It will come as no surprise that the poor economy, which has resulted in massive layoffs and terminations, has caused increases in employment-related claims and lawsuits in general. Wage-and-hour litigation seems to be increasing the fastest; the Department of Labor estimates that wage and hour complaints increased 15% from 2009 to 2010. That is not surprising when you consider the complexity of the laws applying to who is exempt and who isn’t, and how to calculate overtime for those employees who are non-exempt. Even the most diligent employer has difficulty sorting through the morass of rules and regulations, let alone

The design-build project delivery system, which dates back to the master builders of ancient Greece, continues to gain in popularity. The appeal of design-build is that it provides the project owner with a single point of contact for both design and construction. This can lead to both lower costs and compressed construction schedules. A recent study by the Federal Highway Administration determined that on average, design-build projects were completed 14% faster than traditional design-bid-build projects. Design-build projects, however, expose contractors to risks that they don't have under the traditional delivery method.  The additional exposure arises out of what is known