Perkins Coie is a nationally recognized leader in construction law. Our attorneys represent public and private owners, design professionals, contractors and suppliers during all stages of construction—from project conception and funding through design, procurement and construction, as well as in dispute resolution.
Publications
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12.04.2023Illinois Supreme Court Issues Landmark Construction Insurance Coverage RulingUpdatesIn a landmark decision, the Illinois Supreme Court has granted a major victory for policyholders seeking general liability insurance coverage for construction defect and faulty workmanship claims.
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09.24.2021The Purpose, A Purpose? Because of Litigation Concerns? Ninth Circuit Adopts Stringent Test for Dual-Purpose CommunicationsUpdatesWhen are communications with counsel that are for both legal advice and business purposes protected by the attorney-client privilege?
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02.03.2021Deadlines Approaching for COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims: Don’t Forfeit Coverage!UpdatesPolicyholders with COVID-19 insurance claims may not be aware that insurance policies limit the time they have to bring a lawsuit against their insurance company.
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07.13.2020Washington State Department of Ecology Unveils Expedited Voluntary Cleanup ProgramUpdatesIn April 2019, the Washington legislature amended the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) to allow the Washington State Department of Ecology to create an expedited version of the existing Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP).
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04.30.2020Bay Area Counties Relax Restriction on Construction and Other Low-Risk ActivitiesUpdatesThe six Bay Area counties that led the way in requiring their citizens to shelter in place on March 16 and again on March 31—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara—issued new orders on April 29 extending many of the shelter-in-place requirements to May 31.
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04.30.2020 (Updated 05.14.2020)Washington Open Public Meetings Act, Public Records Act Requirements Temporarily Waived and Suspended in Response to COVID-19UpdatesWashington public meeting and public records laws contemplate that members of the public can be physically present at the meeting location or the agency office.
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04.27.2020 (Updated 04.30.2020)Washington Restarts Construction ProjectsUpdatesWashington Governor Jay Inslee signed an addendum to the Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order (Proclamation 20-25) on April 24, 2020, to allow certain construction to resume, provided projects institute a COVID-19 safety plan and workers use personal protective equipment and can socially distance, among other requirements.
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03.27.2020California’s “Safer-at-Home” Order Permits Many Construction Projects to ContinueUpdatesGovernor of California Gavin Newsom and numerous other local municipalities—including, but not limited to, the counties of Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Sonoma, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba, and the cities of Berkeley and Fresno—have issued shelter-in-place orders.
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03.27.2020Illinois “Stay-at-Home” Order Permits Many Categories of Construction to ContinueUpdatesOn March 20, 2020, Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker, issued an executive order requiring Illinois residents to stay at home and limiting business activities which may remain open to “Essential Businesses and Operations.”
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03.27.2020 (Updated 04.03.2020)Washington’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Order Permits Only Limited Categories of Construction to ContinueUpdatesGovernor of Washington Jay Inslee issued a statewide order, Proclamation 20-25 - Stay Home, Stay Healthy, requiring all Washingtonians to stay at home unless engaging in essential activities or working in essential business services.
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03.25.2020COVID-19 and Construction Contracts: Considerations for Owners and DevelopersUpdatesOwners and developers with construction projects underway are understandably very concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the viability of their projects.
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03.23.2020COVID-19 and Construction: Initial Steps for ContractorsUpdatesCOVID-19 is expected to have an impact on construction companies across the country.
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03.18.2020Bay Area COVID-19 Shelter-In-Place Orders Exempt Activities Necessary for Housing ConstructionUpdatesIn response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) global pandemic, seven counties in California—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz—issued orders requiring residents to shelter in place and mandating closure of many businesses.
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07.31.2019South Carolina Attorney-Client Privilege Ruling Is a Gift to InsurersUpdates
The South Carolina Supreme Court delivered a gift to insurers facing bad faith claims in that state. The court determined that, where a policyholder brings a bad faith claim against its insurer and the insurer answers the claim by denying liability, the policyholder’s right to obtain discovery of the insurer’s attorney-client privileged communications concerning the insurer’s handling of the claim must be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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02.02.2018Oregon Court of Appeals Strikes Down Statutory Cap on Noneconomic DamagesUpdatesOregon is one of 35 states where the legislature has successfully enacted a statute capping the amount of noneconomic damages, commonly known as “emotional distress,” that juries can award. With the issuance of two recent opinions from the Oregon Court of Appeals, however, Oregon now joins six other states with courts that have ruled such caps are unconstitutional.
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05.31.2017Absolute Pollution Exclusion—Not So AbsoluteUpdatesSlapping insurers with breach of contract and bad faith, Washington state’s highest court recently found that a general liability policy’s so-called “absolute” pollution exclusion may not be so absolute.
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04.01.2015Newly Revised Arizona Purchaser Dwelling Act Changes Rules for Construction Defect ClaimsUpdatesWhen the Arizona Legislature enacted the Purchaser Dwelling Act (the Act) in 2002, it imposed various pre-litigation notice and inspection requirements on a purchaser or a homeowners’ association before they could file a lawsuit alleging defective construction against those engaged in the business of designing, constructing or selling dwellings.
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04.24.2013Illinois Supreme Court Issues New Rules Affecting Mortgage ForeclosuresUpdatesThe Illinois Supreme Court has issued new court rules that become effective on May 1, 2013, modifying the evidentiary requirements for obtaining foreclosure judgments, among other things. The rules are the result of the work of a special committee appointed by the court to study, address and unify the procedures used throughout the state in mortgage foreclosure proceedings.
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09.2010Government Contracting: Alaska State and Federal IssuesLawyer Publications
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09.30.2009New Retainage RequirementsUpdatesNew legislation applicable to Washington public construction projects completed after September 30, 2009.