I am often asked by members of the Forum, why I’m so involved, how I became so involved, and whether it is worth it? Similarly, I’m asked by many lawyers unfamiliar with the Forum, why they should join the Forum (or the ABA for that matter) when they can get free CLE elsewhere. The answer lies in a famous Warren Buffet quote, “The best investment you can make is in yourself, the more you learn, the more you’ll earn.”
When I joined the Forum, nearly two decades ago, I knew relatively little about construction law. As an attorney in the South, I felt like I was joining a male dominated, acronym-based club, that I knew nothing about, and I wasn’t entirely sure where or how I was going to get my footing. I was walking into rooms to conduct expert depositions or mediations, and inevitably, I was the youngest in the room, and many times, the only woman. Have you ever felt like that? Out of place, wondering whether you could hack it?
From a young age, I’ve always had to work hard. I don’t come from wealth and am the first member of my family to go to college, much less graduate school. And while I may not have always been the smartest person in the room, I’ve always been a hard worker, and much of my success has come from drive, sheer determination, and an unquestionable work ethic. It was with that background that I came to the Forum. The Forum had just created its Diversity Scholarship and Fellowship program, which was being advertised by my local State Bar. I knew nothing about the Forum. I was practicing law at a 7-attorney firm, in a small rural town, in South Carolina, with a population of approximately 55,000. I went to the most Senior Member of the Firm, a former member of US Army Corps of Engineers, and asked him what he knew about the Forum and whether I should join. His reply, “It depends on how much you are willing to put into it, and whether you can get into leadership. Its very expensive. But if you are able to succeed in the organization, you can do extremely well.”
With that, in or around 2010 (my memory is fuzzy on the exact year, but I think I’m close), I registered for my first Forum meeting, held in Scottsdale, Arizona. I remember being surprised at the sheer size of the conference and magnitude of the staging and programming. I recall standing on the lanai at the women’s reception in shock there were that many other women in the industry, and so grateful I had the opportunity to meet them. At the welcome reception that evening, I was in awe of the intimate conversations and seeming friendships I observed. These people appeared to genuinely enjoy one another. They were engaged, laughing, and having scholarly discussions about high level legal topics that made the dorky girl inside me envious. I flew home from Scottsdale that weekend, returned to my small firm, and set out to learn everything I could about the Forum. When it started, why, who ran it, and how to get involved in it.
From there, I dove in. I officially joined the Forum, I attended the regional programs and at least 2 national meetings a year, joined a division, volunteered to take minutes for the division and from there worked my way up in every single position you can have within a division until I made division chair, volunteered to write articles and hot topics, found out who was doing the programming and reached out to them to volunteer to cat herd, and at the conferences, made sure I was at every single networking break in between the programming, and every single reception, meeting as many people as I could because for me, the value of the Forum, is in its People. Don’t get me wrong, the Programming and Publications are second to none and invaluable. They gave me the footing and construction base I was searching for, and I can’t tell you the last time I’ve even remotely quivered when I walked into a deposition, mediation, or courtroom, knowing that I’ve been prepared by and learned from some of the best construction attorneys in the world.
But if you want to know how I went from a small town 7-attorney firm to a Big City AmLaw Firm, and from there to a very specialized commercial construction boutique practice, or from having absolutely zero clients to a multi-million dollar national book, or to serving on the AAA Panel, to speaking on the national stage with stalwarts in our industry, or to becoming the Chair-Elect of this extraordinary organization, it is because of the People.
The Forum is the largest group of construction professionals in the world. And knowing those people, and having access to them is, for me, what makes the investment in the Forum invaluable. Over the years, the referrals I have received from other Forum members and sponsors have more than paid for my membership in the Forum and attendance at national meetings. And in my private practice, I have found my Forum network of colleagues and friends to be one of the most valuable resources I give to my clients. When my clients need an attorney in another state, I always know who to send them to. When the law from another jurisdiction applies in one of my cases, and I have a nuanced question, I know who to call and can find the answers quicker and more cost effectively than doing hours upon hours of legal research. And when my clients need experts, I know who to call. There is no one-size-fits-all for construction experts. An expert can (and often does) make or break your case, so if you want to win, having the right expert is critically important and all of mine come from the Forum. The Forum has a diverse group of sponsors, each of whom brings their own unique perspective, insight, and knowledge to a case, and different ones are best for different issues.
I could go on and on about the value the Forum brings, that goes so far beyond CLE, but the best way for you to believe me, is to see it for yourself. Invest in the Forum. If you haven’t already, join a division, a list of them can be found here: ABA Forum Division Information 2024-2025. If you are a member of a division, get involved. If you want to know how to get more involved and aren’t sure where to start, email the chair of the division and ask them. I promise they won’t bite. I’ve spent countless hours with all of them brainstorming how we get members more involved, and they are waiting for you. If you are interested in speaking, figure out who is doing the programming and reach out. Even if they don’t have a spot immediately available, I promise you they’ll help get you to future planners. If you want to write an article, reach out to the Editors of this publication, or The Construction Lawyer, and tell them. Opportunities for engagement and involvement in this organization abound, and if you take the initiative, I assure you that you will be welcomed with open arms and it’ll be one the best investments you have ever made in yourself, and in turn, in your career. It has been for mine.