An overlooked benefit

On occasion, I plan to invite a guest to contribute to this column. The roofing industry is filled with brilliant men and women, many of whom are NRCA volunteer leaders. This month, I share this space with long-time member George Patterson, president of Bennett & Brosseau Roofing Inc., Romeoville, Ill., who is serving as NRCA’s Legal Resource Center chairman this year. Patterson is a terrific leader and has a passion for the work NRCA does on behalf of its members in the legal arena. As a member benefit, NRCA’s Legal Resource Center is nothing short of amazing. Here is Chairman Patterson to tell you about it:

“I have had the distinct pleasure of working with NRCA’s Legal Resource Center for a few years, and I believe it is NRCA’s most valuable membership benefit.

“NRCA’s Legal Resource Center is the leading legal advocate for roofing contractors throughout the U.S. Your NRCA membership allows you free access to legal counsel, as well as a wide range of legal publications, education and resources to help you address your toughest legal, business and employment issues.

“Whether you have a specific question about contract language, employee relations, regulatory compliance, payment provisions, safety, insurance coverage, or codes and standards, NRCA’s Legal Resource Center can help, including up to 30 minutes of free legal consultation from NRCA’s general counsel, Trent Cotney, CEO of Cotney Construction Law LLP, Tampa, Fla.

“NRCA’s Legal Resource Center also provides you with access to:

• A comprehensive legal database containing more than 400 legal articles, cases, special reports, past seminar handouts and access to significant roofing-related court decisions to help you save time and attorneys’ fees. You also can find state business licensing information and statutes of limitations, as well as informative health and safety, technical and business-related articles.
• Key contract provisions, such as payment terms; various obligations of parties, representation and warranties; conditions to closing a deal; liability issues; remedies; and termination rights written by lawyers and compiled by counsel. You can download more than 140 contract provisions directly into your contracts and save thousands of dollars in legal fees.
• Online and in-person education so participants can gain an appreciation of current legal and regulatory developments affecting their businesses, including NRCA’s virtual three-day legal conference, Roofing Issues: Decks to Dockets, which will be held Oct. 13-15. During the course of three days, NRCA will provide nine legal, business and technical sessions featuring industry experts. NRCA also will host a one-day legal offering, LEGALCON 2021, next May in Chicago in addition to a series of monthly legal webinars from September through December this year.
• A subscription to NRCA’s Legal E-news, a monthly informative resource that keeps you and your business up to date with the most recent legal issues and trends affecting roofing contractors, as well as complimentary electronic downloads of more than 14 legal publications.

“To access these important members-only legal benefits, I encourage you to visit nrca.net/legal. I also encourage you to email me at georgep@bbroof.com or Alison LaValley, executive director of NRCA’s Legal Resource Center, at alavalley@nrca.net to learn more about how NRCA’s legal resources can improve your bottom line and business operations.

“And you should follow NRCA on social media to receive the latest legal information as it develops.”

NRCA’s Legal Resource Center is about as good as it gets. As always, feel free to reach out to us about any topic and rest assured your staff at NRCA stands ready to help in any way we can.

Reid Ribble is NRCA's CEO.
@NRCA_CEO

NRCA’s legal conference schedule

NRCA’s legal conference, Roofing Issues: Decks to Dockets, will be held virtually Oct. 13-15; all times listed are in central time. To register or for more information, go to nrca.net/legal.

Tuesday, Oct. 13
10–11 a.m.
Navigating Crisis Management Post-COVID-19: How to Protect Your Business Amidst an Ongoing Uncertain Year
Noon–1 p.m.
Emerging Technical Issues Posing Liability Risks to Roofing Contractors
2–3:30 p.m.
Contract Documents Every Roofing Contractor Should Use and What Should be Included in Those Documents

Wednesday, Oct. 14
10–11 a.m.
Restrictive Covenants, Nondisclosure Agreements and Unfair Competition
Noon–1 p.m.
5 Key Issues in Residential Roofing Contracts
2–3:30 p.m.
Understanding Factory Mutual Requirements, Wind Uplift, Roof Assembly Delamination and Roofing Contractor Liability

Thursday, Oct. 15
10–11 a.m.
5 Greatest Legal Challenges When Using Subcontractors on Projects
Noon–1 p.m.
Legal Issues Surrounding Diversity in Roofing
2–3:30 p.m.
Roofing and Construction Cases and Court Decisions

This column is part of News + Views. Click here to read additional stories from this section.