The #1 construction law guide for construction professionals Updated and expanded to reflect the most recent changes in construction law, this practical guide teaches readersthe difficult theories, principles, and established rules that regulate the construction business. It addresses the practical steps required to avoid and mitigate risks—whether the project is performed domestically or internationally, or whether it uses a traditional design-bid-build delivery system or one of the many alternative project delivery systems. Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law: A Practical Guide for the Construction Professional provides a comprehensive introduction to the important legal topics and questions affecting the construction industry today. This latest edition features: all-new coverage of Electronically Stored Information (ESI) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD); extended information on the civil False Claims Act; and fully updated references to current AIA, ConsensusDocs, DBIA, and EJDC contract documents. Chapters coverthe legal context of construction; interpreting a contract; public-private partnerships (P3); design-build and EPC; and international construction contracts. Other topics include: management techniques to limit risks and avoid disputes; proving costs and damages, including for changes and claims for delay and disruption; construction insurance, including general liability, builders risk, professional liability, OCIP, CCIP, and OPPI; bankruptcy; federal government construction contracting; and more. Fully updated with comprehensive coverage of the significant legal topics and questions that affect the construction industry Discusses new project delivery methods including Public-Private Partnerships (P3) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Presents new coverage of digital tools and processes including Electronically Stored Information (ESI) Provides extended and updated coverage of the civil False Claims Act as it relates to government construction contracting Filled with checklists, sample forms, and summary “Points to Remember” for each chapter, Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law: A Practical Guide for the Construction Professional, Sixth Edition is the perfect resource for construction firm managers, contractors, subcontractors, architects and engineers. It will also greatly benefit students in construction management, civil engineering, and architecture.

Cut through the legalese to truly understand construction law Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law is a guide for non-lawyers, presenting a practical introduction to the significant legal topics and questions affecting the construction industry. Now in its fifth edition, this useful guide has been updated to reflect the most current developments in the field, with new information on Public Private Partnerships, international construction projects, and more. Readers will find full guidance toward the new forms being produced by the AIA, AGC, and EJDC, including a full review, comparison to the old forms, areas of concern, and advice for transitioning to the new forms. The companion website features samples of these documents for ease of reference, and end of chapter summaries and checklists help readers make use of the concepts in practice. The updated instructor support material includes scenario exercises, sample curriculum, student problems, and notes highlighting the key points student responses should contain. Construction is one of the nation's single largest industries, but its fractured nature and vast economic performance leave it heavily dependent upon construction law for proper functioning. This book is a plain-English guide to how state and federal law affects the business, with practical advice on avoiding disputes and liability. Understand construction law without wading through legal theory Get information on an emerging method of funding large-scale projects Parse the complexities presented by international and overseas projects Migrate to the new AIA, AGC, and EJDC forms smoothly and confidently This book doesn't cover legal theory or serve as a lawyer's guide to case law and commentary – its strength is the clear, unaffected common-sense approach that caters to the construction professional's perspective. For a better understanding of construction law, Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law is an efficient reference.

Be prepared with the bestselling guide to the laws that govern construction Knowledge of construction law and employment law is essential to running a successful construction business. This Fourth Edition of the bestselling Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law provides a practical introduction to the significant legal topics and questions affecting construction industry professionals. Like its popular previous editions, this Fourth Edition translates the sometimes-confusing theories, principles, and established rules that regulate the business into clear, lay-person's English. This new edition updates the comprehensive scope of its predecessors with: Coverage of the newly issued and recently revised industry-standard contract documents produced by the AIA, ConsensusDOCS, and EJCDC for 2007/2008 A CD featuring sample contracts and documents from AIA, ConsensusDOCS, and EJCDC that familiarizes readers with these important documents, and aids in understanding document citations in the book Improved pedagogical tools and instructor support material for use in the classroom The most up-to-date and thorough guide to a sometimes intimidating but critical aspect of the practice of construction, Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law, Fourth Edition gives industry professionals the knowledge they need to avoid legal surprises and gain a competitive advantage.

New edition! The bestselling guide——accessible, authoritative, and up-to-date Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP’s Common Sense Construction Law is an outstanding resource that equips construction professionals and the attorneys who advise them with all of the crucial legal facts related to today’s construction projects–from bidding to completion.Up-to-date with reference to the new American Institute of Architects documents, this Second Edition brings you new material on environmental concerns, labor law, design-build issues, recent federal practices on contractor selection, alternative dispute resolution techniques, and more. In plain English, the book defines all of the important legal terms and concepts, informs you of your rights and responsibilities under the law, tells you what you need to know to avoid common legal pitfalls, and helps you to avoid unwelcome legal surprises that can cripple a project or kill a business. Complete with useful checklists, sample forms, and summary points, this Second Edition of Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP’s Common Sense Construction Law is an invaluable guide for construction industry professionals.

When are you entitled to recover bid preparation costs? What is the design professional's liability to a contractor? When does a subcontractor have a legal right to terminate? Who may claim under a payment bond? Get the answers to these and all of your construction law questions—when you need them—in Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law. Growing out of the extremely popular national construction law seminars given by Smith, Currie & Hancock's construction law experts, this user-friendly reference equips construction professionals and the attorneys who counsel them with all of the crucial facts on: Bidding in the private and public sectors Contracts and contract changes The Uniform Commercial Code Responsibility of project architects and engineers Subcontracting, subcontract administration, and dispute avoidance Scheduling and delays Inspections and warranties Insurance, bonds, and termination Claims and disputes Environmental liability Bankruptcy And much more Filled with dozens of useful checklists, charts, and valuable sample forms, Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law gives you the practical help you need to make sure you've got your legal bases covered. In the construction industry—as in any type of business—knowledge is power. This is especially true when it comes to knowledge of the complex body of local, state, and federal laws and regulations that apply to virtually every aspect of the construction industry. Now Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law arms you with the legal knowledge and practical insight you need to survive and thrive in today's business climate. Written by the attorneys at Smith, Currie & Hancock, one of North America's leading law firms focusing on construction contracts, law, and disputes, this straightforward guide is pitched to address the practical concerns of construction professionals. Complete, self-contained, and easy to use, it provides contractors, subcontractors, owners, and designers, as well as the attorneys who advise them, with instant access to all of the crucial legal principles pertinent to every phase of a construction project—from bidding to completion. In plain English, the book defines all of the important legal terms and concepts, informs you of your rights and responsibilities under the law, tells you what you need to know to avoid common legal pitfalls, and offers valuable tips on how to take advantage of both well-known and not-so-well-known aspects of construction law. The book also provides you with a wide variety of useful checklists, charts, and sample forms that help you to avoid unwelcome legal surprises that can cripple a project or kill a business. Comprehensive and up to date, Smith, Currie & Hancock's Common Sense Construction Law is a peerless source of solid information and practical guidance for today's construction industry professional.