Construction Committee

Although created only a few years ago, the Committee on Real Estate Construction has already made a significant impact. The Committee’s basic goal is to educate real estate lawyers, especially those not well-versed in construction, about issues that arise in connection with construction agreements – something virtually all real estate attorneys encounter. The Committee has organized breakfast and lunch seminars and CLE programs for the Section’s Summer and Annual meetings.

As its first major project, the Committee prepared a form of Owner’s Rider and Commentary to one of the standard AIA (American Institute of Architecture) forms of Owner/Contractor agreements generally used in construction, together with forms of lien waivers. In 2016 the Committee completed work on a proposed form of Owner’s Rider to one of the AIA Owner/Architect Agreements. The Committee plans to continue working on forms for construction projects and making those forms available to the real estate community.

If you are a real estate lawyer, you will certainly be asked by your clients to review construction related agreements from time to time, whether agreements with contractors, architects, or others. To represent your client well, you need some basic knowledge about these agreements and construction issues generally, something you will certainly obtain in this Committee, as it is composed of both experienced construction lawyers and real estate attorneys only peripherally involved in construction. Committee members brainstorm problems, solutions, and current issues.

Committee membership is open to members of the Real Property Law Section.