Alabama's commercial construction industry has a $12 billion annual impact, employing almost 156,000 people across the state and generating a payroll of more than $6 billion a year according to an economic impact study commissioned by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama, the state's largest commercial construction association. In response to the increasing legal needs of the industry, Balch & Bingham attorneys Chuck Burkhart and Conrad Anderson IV, partners in the firm’s Birmingham office and members the of the Construction and Litigation Practices, authored the Alabama Construction Law Manual, the state’s first treatise on legal issues affecting the construction industry to be published in more than a decade.
The Manual serves as a resource for lawyers, owners, contractors, suppliers, and other construction professionals to proactively address repetitive problems encountered at any point throughout a project, and provides practical guidance on issues that often negatively impact budgets and lead to delays in completion.
“Alabama is fortunate to boast talented construction professionals and firms across our state,” said Chuck Burkhart, co-author. “The Alabama Construction Law Manual serves as a reference source for members at every level of the industry, offering navigational insight on the various legal and regulatory processes throughout each stage of a construction project.”
Topics covered in the Manual include: an overview of the various responsibilities and relationships of those performing work on a project; contract drafting and buy-out checklists; advantages and disadvantages of various delivery models; project financing options and remedies for collection; the laws governing public projects, including competitive bid requirements; and the contractors’ and subcontractors’ licensing processes. Sections of the Manual also feature practice pointers, outlining “best practices” for addressing issues frequently encountered across the industry.
“The Manual offers insights specific to Alabama and provides construction professionals working across the state with a single resource that highlights key legal requirements, contract drafting provisions and other practical information,” said Conrad Anderson IV, co-author. “Readers also will benefit from the practice pointers, which offer tips on how to address real-world scenarios as they arise.”
The Alabama Construction Law Manual represents Chuck Burkhart and Conrad Anderson’s combined 33 years of experience in construction law and litigation.
Chuck Burkhart focuses his legal practice on construction litigation and the defense and trial of catastrophic product liability and electrical injury and death claims. He represents owners, architects, contractors, and subcontractors on a spectrum of legal issues. Over the past decade, Chuck has negotiated and drafted over $1.8 billion in construction contracts across the United States.
