Dear Clients and Friends,

The year 2003 marks a milestone for Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP – our 90th anniversary. Looking back on the extraordinary attorneys who established our Firm, we are fortunate to have the model of integrity, service and excellence that they set for us. As we build for the future, we retain the Firm’s historic involvement in the welfare of the communities where we live and work. We reaffirm our dedication to providing the highest level of legal services and extend our gratitude to the clients and friends who have supported us over the years. 

 
Nicholas T. George, President and CEO

Welcome to Build On This
By Grant M. Yoakum, Esq.

This issue of Build On This offers a brief summary of BDB’s 2003 Real Estate & Construction Law Seminar. 

The seminar is February 27, 2003 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, 3180 W. Market Street, Akron, Ohio  44333.  The seminar goes from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a reception from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  As always, the seminar is complimentary.  Please see the instructions at the end of the newsletter on how you can still register. 

Even if you cannot attend the seminar, if you have questions about any of this material, please feel free to call me or one of the presenters. We always look forward to hearing from you.

Grant Yoakum is an Associate attorney and member of the Real Estate & Construction Law and Business Law Practice Groups.  He can be contacted at gyoakum@bdblaw.com or 216.615.7356.

Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP regularly represents clients in a variety of real estate and construction matters, including the sale, leasing, acquisition, financing, development, subdivision, construction and zoning of residential, commercial and industrial property. 

The upcoming seminar is for everyone involved in the real estate and construction industry. 

Here is a sample of some of the information that will be shared at the 2003 Real Estate & Construction Law Seminar.  We hope you plan to join us on February 27, 2003.

John P. Slagter, Esq.: Will provide a review of the legal issues relating to real property tax and reveal strategies to consider in determining whether or not to challenge the property value. For owners of real estate in Summit County, 2003 began with a notice from the county that as of January 1, 2002 the value of their real estate may have changed as a result of a county wide reappraisal.  Some form of reappraisal will also occur in the surrounding counties for 2003 with notices going out in 2004. 

Steven A. Dimengo, Esq.:  Learn how to avoid paying tax if you are selling investment real estate and you intend to maintain a comparable investment in real estate.  The tremendous flexibility in the existing authorities will be highlighted.  You will understand how you can even acquire the replacement property before you sell the property to be relinquished.  The replacement property can even be constructed.  Are there special considerations with respect to property that had been developed?  These and other issues will be addressed.

David W. Woodburn, Esq.:  Hear about recent cases which have had an impact on the real estate industry.  In particular, David will discuss an Ohio Supreme Court case which clarifies the rights of property owners in regulatory taking actions.  He will also review cases dealing with how to calculate proper damages in residential real estate transactions, the rights of the IRS to assert claims against jointly owned property, landlord duties to mitigate damages, and vicarious liability under the Fair Housing Act.  David will also provide an outline which summarizes important cases and legislation from the past year.

Robert A. Hager, Esq.:  Will discuss a major new Ohio law affecting the preservation of bond claims and mechanics' lien rights of general contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers that went into effect September 30, 1998.  The “Fairness in Construction Contracting Act” (Am. Sub. S. B. 71) represents the most significant statutory changes to Ohio construction law since the Prompt Payment Act and mechanics’ lien law changes in the early 1990’s.  Find out how this Act "levels the playing field" by preventing contractors and subcontractors from inadvertently giving up various important legal rights when entering into construction contracts.

There is still time to register for our Annual Real Estate & Construction Law Seminar.  For your convenience, we have listed several options for you to register. 

• Via Phone: Contact Maria Denisiak at 330.258.6478
• Via Fax: Attn: Maria Denisiak at 330.252.5478
• Internet Registration: www.bdblaw.com/registration.asp

We look forward to seeing you there!

Out and About – Recent Presentations:

John P. Slagter (Buckingham Cleveland^SM) presented new updates on mechanics’ lien law and fairness in contracts law for the Northeast Ohio 28 American Society Professional Estimators.^SM


If you are interested in obtaining information on upcoming seminars or would be interested in having speakers from Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP make a presentation to your organization, please contact: Cheryl Warren, Director of Client Relations and Marketing at cwarren@bdblaw.com or 800.686.2825 ext. 546.


At BDB we are always improving our processes so that we operate efficiently and effectively. Please let us know how you like our new broadcast format. E-mail: bdb@bdblaw.com Phone: 330.258.6473 Fax: 330.252.5473. 
Thank you.