@constructionlaw 2.0
August 19th, 2010
Attorney, The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill, PC
Author, Construction Law Musings
LEED AP
Instructor, Solo Practice University
Today, we’re tweeting with @constructionlaw: VA construction attorney, LEED AP, construction law blogger and May 2009 interviewee
- @Constructionlaw, thank you for joining us today on Twitter, and welcome back to 22 Tweets. Tell us, who is @Constructionlaw?
thx 4 having me back ,a construction attorney that wants 2 help construction folks manage their risk & grow their business.
– - Tell us about your law practice.
I am a construction attorney and do my best to keep clients out of trouble, and get them out of trouble when necessary
– - Since our 1st interview, you’ve “gone solo” (congrats on that, by the way). How did that change your practice?
I still provide wht I hope is gr8 client service but now can be more flexible in meeting client’s needs more directly.
– - Any advice for other lawyers considering a solo practice?
have confidence in yourself & let personality & expertise shine though, in marketing & in practice. The rest will come.
– - I believe your LEED AP cert is also new since May 2009. What does that mean for your clients?
a level of familiarity w/ the LEED green building certification that will help w/ new construction contracting landscape
– - Let’s talk about your clients. What type of clients do you represent?
Any level of commercial construction professional for the most part, right now mostly subcontractors and suppliers
– - What is the single most important legal issue affecting those clients?
getting paid! Really, this is the biggest thing with this economy.
– - What do you tell every new client before you start working for them?
That i’m a part of their team, whether in litigation or hopefully in business growth & that I understand their issues.
– - Tell us about one of the more significant client representations you’ve had.
They are all significant, but representing a national window manufacturer in some litigation was one of the biggest.
– - How has the construction landscape evolved since we last tweeted? Who are the new players? Who’s gone?
So much has changed I have several friends and/or clients that have gone through significant expansion or contraction.
– - What’s the next big frontier in construction law? What should your clients be doing to prepare for it?
Green building & it’s impact on how we build projects. They need 2 recognize the unique issues w/ green construction
– - How do you describe what you do to someone you meet at a cocktail reception?
A risk manager for construction professionals or outside, in house counsel for construction companies
– - Nice. What are some challenges of marketing a solo practice that you didn’t see when you were part of larger firm?
not much has changed, I was always marketing my own practice. This may be different had I been at a truly large firm
– - You blog at Construction Law Musings (http://bit.ly/17FHYY). How has your blog evolved over past year and a half?
its growth has been amazing! The Guest Post Fridays (in which you’ve participated) add depth that I could not have imagined
– - Have your Web 2.0 activities led to any additional referrals or client engagements?
yes. I get calls from out of state contractors or lawyers. I also just today got a client from my firm website.
– - Congrats for that! The economy & the need to retool: still the most significant issues facing the legal profession?
Yes, In short, the legal profession seems to be stuck in the past and it’s come home to roost in many ways
– - What will the legal landscape look like in 10 years?
Who knows? Things R changing so fast. I think thr will be more small specialized firms working in loose referral networks.
– - What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?
Tough one. Something involving people that would let me also hang with my great family.
– - How do you want to be remembered?
As a lawyer who balanced family and clients in a way that let him represent his clients to the fullest and have fun doing it
– - What do you do when you’re not working?
When? Oh, mostly kid and family related activities or playing tennis or shooting (poorly) at sporting clays.
– - What advice can you pass along to lawyers currently under- or unemployed due to the economic crisis?
Market, Also, don’t get too down, you have a skill set you can use and you’ll figure out how to use it.
– - And our final question for you, Chris: what advice do you have for people going to law school today?
besides go back in time and make a new decision? Try to have fun in law school and explore what you’d be passionate about.
Valuable advice to close this great interview. Thank you very much for coming back to 22 Tweets!
Glad to do it, thanks!
