Snell & Wilmer’s Los Angeles Office Recognized as One of the “Best Places to Work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal
September 15, 2026 —
Snell & WilmerLOS ANGELES – Snell & Wilmer is proud to announce that its Los Angeles office has been named one of the
2026 Best Places to Work by the Los Angeles Business Journal as part of its annual Best Places to Work awards. The recognition honors outstanding employers across the Los Angeles region that are fostering strong workplace cultures and creating positive employee experiences. Selections are based on confidential employee surveys conducted by Workforce Research Group, which evaluate organizations on leadership, corporate culture, communication, employee engagement, and other key workplace factors.
“We are honored to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles,” said
Joshua Schneiderman, managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. “This recognition reflects the collaborative culture we have built and the dedication of our attorneys and professional staff who contribute to making our office a great place to work. We remain committed to providing opportunities for growth, fostering meaningful connections, and supporting our team members’ continued success.”
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Snell & Wilmer
AI Adoption in Construction: A UK Practitioner’s View
April 20, 2026 —
Aarni Heiskanen - AEC BusinessI recently talked with
Chris Brady, an AI adoption consultant based in Birmingham, UK, who has spent 18 years working in construction. Two years ago, he began integrating AI into his work with contractors and SMEs, initially as an add-on service, and it has since become his main business.
Chris now runs
Metrix, an AI consultancy focused on UK construction companies, alongside two other ventures: Trade Upskill, an education platform for construction professionals, and ctrldash.ai, a compliance-automation SaaS for construction SMEs, both of which are soon to launch.
What struck me most in our conversation was how grounded his approach is, built on years of direct industry experience rather than arriving from outside with a technology solution looking for a problem.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Aarni Heiskanen, AEC BusinessMr. Heiskanen may be contacted at
aec-business@aepartners.fi
Wadsworth v. Regional Rail Partners — Verified Statements of Claim Under the Colorado Public Works Act
August 25, 2026 —
Olivia Barden - Colorado Construction Litigation BlogEditor’s Note: Wadsworth Revisited
In August 2024, following the Colorado Court of Appeals’ decision in Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Company, LLC v. Regional Rail Partners, we published
Colorado Court of Appeals’ Ruling Highlights Dangers of Excessive Public Works Claims.
At the time, the decision warranted a significant warning to contractors and subcontractors performing public work in Colorado. The Court of Appeals concluded that Wadsworth’s verified statement of claim improperly included unliquidated delay damages and that, because the claim was excessive, Wadsworth forfeited its right to recover the amounts included in the claim. We cautioned contractors to carefully scrutinize verified statements of claim and to avoid including unliquidated damages or amounts that were not yet due and payable.
The Colorado Supreme Court has now reversed that decision.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Olivia Barden, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC
GRSM Secures Illinois Appellate Victory for Architectural Firm in Implied Warranty Dispute
May 14, 2026 —
Gordon Rees Scully MansukhaniGordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Partner Jonathan Federman, Partner Thomas Cronin, and Senior Counsel Garrett Lee recently secured a victory in the Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District, on behalf of the firm’s client, an architectural firm, in a liability dispute.
The case arose following an entity’s purchase of a 111-unit building for use as an investment or rental property. The plaintiff made claims against the architect of the building, alleging that there were design defects that breached an implied warranty, as well as a negligence claim.
GRSM argued that an architect could not be liable for implied warranties, particularly for an implied warranty which no Illinois court has ever recognized. GRSM further argued that Illinois law bars an architect from liability for negligence arising from a duty pursuant to contract under the economic loss doctrine.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Louisiana Enacts Important Tort Reform Legislation
May 12, 2026 —
Lee M. Peacocke & Benjamin Perkins - Lewis BrisboisThe Louisiana legislature enacted tort reform legislation in 2025 to address the increasing cost of insurance in Louisiana and to provide some predictability to the Louisiana legal system. While our colleagues, Jenny Michel and Jennifer Kretschmann, have provided an excellent and comprehensive analysis of the legislation in their article entitled “Louisiana State Legislature 2025 Regular Session: Tort Reform - Acts & Vetoed Insurance Bill,” which can be found
here, this article examines the anticipated impact of the tort reform legislation on personal injury trials in federal and state courts in Louisiana.
The most significant reform involves the institution of a modified defense of contributory negligence, which went into effect on January 1, 2026. Since 1996, Louisiana had operated as a pure comparative fault state; the liability of each party whose fault caused damages was to be allocated among the respective parties based upon their appropriate percentage of fault, regardless of the legal theory of liability asserted against each party. Thus, a plaintiff 55 percent at fault could recover 45 percent of their damages from the liable defendants. The 2025 Tort Reform Amendments now prohibit a plaintiff in a personal injury action from recovering any damages if they are found to be 51 percent or more at fault for their damages. The 55 percent at-fault party in the example above is now prohibited from recovering any damages from any party. Importantly, this new legislation now requires the trial court to instruct the jury that if they find a plaintiff to be more than 50 percent at fault, then the plaintiff will not recover any damages.
Reprinted courtesy of
Lee M. Peacocke, Lewis Brisbois and
Benjamin Perkins, Lewis Brisbois
Mr. Peacocke may be contacted at Lee.Peacocke@lewisbrisbois.com
Mr. Perkins may be contacted at Benjamin.Perkins@lewisbrisbois.com
Read the full story...
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 BlogIn 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
Did You Know: Unique Legal Considerations for Animal Care Facilities
August 24, 2026 —
Hannah Skidmore - Construction ExecutiveAnimal care facilities are highly specialized environments that require expertise far beyond traditional commercial or even standard medical construction. Whether designing and building animal shelters, doggy daycares, veterinary clinics or full-service animal hospitals, these facilities operate under conditions that introduce unique challenges related to sanitation, durability, animal behavior and operational workflows.
Because of these complexities, projects that fail to account for animal care requirements adequately often encounter costly issues—many of which result in litigation. Below are real-world examples drawn from expert witness work, followed by proactive best practices construction professionals should apply to future animal care projects.
Reprinted courtesy of
Hannah Skidmore, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.
Read the full story...
ACEC Supports BUILD America 250 Act as Important First Step on Surface Reauthorization
May 26, 2026 —
The American Council of Engineering CompaniesWASHINGTON -- The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the business voice of America’s engineering and design services industry released the following statement on the BUILD America 250 Act:
"Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen have taken an important bipartisan step toward reauthorizing the federal surface transportation programs that are critical to economic growth in every state. The BUILD America 250 Act provides five years of stability in funding road and transit projects, raises new revenues to address the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, and includes meaningful provisions to strengthen project delivery, advance digital infrastructure, and improve the contracting framework that engineering firms rely on every day. ACEC will continue to advocate for investment levels that keep pace with the country's growing infrastructure needs, and we urge the Committee to keep this process moving forward."
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,500 independent engineering firms and more than 650,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial, and other public and private facilities. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.