January 14
Time is of the Essence: Legal Meaning and Other Considerations
"Time is of the essence" provisions frequently appear in contracts. This phrase has an important legal meaning that you should understand before agreeing to the contract.
2026
January 14
Mechanic's Liens — FAQ
Answers to common questions about mechanic's liens: dollar limits, written contracts, excessive-lien penalties, and recording deadlines.
2024
August 7
Protect Your Mechanic's Lien Rights: Where Possible, Apply Payments to Oldest Invoices First
How you apply a payment across multiple open invoices can impact your legal right of recovery if you ever need to file a mechanic's lien.
August 5
Conditional Lien Waivers vs. Unconditional Lien Waivers
Always verify that any lien waiver accurately represents the amounts actually paid, amounts due, what work was performed, and when.
2016
October 26
Tips for Subcontractors: Avoiding Bad Contract Provisions — Part 1
Common problems we encounter in construction contracts: internet boilerplate, mandatory arbitration, lien-rights waivers, and missing default provisions.