Glaholt LLP recently had the privilege of being the Platinum Sponsor of the 8th International Society of Construction Law Conference, hosted by the Society of Construction Law North America (“SCL NA”), in Chicago, Illinois.
Incorporated in May 2017, SCL NA is the newest chapter of the Society of Construction Law, originally founded in the United Kingdom in 1983. While it was the SCL’s 8th biennial international conference, it was the first of its kind held in North America. Over 250 delegates from all corners of the globe attended to learn from expert panels comprised of owners, senior construction executives, general counsel, construction lawyers, design professions and consultants. The result was a tremendously successful conference that provided attendees with diverse, global perspectives of construction law issues facing us all.
The Society of Construction Law has more than 3,000 members worldwide, across more than a dozen chapters. Since its inception, SCL NA has already more than tripled its ranks from its original 31 Founding Members.
The object of SCL NA is to promote education, study and research in construction law and in particular construction alternative dispute resolution, arbitration and adjudication, and to disseminate that research through publications, courses, seminars, and conferences. To this end, the SCL and the SCL NA do not limit membership to practicing lawyers, but are comprised of members from all corners of the construction industry.
The founding of the SCL NA, and the success of its inaugural conference, are the direct result of the efforts of Dr. Anamaria Popsecu, who with the help of Keith Kirkwood, the SCL UK’s 2016 Chairman, spearheaded the initiative to open the North American chapter, and bring the conference to the United States. Glaholt LLP wishes to thank Dr. Popsecu, and the entire conference committee, for all of their hard work that made the conference the resounding success that it was.
International industry organizations, like the SCL, are more important than ever. As construction projects grow in scale and complexity, they increasingly involve parties from different jurisdictions and diverse legal backgrounds. In this context, industry participants, including owners, construction executives, in-house counsel, construction lawyers and consultants must be prepared to operate and collaborate in different legal frameworks to be successful. For that reason, the SCL, with its diversity of membership and far reaching connections through its international chapters, has become a critical industry hub for practitioners looking to increase their international network, and to share their experience and learnings with construction law professionals from around the world.
Ontario’s recent adoption of adjudication under the new Construction Act, to be introduced in October 2019, highlights the value of strong connections to practitioners from international jurisdictions. With no prior construction adjudication experience anywhere in North America, our industry will rely heavily on the adjudication expertise of our colleagues in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia, each of which has a very strong and well established SCL Chapter.
Glaholt LLP is proud to announce that two of its Partners, Charles Powell and Michael Valo, have been appointed SCL NA Regional Directors for the Ontario Region. The SCL NA is actively expanding its membership ranks from all sectors of the construction industry in Canada and the US, and Charles and Michael are looking forward to helping drive that effort through regional events throughout the year.
Benefits of joining the SCL NA include:
- Access to SCL members only publications, videos and other resources from the SCL International Library
- The ability to publish papers with worldwide recognition, and gain exposure to international perspectives on construction law
- Interacting with construction industry professionals from the North American and International construction communities
- Reciprocal Benefits with sister societies including discounted attendance at International and regional conferences and seminars
Glaholt LLP and its lawyers are proud to support the SCL NA and encourage anyone in the construction industry to join this impressive organization. For more information on SCL NA, and to become a member, please visit the SCL NA website at www.scl-na.org.