Comments from the Chair

• Author: By Kristine A. Kubes
• Pages: 4-4

THE CONSTRUCTION LAWYER4Summer 2020

COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR

Published in The Construction Lawyer, Volume 40, Number 3 Summer2020. © 2020 American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion

thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.

Provisions for the Journey

By Kristine A. Kubes

Kristine A. Kubes is a principal and mediator with Kubes

Law Ofce in Minneapolis and chair of the Forum. Connect

with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, kubeslaw.com, and Facebook.

My dear colleagues: This col-

umn is my last as your Forum

Chair. Who would have

thought in April 2018 (when I

was elected) that a pandemic in

2020 would up-end most of life

as we knew it? This has been

an unprecedented, unexpected

journey. COVID-19 has com-

pelled us to reconceive how

we do business as a Forum,

how our clients perform as an

industry, and how we work as

a legal profession. In the midst

of that challenge, we witnessed the tragic death of George

Floyd. We will remember this season of our lives forever.

This level of adversity presents opportunities for growth

and personal fortitude. I offer these observations and lessons

from my leadership experience through challenging times.

Re-evaluate Core Competencies

Our core competencies for thriving in 2020 are resilience, cour-

age, humility, exibility, a sense of humor, and a spirit of

charity. I will share though, that despite my resilient nature,

this year has challenged me. I had to dig deep into my cour-

age and faith to nd a way forward for the Forum and provide

calm leadership as we traveled in stormy seas.

My teams and I had to humbly let go of the Annual Meet-

ing as we had planned it for two years. We will honor the

team’s work by moving the program content to the 2021 Fall

Meeting. Special thanks to incoming Chair Cary Wright for

his willingness to share his year with my team.

We needed exibility to nd new ways of doing business

and meeting goals. I welcomed all ideas as we brainstormed

solutions for canceled meetings, member engagement, and

maintaining “regular” Forum business during irregular times.

Every day I found the value of a sense of humor and a

spirit of charity—toward both others and myself. I never con-

sidered myself a juggler until this year—juggling home, work,

and Forum—all under the same roof, 24/7. I commend the

core competencies to you, as they are key to surviving indi-

vidually, in business, and as a Forum in the coming years.

The Power of People

The Forum is about “Programs, Publications, and People.”

Our people are our greatest resource. Where would we be with-

out our members, leaders, writers, co-chairs, and volunteers?

This last year I invited the leadership and membership

to focus on the people in the Forum, the profession, and the

industry we serve—from the perspective of inclusion, respect,

and professionalism. We have looked inward and forward. We

listened to members and instituted a plan for diversity and

inclusion. We advanced the culture of inclusion in law and

in construction/design at our 2019 Fall Meeting.

My sincere thanks to all program teams for their leadership

and support these last two years. Many thanks to the Forum

ofcers and Governing Committee, Committee and Division

chairs, and all editors; Forum Manager Tamara Harrington;

Meeting Planner Patricia Harris; and all Forum staff, whose

professionalism and care are invaluable. As we look ahead,

we know the Forum is in good hands with its leadership and

staff. Please continue to give them your support.

Readiness for the Future

One might rightly ask, “Who could ever have been ‘ready’

for a year like we are experiencing?” While we cannot foresee

every event, we do our best when we are resilient, evaluative,

and exible enough to adapt. The Forum has taken these steps

to meet the challenges of this year and prepare for the future:

• Rescheduled live meetings to protect people’s health;

• Conducted its rst online election;

•

Developed the “Leadership Roundtable” with strategic

partner HKA Global, bringing together leaders and

lawyers from construction and design to share resources

on the impacts of COVID-19 on the industry;

•

Adopted and implemented a Diversity & Inclusion

plan;

•

Became more transparent with new introductory mate-

rials and a mentor program;

• Re-engaged the Forum’s Leadership Circle;

• Increased distance learning CLE throughout 2020;

•

Produced excellent periodicals and two new books; and

•

Switched to Zoom to facilitate meetings and discussions.

This year also taught us, however, that we do not necessar-

ily know where the road is leading or what the next challenge

might be. I have taken courage in the ancient Roman word

“viaticum,” which means “provisions for the journey.” May the

lessons we are learning this year be our “provisions” for the

journey ahead, both personally and professionally.

I will always be grateful for this time that we have had to

work together for the good of the Forum and industry we

serve. Thank you.

Kristine A. Kubes