Jury Trials
Generally, civil attorneys work long hours and even weekends, but come December, the entire civil justice system essentially shuts down. That is, all except for our office where we have been asked to show up through Christmas Eve. I bring up the subject only to point out that I am at the office with rare “free” time. Instead of reading dry CLE handouts, I’ve downloaded a copy of “The Common Law” by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. As with any book worth reading, I found it difficult to get through even the first chapter without stopping to ponder the passages I find particularly relevant. In the first lecture of the book, Holmes begins by discussing the origins of law, couched in vengeance and a need to remedy injury inflicted by intentional acts.
Change Orders
As a subcontractor, you should always remember that Contracts protect the ones who draft them. However, if you understand the expectations from the beginning, you can generally avoid conflict or at least, prepare and create records to support any potential claim. As morbid as it seems, the best way to prevent litigation is to prepare for it from the outset.