Type: News
Date: 07/06/2017

Messer and Cleves Named Fellows of Construction Lawyers Society of America

Taft partners Earl K. Messer and Joseph A. Cleves, Jr. have been selected as fellows of the Construction Lawyers Society of America. The CLSA is an invitation-only international honorary association composed of preeminent attorneys specializing in construction law and related fields. Fellowship is limited and selective, with lawyers being invited into fellowship upon a proven record of excellence and accomplishment in construction law at both the trial and appellate levels. Attorneys nominated or selected may be in any discipline in the construction law arena, including contract specialization, negotiations, litigation, arbitration, appellate and/or surety law, and also have superior ethical reputations.

Messer is chair of the firm’s Construction group and has substantial experience handling complex, multi-party delay and defect claims, disputes over insurance coverage and defense, and claims against sureties. He has represented owners, contractors, subcontractors and sureties and is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA for his work in the area of construction law.

Cleves is a partner in the firm’s Construction and Real Estate groups. He has extensive experience in lean construction, a practice designed to maximize value and minimize waste throughout the construction process, and with integrated project delivery (“IPD”), a process uniquely suited to put lean construction principals into practice. Cleves has consulted on multi-million dollar developments across the nation, incorporating IPD as a means to delivering value to all phases of design, fabrication and construction. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and was named “Lawyer of the Year" in 2013 for Cincinnati Construction Law.

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