Woods & Aitken News and Archives
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- Woods & Aitken LLP Attorneys Edit/Contribute to National Construction Law Desk Book
- Woods & Aitken Expands with Denver Office
- Timmer Elected to American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
- Evnen Accepts Invitation for AELC Membership
- Kerry Kester's MCAA Presentations
- Gude Elected to Omaha Estate Planning Council
Woods & Aitken LLP Attorneys Edit/Contribute to National Construction Law Desk Book
The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released its fourth edition of “The Design-Build Deskbook: A Blueprint for Design-Build Procurement Across the United States and Canada.” The Deskbook, which the ABA refers to as the industry’s, “primary reference on design/build for lawyers and construction professionals alike,” features contributions, as well as editorial direction, from attorneys at Woods & Aitken.
“Since our Firm was founded in 1921, we’ve been committed to serving the needs of the construction industry on the local, regional and national levels,” said Joel Heusinger, a managing partner and construction law attorney with Woods & Aitken. “The latest edition of the Deskbook is the perfect illustration of that dedication, and to making construction-industry practices more effective for everyone.”
Kerry L. Kester, a partner with the Firm, was the lead editor of the Deskbook. Active for many years in the ABA’s Forum on the Construction Industry, Kester served as its chair from 2007 – 2009. “A technology grows, and the economy shrinks budgets and profits, the design/build process is only going to grow as a vital method for construction,” said Kester. “We wanted an edition that did more than provided clarity, but streamlined the delivery of information for everyone.”
In addition to editorial contributions, Woods & Aitken attorneys authored the state-specific chapters governing Nebraska and Wyoming construction law. Contributing attorneys for those chapters included Brian S. Koerwitz, Craig C. Dirrim and Kerry L. Kester.
Woods & Aitken Expands with Denver Office
Woods & Aitken LLP recently opened its newest office in Denver, Colorado. The full service law firm, which has a national reputation as a leader in the practice of construction law, opened its Denver office in response to the demands of its current Front Range client base and as a natural extension of its Nebraska roots.
“While the office itself is relatively new, our commitment to serving Denver is more than a decade old,” said Kory George, a partner at Woods & Aitken who is managing the new office. “When the Firm’s leadership decided that a permanent investment in Denver should be made, we immediately got to work making and extending our contacts.” George noted that news of a Denver office will confirm discussions they have had with the area’s premier construction companies, trade organizations, and industry professionals dating back to late Summer of 2009.
The downtown-Denver office, which will focus primarily on clients from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Cheyenne, Wyoming, as well as western Nebraska, offers clients the full range of Woods & Aitken’s legal services. The Firm’s construction law practice, and associated practice areas such as labor, financial, real estate, and alternate dispute resolution, will lead its early growth and development. The Firm specializes in negotiating, drafting and analyzing construction contracts; developing and presenting negotiation positions and litigation strategies; and participates in evaluating claims and settlement proposals for a wide range of construction projects.
Woods & Aitken’s dedication to Denver goes beyond brick and mortar. A number of the attorneys in the Firm’s construction law group have obtained licenses in Colorado and Wyoming and are already actively serving clients, industry organizations and the community. Kory D. George, Kerry L. Kester, Joel D. Heusinger, Allen L. Overcash and James A. Overcash from the Firm’s national construction practice are each heavily involved with the Denver office expansion.
According to Woods & Aitken managing partner Joel Heusinger, “The decision to grow into the Denver market was one our Firm took very seriously, especially considering the current economy. However, when we looked at how the needs of the Front Range construction industry aligned with the strengths of our firm, the decision was easy and we knew it had to be done.”
Timmer Elected to American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
Patrick D. Timmer, a member of Woods & Aitken LLP, was recently elected as a Fellow to the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Membership in the College, which is comprised of 2,600 of the nation’s top trust & estate attorneys, requires nomination, review at the state and national levels, and election by the association’s board of regents. Timmer is Nebraska’s youngest ACTEC member.
“Pat’s commitment to his trust and estate planning clients is outstanding,” said Paul Schudel, a managing partner at Woods & Aitken. “This recognition not only reflects his client commitment, but his dedication to this vital practice area through his lectures, seminar leadership, and panel discussions.”
Fellowship to the College, which was founded in 1949, is available only to those attorneys who have been nominated by another ACTEC Fellow. According to the ACTEC Web site, Fellowship is extended to those attorneys “demonstrating the highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence and experience as trust and estate counselors.” In addition to extensive practice in the areas of trust and estate law, members must also have made contributions through writing, teaching and bar leadership activities.
Evnen Accepts Invitation for AELC Membership
Robert B. Evnen, a partner at Woods & Aitken LLP, has accepted an invitation to join The American Employment Law Council (AELC). The invitation-only organization was founded in 1993 by the nation’s premier labor and employment lawyers. According to the AELC, membership is reserved for “experienced and accomplished lawyers whose practice principally involves the representation of … employers at a significant level of responsibility.”
“AELC membership recognizes Bob’s expertise and dedication to labor and employment law on a national level and is a most-deserved recognition of his work in this ever-changing area of law,” said Paul Schudel, a managing partner at Woods & Aitken.
The AELC’s primary objective is “to encourage and promote the highest standards of professional competence and responsibility in the field of labor and employment law.” The AELC focuses on education in its mission to “further its founders’ commitment to enlightened and fair-minded practices, to full participation in the workplace of qualified men and women from every quarter, and to the competitive success of employers in national and international markets.”
“It’s an honor to be a new AELC member. I look forward to expanding my participation in the national discussion on key labor and employment issues, and applying the latest ideas and perspectives to the service of my clients in Nebraska and around the country,” said Evnen.
Kerry Kester's MCAA Presentations
Legal Aspects Of Intelligent Estimating And BIM (PDF)
Consensus Docs 750 v. AIA A401 (PDF)
Gude Elected to Omaha Estate Planning Council
Sara L. Gude, an associate with Woods & Aitken LLP, was recently elected an associate member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council. Gude’s election is a reflection of her commitment to education in, and service to, the estate planning and probate practice area. In addition to attorneys, the members who elected Gude into the association include financial planners, accountants, and others who are dedicated to applying the latest in estate planning and probate services to solve client problems and meet client objectives.
According to Wm. Lee Merritt, a managing partner with Woods & Aitken, “Sara’s election to the Council says that respected professionals see in her what we do—outstanding professional qualifications and character, a commitment to learning and growing alongside some of the area’s most-respected estate planning and probate practitioners, and a desire to provide the best possible service to the Firm’s estate planning clients.”
A Harlan, Iowa native, Gude is a 2006 summa cum laude graduate of Creighton University College of Business Administration, where she was an Anna Tyler Waite Leadership Scholar and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. Gude graduated magna cum laude from Creighton University School of Law in 2008, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Creighton Law Review.
