Shore and Watt Appointed Co-Chairs of Construction Trial & Litigation Practice Group

Baker Sterchi Members Heather Shore and John Watt have been named co-chairs of the firm’s Construction Trial & Litigation Practice Group. The group represents general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals in complex construction disputes involving delay and interruption claims, scope of work issues, unforeseen conditions, federal contract matters, professional negligence, surety bond claims and more, serving clients across the United States.

Shore, based in Kansas City, brings nearly 30 years of experience in construction, surety and commercial litigation. She serves on the American Arbitration Association’s Panel of Construction, Commercial and Consumer Arbitrators. She is president of the Kansas Bar Association’s Construction Law Section and a member and committee leader of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Construction and Surety sections. Currently, she is helping organize the ABA Forum on Construction Law Regional Program, a two-day event to be held in Kansas City in the fall.

Shore frequently speaks for local and national organizations on managing and litigating construction delay claims, contract drafting, dispute resolution, and surety claims handling and loss mitigation strategies, including for the American Bar Association, Construction Super Conference and Defense Research Institute. She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for construction law in the Kansas City metropolitan area since 2013 and Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, including in Top 50 Women, Top 50 Attorneys and Top 50 Kansas City Business Attorneys.  She is licensed to practice in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Texas.

Also based in Kansas City, Watt defends businesses in high-stakes litigation involving construction, product liability and toxic torts. He has extensive trial experience in state and federal courts and has handled hundreds of expert depositions, appellate arguments and arbitration proceedings. He is a steering committee member and the marketing chair of ALFA International’s Construction Law Practice Group, where he co-chaired recent seminars in Santa Barbara and Whistler. He is a frequent speaker at ALFA Construction Law seminars and regularly contributes to ALFA’s Construction Law Compendium for Missouri and Kansas.

Watt is also a member of the National Bond Claims Association and the Product Liability Advisory Committee. His recognitions include The Best Lawyers in America for construction law and construction litigation in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, and the Missouri Lawyers Media Construction POWER List since its inception. He is licensed to practice in Missouri, Kansas and Massachusetts.