Monthly Column

Jon Straw, Partner at Kraftson Caudle, PLC, in McLean, Va., specializing in heavy highway and transportation construction law, is a monthly contributor to Roads & Bridges magazine. Jon has been writing the law section for the magazine since January of 2020.

2023

MAY

MEDIATION MELEE
An arbitration case can be costly

APRIL

WRITTEN NOTICE
Beware that strict compliance of the contract might be required

MARCH

MOMMY DEAREST
The story of an ESA without a MOM

FEBRUARY

RESHAPING AGREEMENTS
Oral agreements must be written in stone

JANUARY

WHERE DOES THE BUCK STOP?
A shallow concrete pour leads to an interesting lawsuit

2022

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
How a contractor sued the government and won

OCTOBER

DELAYS VS. ACCELERATION
Opposite sides of the same coin that can be mistakenly mixed

SEPTEMBER

THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST
When buying land for a new road or house, public information can be a powerful tool.

JULY/AUGUST

PAYMENT DUE
How every word–and day–count under prompt payment laws

MAY/JUNE

BROKEN PROMISES
Examine the duties within a contract

APRIL

MADE IN AMERICA
Infrastructure law broadens federal domestic preference policies

MARCH

THE RISK OF UNCERTAINTY
New infrastructure law broadens Federal Miller Act Protections

FEBRUARY

DEFINING SCOPE
Dispute over subcontractor’s obligations complicates roadway project

JANUARY

IT’S GOOD TO BE KING
Few exceptions found under the doctrine of sovereign immunity

2021

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

NAVIGATING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND OTHER UNFORESEEABLE EVENTS
This column published as “New Problems, Old Solutions” in November/December 2021 issue

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

TURNING TO THE CONTRACT FOR GUIDANCE CAN HELP SETTLE DISPUTES
This column published as “The Best Map” in October 2021 issue

JULY/AUGUST
PASS-THROUGH
Case in Maryland Asks If Suppliers Need a Go-Between to File Claims

MAY/JUNE

THE BETTER FORUM
When Public Policy Preempts Agreed-Upon Contract Terms, Does Certainty Suffer?

APRIL

AS THE SAYING GOES…Tax Withholding in Conn. Case Not It Initially Appeared to Be

FEBRUARY

ON RESPONSIBILITY | Court Weighs In On New Mexico DOT’s Employment of Prequalification System

JANUARY

TAKE NOTICE | Notice Procedures Should Mitigate Conflict and Aid Resolution

2020

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

REMOTE LEARNING | Your Physical Location Could Matter When Entering a Contract

OCTOBER

FINGER-POINTING | A Case in Massachusetts Concerned a Flawed Design from the DOT

SEPTEMBER

On Misinterpretation | A case in Pennsylvania where the court got it wrong

JULY/AUGUST

On (UN) Reasonableness | Our April Law Column’s Focus VS. An Even More Recent Appellate Court Decision

MAY/JUNE

Can I Get Some Relief? How Contracts Can Reduce Risk in the Face of COVID-19 Related Delays

APRIL

Risky Business |On Apportioning Risk in Design-build Contraction

MARCH

Not Too Late After All | On a Case Where Traditional Statute of Limitations Did Not Apply

FEBRUARY

The Doctrine of Sovereign Immunity Can Aid Savvy Contractors, Too

JANUARY

Beginning with the February 2020 Roads & Bridges publication, Jon Straw will be authoring all future articles. You will be able to access Larry’s past articles under the resources tab.

Precedent Not Guaranteed | A Case in Utah Shows the Importance of Written Notice (by Larry Caudle)

 

Jonathan J. Straw

Jonathan J. Straw
Blog Author
Contact Jonathan
Partner | KraftsonCaudle.com
Download Jon’s Bio

Jonathan Straw Best Lawyers 2023

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

  • Heavy Construction Law | Mediation Melee | Roads & Bridges

Roads & Bridges | Authority Defined

AUTHORITY DEFINED | The Law of Agency is Important to Understand For any project, this Russian proverb is helpful: Doveryay, no proveryay – Trust, but verify. In other words, get it in writing. In the [...]

  • Sum Certain Blog Post

Jurisdiction is Power

Not bad power, but the ability of a decision-maker (e.g., court) to decide which side is right (or which is more correct). A judge’s power is not automatic. Every court must first decide if it [...]

  • Roads & Bridges | Miller Law

Roads & Bridges | Defining Labor

DEFINING LABOR | How the Miller Act continues to shape the industry In the late 1700s, risks of nonpayment caused a shortage of construction workers, particularly in Washington, D.C. In 1791, Thomas Jefferson proposed a [...]

  • Heavy Construction Law | Mediation Melee | Roads & Bridges

Roads & Bridges | Mediation Melee

MEDIATION MELEE| An arbitration case can be costly Arbitration can be a bridge over troubled waters. In this crossing, the parties argued over a $90,000 damages award plus a $1.3 million award of attorney’s fees [...]

  • Written Notice | Roads & Bridges Article | Jon Straw

Roads & Bridges | Written Notice

WRITTEN NOTICE | Beware that strict compliance of the contract might be required. When an owner replaced a contractor for significant safety violations, the owner sought to recover the costs for a replacement from the [...]

  • Meeting of the Mind | Roads & Bridges

Roads & Bridges | Mommie Dearest

MOMMY DEAREST | The story of an ESA without a MOM Nobody enters this world, or a contract, without a mother: There can be no agreement without a Meeting of the Minds (MOM). Parties’ differing [...]