Last week saw the first-ever meeting of the ABA Forum on Construction Law in Louisville, Kentucky. The event brought together over 500 attorneys, ADR neutrals and consultants for what was the first meeting helmed by incoming Forum Chair, Tracy James. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of countless individuals, including but not limited to Program Coordinators Colbie Campbell and Liz Kraengel, the program was an unbridled success. Focused on all things contract negotiation and project start-up, it was fitting way to kick off the 2025-26 year of programmatic excellence. As usual, the lessons learned were many and varied but read on for my top 10 take-aways.

10. The Kentucky Derby is the most-watched and most-attended horse race in the United States. The iconic Louisville race has been run every year since its inception in 1875. Traditionally held the first Saturday in May as the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Derby is referred to colloquially as the "run for the roses" and "the most exciting two minutes in sports." While the Derby event itself is brief, the Churchill Downs is a bustling city of racing-related activity for most of the year and stables over 1,400 horses annually. Travis Stone (the voice of the Kentucky Derby) and Derby bugler, Steve Buttleman (who has been playing the "call to the post" at Churchill Downs for over 30 years) opened the Fall Meeting in grand style with a live demonstration of their skills and a little bit of Derby spirit.

9. Don't settle for business as usual when it comes to arbitrator selection. When it comes to arbitrator selection in complex disputes, business as usual may no longer cut it. At the Division 1 lunch Wendy Venoit and Sean Dillon spoke of newer, more robust tools which parties can avail themselves to ensure that all of the arbitrator candidates they are presented with have the expertise and calendar availability needed to effectively resolve the dispute at hand. The AAA-ICDR offers an Enhanced Arbitrator Selection process on large, complex cases, which allows parties to receive additional information before making their selections. Gone are the days of having to stealthily suss out the predilections of your potential panel. . .if the parties agree, they can submit questions for candidates to answer, ask the AAA to pre-screen candidates by certain criteria, or the AAA can arrange for all parties to interview the candidates by telephone or video call.