Written by Jeremy S. Baker - Chicago River facing West I was floored by Steve Burrows’ absolutely brilliant keynote at Digital Build Week 2019. I first heard it as a podcast, at the gym. I stopped my workout and furiously scrambled to take notes. Steve Burrows is a visionary engineer with a long career. He is someone you should know. His speech “This is the Greatest Time in History to be in Construction” Read More
Why Diligent Project Owners Should Never Lose Mechanics Lien Claims
Written by Jeremy S. Baker - You are a project owner or real estate developer. You want to avoid lien claims. But how? Yes, the Illinois Lien Act – first passed in 1825 – contains arcane and confounding rules. But here is the truth: real estate developers and project owners should never lose lien claims … IF they follow the Lien Act, as they make periodic payments on their design and construction Read More
Jeremy Baker to Present at AIA Chicago Zoom Webinar April 7th 12pm CST
Mechanics liens are a powerful tool to help architects secure payment on Illinois projects. In turbulent economic times, AIA contract type liens can be particularly useful to architects concerned about their clients’ willingness – or ability – to pay for design services. Liens can sometimes motivate project owners and lenders to pay architects and their subconsultants. Architects who meet certain short deadlines, and Read More
POSTPONED – ABA SPEECH: Seeing the Big Picture: Construction Management Under the 2019 AIA CM Contracts – Part 2: Construction
20/20 Foresight: Effective Project Management & Strategies Forum on Construction Law Annual MeetingApril 22-24, 2020 | Seattle, WASheraton Grand SeattleCo-Sponsored by the Construction Management Association of America VIEW BROCHURE Read More
POSTPONED – ANATOMY OF INDEMNITY AND COPYRIGHT CLAUSES: WHAT ARCHITECTS NEED TO KNOW
Unfortunately, today's presentation has been postponed due to COVID-19. I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and their loved ones. Click here for more on the AIA Chicago website. Read More
Jeremy Baker to Present at AIA Chicago Lunch-and-Learn March 18th at 12pm CST
Jeremy Baker from Baker Law Group LLC (previously a Partner at Schiff Hardin LLP), will present an hour lunch-and-learn that will closely examine two heavily-negotiated and important contract clauses: 1) indemnity, defense, and hold harmless clauses; and 2) intellectual property, copyright, and licensure clauses. Jeremy will examine contract language frequently-requested by the architect’s client (project Read More
FCPA Primer for International Design Agencies
Written by Jeremy Baker in May 2015. Originally posted on https://www.schiffhardin.com/ - Introduction to FCPA Settlements Design professionals tempted by the lure of overseas work need to understand the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). FCPA compliance is an important loss prevention issue. While exchanging gifts and things of value is a way of life in many countries, U.S. anti-bribery laws Read More
Clients Want Lawyers Who Know How to Settle Disputes Early: Thoughts on Guided Choice Mediation
This post was written by Paul M. Lurie, one of Jeremy Baker's mentors at Schiff Hardin LLP. Paul helped Jeremy to understand that clients want lawyers who know how to settle disputes early. The discussion that follows first appeared at www.stradley.co - Clients Want Lawyers Who Know How to Settle Disputes Early: Thoughts on Guided Choice MediationStradley Ronon ADR Practice Chair Patrick R. Kingsley sits down Read More
What Types of Risky Contract Terms Concern Smart Architects and Engineers?
Written By Jeremy S. Baker - When negotiating contracts, architects and engineers face a variety of risky contract terms – but a few kinds of clauses stand out as being particularly risky and prone to misuse. Uninsurable Contract Terms First, it is common for project owners to ask architects and engineers to accept contract risk management terms outside the protection of their professional liability Read More
Jeremy Baker selected as Leading Lawyer for fourth consecutive year
Jeremy has been named a Leading Lawyer in Construction Law for 2020, marking his sixth consecutive year of recognition by Law Bulletin Media. This is the fourth year that Jeremy has been named a Leading Lawyer, which recognizes the top 5% of licensed attorneys in Illinois. Before that, he was recognized for two years as an Emerging Lawyer, identifying him among the less than 2% of lawyers in the state under 40 or Read More
