If you are a construction attorney, or an attorney interested in learning more about construction project and practice issues, and have not already joined the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, I encourage you do to do. Three times a year, hundreds of construction lawyers come together for a two-day continuing education conference focused on current important issues of construction law and risk management. Through the 13 Divisions of the Forum, members can join others in focusing on specific areas of greatest interest to them in their practice. In addition to the CLE conferences, the Divisions conduct numerous webinars and educational programs. The Forum also publishes books on construction law topics such as contracts, procurement methods, and design professional and construction manager law. Two books published this year are Construction ADR and Construction Subcontracting. Members of the Forum get special pricing opportunities for the books. For more information, see, www.americanbar.org/groups/construction_industry.
Full Letter
May 29, 2014
Dear Colleagues,
As Chair of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, I extend this special invitation to join the Forum. Please consider the following things about the Forum which I hope will persuade you to become a member.
First, the Forum hosts three national programs per calendar year at great venues. Our programs are known for their quality. Our Annual Meeting just took place in April in New Orleans. It was a great success, attended by over 560 participants. Our next program, the Forum’s Fall Meeting, is set for October 15-17, 2014 in Chicago. The Forum’s MidWinter meeting is scheduled for January 29-30, 2015 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The upcoming national programs consist of almost two days of educational programming, networking and social events. Our programs provide CLE on a substantive area of interest, consistent with our motto of “Building the Best Construction Lawyers.”
If you are a young lawyer, new to the practice of construction law, and looking for a way to network with your peers, we invite you to become involved with our young lawyers division. They are a very active group, offering social events, networking opportunities, speaking and writing opportunities, as well as projects that give back to our industry. They also host the community service project at our Annual Meeting.
In addition to the young lawyers division, the Forum also has thirteen other divisions focused on substantive areas within construction law. Our newest division, Division 13, focuses upon government construction issues. You can join as many divisions as you want free of charge with your Forum membership. The divisions are the best way for you to realize the true benefits of Forum membership, which extend well beyond just CLE, and include speaking opportunities, writing opportunities, legal resources, and the opportunity to make friendships that will last a lifetime.
As a first time attendee at one of our meetings, we will pair you with an experienced member of the Forum to guide you through not only your first meeting, but to explain how to become involved in the Forum.
As a member benefit, the Forum also offers distance based learning opportunities, including regularly scheduled webinars on a variety of topics relevant to construction law or the construction industry. These are programs you can enjoy from the comfort of your own office and without travel expense. The Forum also distributes free to its members two outstanding legal publications: The Construction Lawyer, which is a law journal distributed in hard copy and filled with quality legal articles on pertinent and cutting edge topics; and our electronic newsletter, Under Construction, which is packed with smaller, but no less quality, articles.
Finally, the Forum publishes excellent books on a wide variety of construction law topics. Two books published this year are Construction ADR and Construction Subcontracting. Members of the Forum get special pricing opportunities for our books. We encourage you to view our online catalogue.
The cost of joining the Forum now is only $50 through this bar year (September 1) and only $60 per year going forward. You will more than make back the cost in member benefits by attending one meeting or buying one book at members’ rates. Join us here.
I could go on about the benefits of becoming a member of the Forum, and how it has benefitted me both personally and professionally, but please join us and find out for yourself. I hope to see you at our Fall Meeting in Chicago in October.
Sincerely,
Terrence L. Brookie
2013-2014 Forum Chair
tbrookie@fbtlaw.com
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
Forum on the Construction Industry
321 N. Clark Street, MS 18.2
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone (312) 988-5579
www.americanbar.org/groups/construction_industry