In April, the great state of Texas and its capital city, Austin, will host the Annual Meeting of the Forum. The Forum's first trip to Austin will introduce you to its hospitality, food, history and music. The Annual Meeting will address an issue that is the most basic, and sometimes most complex, in construction law - Money. As our nation navigates one of its most challenging seasons in its economic history, our program, "The Age of Turbulence: Managing Money Issues in Construction," will focus on the economic elements from project concept to closeout, from initial funding to collections, and from owner/developer to designer, contractor and lawyer.

We have coordinated the sessions to follow the project chronologically. We begin with a session on project funding, then move to the buzz word of the decade - Infrastructure - and look at the practical impact of stimulus money and related federal and state regulations. Next we examine public private partnerships (PPP's) and the money-related issues for all project participants. And, as global construction continues to grow, we will explore the financial risks related to operations into a foreign country.

We could not talk money without talking Value Engineering (VE), which we will discuss from the differing perspective of owner, design professional, and contractor. In addition to saving (or losing) money, every business must account for its money. A panel of accountants and attorneys will address major accounting issues for construction. Because the largest component of a construction claim is often related to delay, we invite you to listen to the main author and a critic of the AACE scheduling protocols face-off. Next, we will explore options when cash flow issues leave parties feeling damned if they stopped work to pursue payment, and damned if they don't. Another session looks at considerations for both the consumer and seller of legal services when evaluating and managing the cost of litigation. Because the deal is not done until our clients collect their fees, we also offer a session on creative methods for collecting judgments.