New Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification

Attention!: Contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, material suppliers, owners, anyone with employees. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services released a revised version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification on 17 July 2017. Employers may continue to use the old version of Form I-9 until tomorrow. However, starting on Monday, 18 September 2017, all employers must use the new version … Read More

AIA Releases 2017 Construction Contract Documents

The American Institute of Architects publishes the most widely used form document set in the construction industry.  The AIA revises the construction contract documents approximately every 10 years to address legal opinions and current construction practices.  On April 19, the American Institute of Architects released the 2017 version of its contract documents.  The documents revised in the 2017 version include: A201™-2017      General Conditions of … Read More

New GA Law Voiding Indemnity in Design Agreements Only Raises Questions

Georgia previously banned indemnity agreements in construction related contracts to the extent they required one party to indemnify another for that party’s sole negligence.  On April 26, 2016, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed legislation that voids most indemnification and hold harmless agreements in contracts for, or collateral to, engineering, architectural or land surveying services.  The new law (effective July 1, 2016), however, still … Read More

It’s All in the Contract: Design Professionals

We’ve all been told to be careful what we ask for. And that is true. But for design professionals, it is also important to “be careful what you contract for.” Many design professional contracts contain standardized language that has been evaluated and addressed for many years, providing greater certainty as to the application of the contract language. However, sometimes owners … Read More

The Gatlinburg Wastewater Treatment Plant Failure

Many people in the construction industry in Tennessee, and throughout the U.S., heard about the tragedy that occurred in April 2011 at the Gatlinburg Wastewater Treatment Plant (“Gatlinburg WWTP”) in East Tennessee. However, the way in which the failure occurred should be a clear example for designers and contractors when making changes in the field that can impact the structural integrity … Read More