California Contractor's Desktop General Counsel 4th Edition

California Contractor's Desktop General Counsel 4th Edition

About the Author:

John P. McGill is a journeyman carpenter, licensed general contractor, and a construction law attorney.  He received his JD with distinction from the University of the  Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and is a member of the school’s Traynor Honor  Society. He has been involved in the construction industry for more than 40 years; building, representing contractors, teaching, writing and speaking on various aspects of the industry. His law practice is, and has been, almost exclusively representing and advising contractors and suppliers in business, administrative, and litigation matters involving both public works projects and private works projects.

Description:

For less than the cost of ten minutes of an attorney’s time, you can find the answers to most of the construction law questions you may confront in the construction industry in California. Desktop General Counsel is a comprehensive guide to California construction law written in plain English for contractors. If you ever do need an attorney, you will know what to ask and what the answer means when you hear it. Because this book is a great start to understanding California law in construction, it is used as a textbook in many Community College construction programs.

Table of Contents:

Licensing-

Contractors must be properly licensed at all times that they are performing work.  This chapter explains what license you need, how you become properly licensed, and what happens if you are not properly licensed.

Contracts-

What a contract is and how it gets formed are fundamental to the construction industry. The terms that you should include in your agreements and what they mean, and the all important concept of breach, are discussed and explained.

Insurance-

Insurance is critical to the contractor.  The different types of insurance policies, Additional Insured endorsements, self-insured retention, deductibles and the exclusions in your insurance agreement are explained.

Private Works Contracting-

Preliminary Notices, Mechanic Liens, Stop Notices, Conditional and Unconditional Progress and Final Lien Releases, and how to protect and perfect your rights for each and the time limits that you have to do it.

Public Works Contracting-

Prequalification to bid through the close out of the project, including Stop Notices, Bonding, and the all important Claim process, are discussed as they relate to projects for the State, UC, CSU and local public agencies.   

Litigation-

If you find yourself in a lawsuit then you need to know what to expect.  Litigation, the terms that you will hear, and the way that the process works including settlement and resolution procedures are explained.

Employment Issues

Independent contractors are not all they seem to be. Know when they are, and when they are not, independent.        

OSHA-

What to do when OSHA comes calling, what to expect when they are there and after they leave, and what to do if they find a problem and then cite you for a violation.

And More...-

California construction law is complicated and you need to know how it may affect you and what you can and can't do...and you will!