Werner Sabo

 

Professional Experience

 

2016 – present  Of Counsel, Bryce Downey & Lenkov LLC, a Chicago-based law firm. Representing owners, contractors, architects, developers, engineers and others associated with the construction process. Litigation, mediation, arbitration, contract negotiation and related activities. General consultation about construction matters. Serves as panel mediator and arbitrator on many construction and commercial (including copyright matters involving design issues) cases for the American Arbitration Association and private parties. Certified by the International Mediation Institute.

 

1981 - 2016   Name Partner, Sabo & Zahn. Law firm concentrating in construction law, including copyright issues. Involved in numerous Architectural Works copyright matters, including in the Seventh and Third Circuits. Transactional and litigation matters.

 

1978 - 1981   Partner, The Architects Partnership, Ltd., 410 S. Michigan, Chicago.

 

1976 - 1978   Architect, The First National Bank of Chicago.

 

1972 - 1976   Architect,  North Architectonics, Chicago and Dallas.

 

1968 - 1972   Perkins & Will, Chicago.

 

Education

 

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law.    Graduated January,  1981,   JD with high honors.

University of Illinois, Chicago, 1969 - 1972.   College of Architecture.

Northwestern University, Evanston.   Graduated 1968, BA, Liberal Arts.

 

Professional

 

Admitted to Illinois Bar, May, 1981

Licensed Architect, Illinois, 1975

Federal Trial Bar, Northern District of Illinois.

Third and Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeals.

 

Professional Affiliations (past and current)

 

American Bar Association

Chicago Bar Association

American Institute of Architects

—  Elected to College of Fellows, 1997

—  AIA Illinois Documents Coordinating Committee.

—  National Documents Committee: Resource Member

Illinois Council, AIA

Chicago Chapter AIA:

—  Director

—  Vice President (1988-1990)

—  Various committees

Association of Licensed Architects

—  Elected Fellow, 2005

Construction Specifications Institute:

—  President of Chicago Chapter, 1995-1996

—  Director of Chicago Chapter, 1993-1999

—  Chairman, Bylaws Committee, 1993-2001

—  Publications Committee, 1993-1999

—  Nominating committee, 1995-1996

—  Awards Chair, 1996-1999

—  National Resolutions Committee, 2002-2003

North Central Region CSI: Chairman, Bylaws Committee, 1994-1998

American Arbitration Association:

—  Panel arbitrator (have arbitrated numerous construction and commercial cases, ranging in size to several million dollars).

—  Panel mediator (numerous construction matters)

International Mediation Institute – IMI:

—  Certified Mediator

Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys:

—  Founding member

—  Former Steering Committee member

 

Publications

 

Author, A Legal Guide to AIA Documents, published January, 1988. Revised volume, April 1989. A comprehensive analysis of major AIA construction documents, winner of two CSI awards.

 

Author, Legal Guide to AIA Documents, 4th Edition, published by Aspen Publishers, 1998. Supplemented annually.  Prior edition published by John Wiley.

 

Author, Legal Guide to AIA Documents, 5th Edition, published by Aspen Publishers, 2008. Updates the prior publication for the 2007 AIA documents. Supplemented on a regular basis.

 

Author, A Handbook of Construction Claims, 1989. Handbook analyzing construction claims and change orders based on the 1987 version of the AIA construction documents.

 

Author and publisher of AE LawNews, 1984 - 1990. A newsletter for architects and engineers.

 

Several articles for the Chicago Architect (formerly, AIA Focus), a monthly magazine for the Chicago Chapter AIA - a number of these articles were republished by various local AIA chapters.

 

Legal articles for The Specifier, a national publication for construction professionals by the Construction Specifications Institute.

 

Articles for the Change Order, the monthly publication of the Chicago Chapter, CSI

 

Coauthor, Alternative Clauses to Standard Construction Contracts, Disk Library, published in 1993 by John Wiley. This work consists of computer discs for architects to be used in revising and expanding on the AIA contract language.

 

Contributing author, The Architect’s Guide to Design-Build Services, published in 2003 by John Wiley for the American Institute of Architects.

 

Contributing author, Construction Law: Transactional Considerations, published by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Education in 2010; revised 2017.

 

Lectures

 

University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois. Past and current visiting lecturer to 5th and 6th year graduate architecture students in the professional practice class taught by Professor Walter Lewis, FAIA, Professor Michael McCulley,  Professor Michael Andrejasich, and Professor Stasz Gorski. Topics included AIA documents, professional responsibility of architects, standard of care required of architects and contractors, preparation of drawings, copyright issues, review of shop drawings and specifications, duties of architects under AIA contracts, responsibilities to clients, and related topics.

 

Notre Dame University, Indiana. Lectures to architecture students relating to AIA documents, professional responsibility of architects, standard of care required of architects and contractors, preparation of drawings, copyright issues, review of shop drawings and specifications, duties of architects under AIA contracts, responsibilities to clients, and related topics.

 

Andrews University, Michigan. Lectures to visiting architecture students relating to AIA documents, professional responsibility of architects, standard of care required of architects and contractors, preparation of drawings, copyright issues, review of shop drawings and specifications, duties of architects under AIA contracts, responsibilities to clients, and related topics.

 

Triton College, Illinois. Lectures to pre-architecture students and future contractors, relating to construction law and construction issues.

 

Purdue University, Hammond, Indiana. Lectures to students preparing to be contractors or construction managers. Topics included the construction process, duties of the parties to construction, standards of care, professional ethics and similar topics.

 

Construction Specifications Institute. Several lectures to professionals, including architects, specifications writers, contractors and product representatives, regarding AIA documents, standards of care, copyright issues, duties to clients, BIM, and related topics. Lectures at National CSI Convention.

 

American Institute of Architects. (Chicago, Northern Illinois, Central Illinois, Northeast Illinois, Iowa chapters, various other chapters). Numerous lectures presented to architects regarding AIA documents, standards of care by architects, engineers and contractors, duties to clients, responsibilities of architects under AIA contracts, copyright issues, BIM, and related topics. Lectures at National AIA Convention.

 

Illinois Society of Architects. Several lectures to architects regarding AIA documents, standards of care in the construction industry, duties to clients, responsibilities of architects under AIA contracts, and related topics.

 

Structural Engineers Association of Illinois. Lectures to engineers regarding AIA contracts, standards of care of design professionals in the construction industry, liability of engineers, duties to clients and other consultants and the like.

 

Society of Architectural Administrators. Lectures to architectural administrators, school board officials and others administering construction contracts related to duties under the AIA documents.

 

National Business Institute. Lectures to owners, including school board officials, municipalities and others involved in construction issues.

 

Professional Education Systems, Inc.  Lecture to contractors, owners and designers related to the AIA documents.

 

Law Seminars International. Lectures concerning BIM, copyrights and related legal topics.

 

Lorman Education Services. Lectures related to AIA documents, legal issues in construction.

 

Chicago Bar Association.  Participant in seminar on construction arbitration.

 

Association of Licensed Architects. Lectures to architects and other construction industry professionals regarding construction contracts, licensing, copyrights and other legal matters.

 

Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys. Lectures about copyrights in the construction industry; construction contracts.