ABC MA's Legal Roundtable
Tuesday, March 12th
7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
 
ABC MA Office
100 Unicorn Park Drive, Suite 1
Woburn, MA 01801

​Construction contracts are filled with traps and pitfalls for even the most seasoned negotiator. Join attorneys Chris Kenney and Mike Sams, of the law firm Kenney & Sams, P.C., for our next Legal Roundtable as they represent opposing parties in a simulated subcontract negotiation.
 
With their extensive experience negotiating and litigating construction contracts, Chris and Mike will present key issues every contractor should be aware of during contract negotiations and provide an attorney's point-of-view of the contract negotiation decision-making process.
 
Learn how to:
 
·     Negotiate Construction Contracts
·     Get Paid
·     Allocate your Risk
·     Include Key Insurance Coverage Provisions
·     And More!
 
This interactive presentation is a must attend for anyone involved in negotiating construction contracts. Chris and Mike will go point by point negotiating key terms while providing an opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions along the way. 

The Legal Roundtable provides an opportunity for ABC members to gather and hear from our expert member attorneys on current legal topics and trends impacting the construction industry and ask questions on these and other legal matters. 
 
We encourage ABC member attorneys, company owners and managers, and other interested parties to participate.  

Chris Kenney, co-founder of Kenney & Sams, is a nationally recognized litigator and advocate who has successfully tried cases before every level of the state and federal trial court system in Massachusetts. Chris advises and defends companies, organizations and individuals on contracts and agreements, construction and development, workforce management and product integrity and safety. His clients are local and national, and represent industries as diverse as real estate, construction, manufacturing, health care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and food service.
 
Chris serves as the 2018-2019 President of the Massachusetts Bar Association. He was the Director of the 2018 IADC Trial Academy at Stanford University Law School. Chris is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell, was named “2012 Massachusetts Defense lawyer of the Year” by the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, is a Boston Magazine “Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts” honoree, and is additionally recognized by New England Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America©.  He served on the adjunct faculty at Boston University School of Law, and frequently writes and lectures for business groups, trade associations and bar associations.

​Michael Sams, co-founder of Kenney & Sams, is a respected litigator, advocate and business advisor, serving companies throughout New England. Mike is well known as a trial lawyer and risk manager for participants in the construction industry – contractors, owners, architects, engineers, subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers. Mike’s counsel spans both public and private construction projects and his success is attributed in part to his 360-degree perspective gained through work with businesses on all sides of projects. His work includes contract drafting and negotiation, and handling payment claims, change order and delay disputes, construction defect disputes, mechanic’s lien and bond claims, and insurance coverage work.
 
Mike is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell—the highest rating for legal ability and professional ethics. Boston Magazine recognized Mike as a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer,” is a Fellow in the Construction Lawyers Society of America and he’s been named a New England Super Lawyer each of the past 12 years. Mike also is recognized by Best Lawyers in America©. He is a sought after speaker at legal and industry organization gatherings where he presents best practices for risk management, dispute strategy, and winning at trial.

Join ABC's Human Resource Committee on Wednesday, March 20th from 8:30 am to 10:00 am at ABC's Office located in Woburn, MA. 

Dianne Durkin will join the HR Committee to present "Coaching: The Secret to Employee Success." 

What: ​ABC's Human Resource Committee Meeting
When: Wednesday, March 20th from 8:30 am to 10:00 am
Where: ABC's Office, 100 Unicorn Park Drive, Suite 100, Woburn, MA

Contact Diana Hasan to attend or for more information atDHasan@CEFloyd.com.

At W.T. Kenney Co., it’s always been about family, whether it’s the type we’re born into or those who become family along the way.

This year, the fourth-generation painting contractor celebrates its 80th anniversary.  Walter Thomas Kenney started the company in 1939, selling paint door-to-door in Arlington.  During the 1940s or 50s, he realized it would be more lucrative if his company also did the painting instead of just selling the paint.

Walter eventually handed the business over to his sons Wally, Allan and Ted, who for years ran the company together out of the same room.

Today it’s Tim Kenney, Walter’s grandson, who serves as president and runs the company along with his nephew, Senior Vice President Brian Jurgens, who represents the fourth generation of family ownership.

​BOSTON – February 13, 2019 – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, announced today it has completed renovations for the Revolution Hotel, converting a former hostel into an urban boutique hotel located at 40 Berkeley Street in Boston. Built within the existing walls of one of America’s first YWCAs, Kaplan renovated guest rooms, bathrooms, and common areas, throughout the seven-story, 77,000 SF building.
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​This phased occupied new construction was Erland’s third project on the Fenn School campus. The first phase of this project consisted of demolishing half of an existing building while the other half remained fully operational. The dining hall serving the Fenn Student body was the portion of the building that remained occupied while wood framing, roofing and rough interiors for MEP upgrades for the new academic center were constructed just on the other side of the shared wall. The addition that was built houses Fenn’s very own Makerspace; an active learning center that combines art, science, and technology and cultivates curiosity, imagination and collaboration. A new wood shop was also constructed as part of the Makerspace to expand the co-curricular opportunities for Fenn students. The second phase consisted of demolishing the existing dining hall and rebuilding the cafeteria with updated servery in the same footprint. Safety was a big factor throughout the project. Read More Here...

On February 5th, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) conducted a focus group on climate resiliency with our members to learn about their experiences and perspectives on climate change. Over the past few years there have been a number of extreme weather events and trends that brought MAPC to this topic, such as:
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• The five warmest years in the global record have all happened since 2010.
• 2018 was the wettest fall on record since 1891.
• There’s been a 71% increase in the amount of rain during 100-year level storm events since 1950.
• Last March’s repeat Nor’easters resulted in severe flooding across Eastern MA communities. Towns’ storm water and wastewater systems were overwhelmed. Some communities even had sewage backup in their streets.

 
MAPC solicited our members on-the-ground knowledge and expertise to build an understanding of climate change impacts on construction in New England. This will help inform regional planning and state policy efforts to bolster its resilience. Such inquiries were whether our contractors have experienced delays, work interruptions or extension of work schedules due to weather; damage to equipment, change in insurance rates, or change in prices of raw materials; and changes in regulations and design standards in response to climate change projections.

MAPC intends to conduct several more of these discussions with different industry and occupation groups. After all of the groups are done, they will be writing a summary report that will provide general information on their findings.

Boston Globe (2/5/19) - State campaign finance regulators want to rein in the money labor unions can give their preferred candidates each year, under a newly released proposal that could dramatically alter Massachusetts’ political fund-raising landscape.
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Labor unions are currently allowed to give up to $15,000 annually to a single candidate. But draft regulations quietly released Friday by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance would slash the limit to $1,000, as well as cap donations to political action committees at $500 and to a political party’s committee at $5,000. Read More Here...