SHANKS WEST VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

From Dark Data to Building Intelligence

July 13, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
In this episode, I talk with Mark Sorsa-Leslie, founder and CEO of Auttaa AI, whose team just won first place in Luotea’s inaugural hackathon in Helsinki for turning property maintenance from reactive firefighting into proactive forecasting with AI. Mark is a chartered surveyor with 30 years of real estate data experience, previously the founder of the UK sensor company Beringar. We discuss why so much building data stays dark and siloed, from outdated networking technology to the shortage of people who understand both engineering and property. Mark explains how Auttaa bridges real-time building data with large language models, using what he calls an “influence graph” to surface correlations and causation across previously disconnected systems, such as linking occupancy patterns to CO2 readings to diagnose ventilation problems in minutes rather than days. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

---

Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (4/1/26) – President Trump’s EO Affects Federal Funding, Fannie Mae Accepts Crypto-Backed Mortgages, Private Sector Construction Weakness Offsets Public Sector Gains

April 08, 2026 — Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
In our latest roundup, California to pursue office-to-housing conversions, hoteliers to increase investment in artificial intelligence, private credit exodus to boost commercial real estate capital, and more!

• President Donald Trump’s executive order to remove regulatory barriers to affordable home construction could affect federal funding for cities and states that don’t follow what the order calls “regulatory best practices,” including faster permitting, fewer green building mandates and relaxed limits on exurban development. (Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Multifamily Dive)
• California state policymakers have been pursuing policy changes that remove barriers to converting older commercial buildings into housing. (Keith Loria, Construction Dive)
• Private sector weakness largely offset modest gains in public construction spending, despite data center gains. (Sebastian Obando, Construction Dive)

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

---

Construction Contract Negotiation & Drafting: A Practical Checklist (and Where State-Specific Issues Can Surprise You)

April 20, 2026 — Michelle Cooper - Sheppard Construction and Infrastructure Law Blog
Construction contract negotiation is often treated as a “forms exercise,” especially when the parties start from familiar templates (e.g., AIA forms). In practice, though, the biggest problems tend to arise not from the existence of a form, but from (i) misalignment among the project’s governing documents and participants, (ii) ambiguity in pricing and payment mechanics, and (iii) state-specific statutory requirements that override negotiated terms. This article includes a practical checklist intended to help owners, developers, and contractors streamline contract negotiations, reduce downstream disputes, and avoid unpleasant surprises during payment administration. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Michelle Cooper, Sheppard
Ms. Cooper may be contacted at mcooper@sheppard.com

---

Congratulations to Reno Partner Karen Baytosh for Securing a Complete Dismissal via a Motion for Summary Judgment

July 13, 2026 — Dolores Montoya - Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP
BWB&O is proud to announce that Reno Partner Karen Baytosh received a significant victory on behalf of the firm’s Developer Client in a high-exposure personal injury matter. Plaintiff, a teenager, was struck by an intoxicated driver while walking her dog at night, sustaining catastrophic injuries requiring 24-hour critical care for the remainder of her life. Plaintiff’s Guardian brought suit against the drunk driver and her husband, the City, and BWB&O’s Developer Clients, alleging that the City and Developers failed to improve street lighting and install a sidewalk that would have prevented the accident. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP

---

Leaders in Dispute Resolution Need to Make Unbiased Decisions for Mediation to Succeed

March 31, 2026 — Rick G. Erickson - Snell & Wilmer
As a mediator helping to settle construction disputes and as an arbitrator deciding outcomes of these disputes, I found certain lessons to be especially helpful after graduating last summer from the Executive Education program at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). The exceptional HKS curriculum included courses focused on negotiation strategies for multiparty disputes, decisive leadership during crisis, and human behavior affecting dispute resolution. In particular, our HKS class debated the impact of cognitive bias in dispute resolution, and we studied a central theme that decision-making is universally scientific. That is, parties making decisions in dispute resolution exhibit and rely upon empirical factors that good mediators and decision makers should appreciate and understand. Bias, for example, can cause key players to discount persuasive witnesses, admissible evidence, and reliable expert opinions that influence the outcome of a construction dispute. Biased decision makers may also choose to withhold key information from the mediator, as though doing so will help rather than hurt what is supposed to be an objective and diplomatic process. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Rick G. Erickson, Snell & Wilmer
Mr. Erickson may be contacted at rerickson@swlaw.com

---

Traub Lieberman Attorneys Recognized in Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2026 Top Lawyers List

March 24, 2026 — Copernicus T. Gaza, Jonathan R. Harwood, Lisa M. Rolle, Lisa L. Shrewsberry, Christopher Russo & Hillary J. Raimondi - Traub Lieberman
Traub Lieberman is pleased to announce that six Partners from the White Plains, NY office have been included in the 2026 edition of the Hudson Valley Magazine’s Top Lawyers in the Hudson Valley list. This annual guide recognizes more than 270 of the region's leading attorneys. Insurance:

• Copernicus Gaza
• Jonathan Harwood
• Lisa Rolle
• Lisa Shrewsberry

Reprinted courtesy of Copernicus T. Gaza, Traub Lieberman, Jonathan R. Harwood, Traub Lieberman, Lisa M. Rolle, Traub Lieberman, Lisa L. Shrewsberry, Traub Lieberman, Christopher Russo, Traub Lieberman and Hillary J. Raimondi, Traub Lieberman Mr. Gaza may be contacted at cgaza@tlsslaw.com Mr. Harwood may be contacted at jharwood@tlsslaw.com Ms. Rolle may be contacted at lrolle@tlsslaw.com Ms. Shrewsberry may be contacted at lshrewsberry@tlsslaw.com Mr. Russo may be contacted at crusso@tlsslaw.com Ms. Raimondi may be contacted at hraimondi@tlsslaw.com Read the full story...

---

IRMI Expert Commentary: NY Highest Court Confronts Downstream Risk Transfer for Subcontractor Bodily Injury Claims

March 17, 2026 — Gregory D. Podolak & Alexander G. Hopkins - Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.
Originally published on IRMI.com, copyright 2026 International Risk Management Institute, Inc. Subcontractor employee bodily injury claims (so-called action over claims) are a staple of construction risk management in the Empire State—so much so that the phrase “labor law” instinctively invites a shudder among the most experienced general contractors. The savvy among them intensely monitor case law developments and the evolution of the insurance market to ensure a cutting-edge, meticulously developed downstream risk transfer plan. And when guidance arrives from an appellate-level court, it’s a moment to take note. This is one of those moments. In late 2025, New York’s highest court—the NY Court of Appeals—had the rare opportunity to examine an all-too-routine bodily injury fact pattern and took the opportunity to closely examine the scope of contractual indemnity and its interplay with additional insured coverage in Dibrino v. Rockefeller Center N., Inc., 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 07077, 2025 WL 3670593 (Ct. App. Dec. 18, 2025). Reprinted courtesy of Congratulations to Las Vegas Partner Madeline Arcellana on Securing a FULL DISMISSAL for BWB&O’s Clients!

Living on The Edge: The Unacknowledged Delay/Acceleration

New Law Prompts ABC Minnesota/North Dakota to Design New Telecommunications Safety Training Program

Settlement Payment May Preclude Finding of Policy Exhaustion: Scottsdale v. National Union

Brooklyn’s Hipster Economy Challenges Manhattan Supremacy

Harrisburg Sought Support Before Ruinous Incinerator Retrofit

Contractor to Repair Defective Stucco, Plans on Suing Subcontractor

How Well Do You Know the 2012 IECC Code?

Solar and Wind Just Passed Another Big Turning Point

Toll Brothers Snags Home Builder of the Year Honors at HLS

Patent or Latent: An Important Question in Construction Defects

New Jersey Strengthens the Structural Integrity of Its Residential Builds

Groundbreaking New York Law Regulates Third-Party Litigation Funding for the First Time

California Appellate Court Confirms: Additional Insureds Are First-Class Citizens

Nevada Bill Would Bring Changes to Construction Defects

CDJ’s #8 Topic of th
Where There’s Smoke, Is There Coverage? A Closer Look at Bottega, LLC v. National Surety and Gharibian v. Wawanesa

Ninth Circuit Holds That Policies Covering Environmental Claims Do Not Have Aggregate Limits

Detroit Showed What ‘Build Back Better’ Can Look Like

Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Multiple Snell & Wilmer Attorneys and Practices

Snell & Wilmer Phoenix Partner Jody Pokorski Named Winner of Connect CRE’s 2025 Lawyers in Real Estate Awards

First Circuit Rejects Insurer’s “Insupportable” Duty-to-Cooperate Defense in Arson Coverage Suit

Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (10/05/22) – Hurricane Ian, the Inflation Reduction Act, and European Real Estate

Contract And IP Implications Of Design Professionals Monetizing Non-Fungible Tokens Comprising Digital Construction Designs

Conspirators Bilked Homeowners in Nevada Construction Defect Claims

Course of Conduct Can Serve as Waiver or Modification of Parties’ Contract

Architect Sues School District

Labor Shortages in Construction: Managing Legal and Operational Risks

The Biggest Trials Coming to Courts Around the World in 2021

Ninth Circuit Affirms Duty to Defend CERCLA Section 104 (e) Letter

Record Home Sales in Sydney Add to Bubble Fear

Corps of Engineers to Prepare EIS for Permit to Construct Power Lines Over Historic James River

Separation of Insureds Provision in CGL Policies

Want to Stay Up on Your Mechanic’s Lien Deadlines? Write a Letter or Two

Is it the Dawning of the Age of Strict Products Liability for Contractors in California?

Eleventh Circuit Upholds Coverage for Environmental Damage from Sewage, Concluding It is Not a “Pollutant”

Class Actions Under California’s Right to Repair Act. Nope. Well . . . Nope.

Colorado Senate Bill 13-052 Dies in Committee

Mortgage Applications in U.S. Jump 11.6% as Refinancing Surges

Water Leak Covered for First Thirteen Days

A Court-Side Seat: Butterflies, Salt Marshes and Methane All Around

U.S. Supreme Court Halts Enforcement of the OSHA Vaccine or Test Mandate

Tampa Team Obtains Highly Favorable Verdict for Property Owner Client in Lawsuit over Traffic Accident

Professional Malpractice Statute of Limitations in Construction Context

Watchdog Opens Cartel Probe Into Eight British Homebuilders

Pennsylvania Sues Firms to Recoup Harrisburg Incinerator Losses

Washington Supreme Court Expands Contractor Notice Obligations

Florida Litigation Team Delivers Crushing Summary Judgment Victory for National Home Builder

Time is of the Essence, Even When the Contract Doesn’t Say So

California Trial Court Clarifies Application of SB800 Roofing Standards and Expert’s Opinions

Utah Becomes First State to Enact the Uniform Commercial Real Estate Receivership Act

Privity Problems Continue for Additional Insureds in the Second Circuit

Ahlers Cressman & Sleight PLLC Recognized Among The Top 50 Construction Law Firms by Construction Executive

Mark Van Wonterghem To Serve as Senior Forensic Consultant in the Sacramento Offices of Bert L. Howe & Associates, Inc.

Deterioration of Bridge Infrastructure Is Increasing Insurance Needs

Hydrogen—A Key Element in the EU’s Green Planning

California Supreme Court Finds that the Notice-Prejudice Rule Applicable to Insurance is a Fundamental Public Policy of the State

Insurer's Motion to Compel Inspection Denied

No Bad Faith in Insurer's Denial of Collapse Claim

HHMR Recognized in 2026 Best Law Firms® Rankings for Construction Litigation and Construction Law

OSHA: What to Expect in 2022

Connecticut’s New False Claims Act Increases Risk to Public Construction Participants

White and Williams Announces Lawyer Promotions

Excessive Corrosion Cause of Ohio State Fair Ride Accident

Traub Lieberman Elects New Partners for 2020

Subprime Bonds Are Back With Different Name Seven Years After U.S. Crisis