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January 31, 2019
Minneapolis — Kristine Kubes, principal of Kubes Law Office, PLLC, Minneapolis, was elected as Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Construction Law, the largest construction law association in the world. She will serve as Forum Chair beginning September 2019. In this post, she will lead more than 6,000 Forum members who represent construction company owners, design professionals, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, suppliers, insurers and sureties. In the Forum’s 43-year history, Kubes is the first Forum Chair from a solo/small law firm and only the sixth female lawyer to serve as Chair.
Kubes, a long-time member of the Forum and leader in several other organizations in the fields of design, construction, and law, will serve a three-year term. She has currently formed teams of lawyers across the nation to help carry out the Forum’s mission: Building the best construction lawyers. Together, they will produce legal education and professional development for construction lawyers to improve construction law and practice.
“Kristine is a wickedly smart construction lawyer with tireless energy. Her legendary work for local and national bar associations has always focused on improving legal skills while, at the same time, promoting the professional conduct of lawyers,” said Steve Lesser, former chair of the ABA Forum on Construction Law. “Kristine has always been the first to raise a hand to volunteer for any task and that will not change. She will rally our volunteers to make our profession better and never ask or expect anyone to work harder than her. I look forward to her leadership.”
Kubes is a thought leader on professionalism and ethics for lawyers and design professionals, and on licensing and risk management for design and construction professionals. She practices in the areas of professional liability defense/litigation, contracts, proactive counseling during the life of a project, payment issues, mechanic’s liens and surety issues. Kubes is also a mediator in the arena of construction and design. She is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), American Counsel of Engineering Companies (ACEC), American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Association of Women Contractors (AWC). In 2005, the Minnesota Governor appointed Kubes to serve as a Public Member on the state Board that licenses design professionals in Minnesota. During her eight-year term on that state Board, she was elected to serve as Chair, making her the first Public Member – and female – to serve as Board Chair. Since her tenure on the state Board, other public members and other women have been elected as Chair. She has been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell as an AV-rated preeminent attorney by her peers and is rated as a Super Lawyer® based on peer recognition and professional achievement.
The daughter of a carpenter and a teacher, Kubes is uniquely qualified to understand her clients and their businesses. “I grew up in my father’s workshop, learning the trade,” said Kubes, who has been practicing law for nearly 30 years and founded Kubes Law Office 10 years ago. “I’ve taken that deep appreciation and understanding of the industry and combined it with my passion for helping people be heard and understood. Together, we work to break down barriers and find ways to resolve problems effectively.”
