SmithAmundsen Welcomes Howard Turner to Its Construction Practice

CHICAGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SmithAmundsen LLC is pleased to announce that Howard Turner has joined the firm's Construction Practice Group. Mr. Turner will be Of Counsel in SmithAmundsen's Chicago office.

An accomplished litigator, Mr. Turner has been actively involved in mechanics lien and construction transactions and litigation for the past 40 years and is a member of the Mechanics Lien Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County's Voluntary Arbitration Panel. Two of the matters that Mr. Turner successfully handled, Limperis v. Material Service Corp. and In re H.G. Prizant & Co, resulted in significant changes in construction law. Mr. Turner was also chosen to serve on a select committee of the Chicago Bar Association to prepare amendments to update The 1903 Illinois Mechanics Lien Act. He was a draftsmen of the 2005 amendments adopted by the Legislature and is the author of an Illinois Bar Journal article explaining the amendments to the legal profession.

"We are sincerely humbled by Howard's decision to join our firm. He is a pioneer and recognized industry leader in the field of construction and mechanics lien litigation," says Dennis Cotter, Chair of SmithAmundsen's Construction Practice Group. "Howard immediately broadens the array of services and expertise available to more fully serve our growing construction and commercial clients, and his combination of practical and technical knowledge is matched by very few in the practice today."

Mr. Turner is a charter member of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys (SOICA), an invitation-only group limited to attorneys who write, teach, and otherwise contribute to the development and understanding of construction law. He is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association's (CBA) Construction and Mechanics Lien Subcommittee and has been a speaker at various programs for the CBA and other organizations on the topic of mechanics liens and other construction issues. In addition to his practice, Mr. Turner has co-authored three chapters in the Illinois Institute for Continuing Education's publication Mechanics Liens in Illinois, is the author of two chapters in IICLE's Illinois Construction Law on contract formation and damages, and a co-author of a chapter in IICLE's new book Preconstruction Issues.

Mr. Turner received an A.B. from The University of Chicago and a J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School.

SmithAmundsen LLC has grown to 120 attorneys with offices in Chicago, Rockford, St. Charles, and Woodstock, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. SmithAmundsen's attorneys share a proficiency in a broad range of practice areas. As one of Chicago's premier litigation firms, our success is built upon a foundation of integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to exceeding client expectations. For more information on the firm, please visit www.salawus.com.