The Atlanta Lawyer December 2018 / January 2019 | Page 28

SECTION UPDATE CONSTRUCTION LAW The Construction Law Section has enjoyed a good first half of the 2018-19 year. Our monthly break- fast meetings during the Fall featured interesting speakers on timely topics and included CLE credit. We started the year with a presentation on contract default/surety completion issues on commercial projects, followed by an update on tariffs in the steel industry and their impacts. Representatives from DOT and other state agencies presented a pro- gram on public/private financing of transportation projects around Atlanta and the state, including the popular “Tollercoaster” express lanes on I-75 and 575. Our well-attended holiday social in December was held at Fado in Buckhead. There is an excellent line-up of programs for the second half of the year. Plans include an ethics update in January, a legislative report in February, an update on MARTA expansion in March, and an in-house counsel panel in April. We end the year with a spring social in May. The section is also publishing a construction law newsletter, and is supporting important Atlanta Bar initiatives such as the Pro Bono March Madness and the Summer Law Internship Program. Thanks to our board and section members for your contributions to such a successful year. We invite our colleagues to check out the Atlanta Bar website for information about our Section and upcoming events, and join us at one of our meetings or socials. By Dan Douglass Stites and Harbison [email protected] WHY I JOINED THE ATLANTA BAR “I JOINED THE ATLANTA BAR AS A LAW STUDENT, WHEN MY NETWORKING GOALS WERE LIMITED TO MEETING LAWYERS IN PRACTICE AREAS THAT INTERESTED ME. WHILE I CERTAINLY MADE NEW CONNECTIONS AS A RESULT, MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE ATLANTA BAR HAS SHOWN ME THE TRUE VALUE OF BEING PART OF THE ATLANTA LEGAL COMMUNITY. MARY ANN HANKE, 11TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 28 December 2018/January 2019