Hello colleagues! I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as your Construction Law Section chair this past year. I’d like to take a moment and thank you for your membership in the section. It is an honor to serve with lawyers who consistently support each other and engage in open discussion about the law and policy. We are a tight knit group and treat each other with a civility and a collegiality that is particularly refreshing in a profession that is full of “objections!” If you haven’t been on the receiving end of this esteemed professionalism, I encourage you to reach out to TBA section liaisons Chelsea Bennett (cbenett@tnbar.org) or Brooke Leeton (bleeton@tnbar.org) to become more involved. We are always looking for fresh insight into the industry. Plus, the coming years promise to be busy ones for construction lawyers, so support will be essential.  

Speaking of essential, I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank Jerry Martin and the Construction Law Section Executive Council for the excellent Construction Law Forum held at the Tennessee Banker’s Association on Jan. 24. We heard from many state agencies on some of the technicalities we and our clients face with TDEC, licensing, TDOT and TOSHA. The day was rounded out with a speedy case law update and an engaging ethics presentation. Thank you to all the speakers who gave so freely of their valuable time! For those of you who may have missed the 2025 forum, it will be available soon as a 1-Click package.

Finally, it has been a busy legislative session thus far, with many items being followed closely by the section executive council. Proposed legislation is reviewed carefully and feedback is provided whether we support, oppose or are neutral on the proposed bills. If you’d like to be more involved or have specific feedback on any proposed legislation, please reach out Chelsea or Brooke at the emails above. While our executive council comes from across the state and represents a variety of construction industry businesses, there is always room for another voice and we welcome your input!

And on that note, please encourage your colleagues, opposing counsel and your ADR professionals to join our section. Next year’s forum promises to have some interesting case law updates, as well as legislation reviews. They won’t want to miss it! If you have any suggestions for topics that you would like to see at the next forum or if would be interested in writing about for an article in a future TBA Connect newsletter, please feel free to reach out to me (theresa@tlclawoffice.com) or to our TBA section liaisons.

Thank you again for being a valuable part of our section and we look forward to a prosperous 2025!

— Theresa Critchfield