch
Alexander Hopkins recently authored an Expert Analysis for Law360 examining a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision addressing coverage for water damage arising from alleged construction defects. In “Wis. Coverage Ruling Rejects Strict Ensuing Loss Test,” Alex explores the relationship between construction defect exclusions and ensuing loss provisions, and what the decision means for policyholders seeking coverage when an excluded condition contributes to subsequent damage. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Alexander G. Hopkins, SDV Fenchurch
Mr. Hopkins may be contacted at alexander.hopkins@sdvfenchurch.us

---