KIRKVILLE IOWA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Four HHMR Attorneys Recognized in the 2027 Editions of Best Lawyers®

September 21, 2026 — Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC - Colorado Construction Litigation Blog
Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC is proud to announce that Best Lawyers® has recognized four HHMR attorneys in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for their work in construction law and construction litigation. David M. McLain, Lisa Bondy Dunn, and Steven L. Heisdorffer earned recognition in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Ricky L. Nolen, Jr. earned recognition in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. For a firm that has deliberately focused its practice on construction law and construction litigation for nearly 25 years, we take particular pride in seeing that focus reflected in the recognition of lawyers across different generations of HHMR. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC

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Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (8/19/26) – Single-Family Housing Investors Worry, Confidence in Multifamily REITs and Construction Backlog Falls

September 08, 2026 — Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
In our latest roundup, U.S. Chamber of Commerce creates Housing Advisory Council, a legal battle develops over new federal rules related to mortgage escrow accounts, hospitality dealmakers pursue ‘bigger, higher-conviction’ M&A, and more!

• In the wake of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act becoming law, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a Housing Advisory Council with the goal of advancing market-driven policies that help increase housing supply and promote affordability. (Julie Strupp, Multifamily Dive)
• Investors in the single-family housing market are increasingly concerned about interest rates, rising insurance and home costs, and the ongoing war with Iran. (Diana Olick, CNBC)
• A legal battle is brewing over new federal rules related to accounts that hold money to pay homeowners’ property taxes and insurance payments. (Sarah Agostino, CNBC)

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team

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Structural Engineer Claims Reinforcement Was Never Installed on Troubled NYC Tower

September 01, 2026 — Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-Record
New York City has expanded its investigation into the structural failure at the former Pfizer headquarters tower in Midtown Manhattan as the Dept. of Investigation confirmed a parallel inquiry and the Dept. of Buildings directed the property owner to retain third-party engineering oversight. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Gottlieb may be contacted at gottliebb@enr.com

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GRSM Ranked Among Top 5 Construction Law Firms by Construction Executive

September 21, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has been ranked the No. 5 construction law firm in the nation by Construction Executive in the magazine’s 2026 ranking of The Top 50 Construction Law Firms™. “Being named in the top five underscores the talent, experience, and nationwide capabilities of our construction team,” said Allen Estes III and Angela Richie, Chairs of GRSM’s Construction practice. “We are honored to serve as trusted counsel to clients across the construction industry and remain committed to delivering strategic solutions that help them achieve their business and project objectives.” In addition to this ranking, GRSM Construction practice group Co-Chairs Allen Estes and Angela Richie were featured in “Executive Insights 2026: Leaders in Construction Law,” where they shared insights on key risks to consider before signing construction contracts and discussed strategies for managing material cost volatility, supply-chain disruptions, and project delays. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

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New York Team Secures Dismissal of Premises Liability Action Against Client

May 26, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois
New York Associate Nicole Koch and Partner Jennine Gerrard recently secured a complete dismissal of a plaintiff’s claims for injuries following a fall in front of a client’s business at an outdoor mall. The plaintiff alleged that she was walking on the sidewalk outside of the client's hair care supply store in the Bronx in May 2024 when she tripped and fell on a broken/defective portion of the sidewalk. As a result of the accident, the plaintiff suffered injuries to her spine, hip, wrist, and both knees. She proceeded to file suit in New York County Supreme Court against Lewis Brisbois’ client and the landlord for the property. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

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Modular Construction’s Hidden Risk: Where Things Go Wrong Between the Factory and the Field

June 15, 2026 — Jack Mayo - ConsensusDocs
Introduction As modular and prefabricated construction methods are increasingly adopted, so too are the potential challenges that come with them. The appeal is straightforward: faster timelines, controlled fabrication environments, and reduced on-site labor demands. But the risks that accompany these benefits are often less clear—and, in many cases, poorly defined. For example, what happens when a prefabricated component is delayed past its installation window? Who is responsible for a defect discovered inside a sealed, installed module? What happens to warranty obligations when a prefabricated component must be modified on site? Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Jack Mayo, Jones Walker LLP
Mr. Mayo may be contacted at jmayo@joneswalker.com

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Bridging the Gap at Alaska’s Juneau Creek

September 21, 2026 — Tim Newcomb - Engineering News-Record
The largest single-span steel plate girder bridge launch in the nation wasn’t about setting records. Alaska’s Juneau Creek Bridge design was a matter of necessity. The fully erected steel plate girder bridge, featuring a 440-ft main span hovering 285 ft above the Juneau Creek, was part of the larger Sterling Highway project. It offered a logistical challenge but was chosen among over a dozen bridge types due to the unique constraints brought by the mountainous site. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tim Newcomb, Engineering News-Record
ENR may be contacted at enr@enr.com

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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

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