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Adams and Reese Partner and Construction Team Co-Leader Trent Cotney was interviewed by Construction Dive in “Why ChatGPT Needs a (Construction) Lawyer.”
The feature was a part of “The Dotted Line” series that takes an in-depth look at the legal landscape of the construction industry with this article discussing how AI is impacting the construction law practice.
“I think where lawyers come in is almost what I would call ‘business therapy,’” Cotney said. “We won’t necessarily be doing the more mundane tasks of contract review. Instead, we’ll need to provide a more holistic understanding of how those contract provisions could potentially impact the project.”
Cotney cautioned against just putting the process of contract review on autopilot, since that could allow opposing attorneys to game AI tools. “You don’t want to rely solely on AI to flag things for you,” Cotney said. “Because if you do, lawyers like me will get crafty and figure out a way to call indemnification something other than indemnification, without getting caught by the AI.”
A Partner in the Adams and Reese Tampa office, Cotney is a board-certified construction lawyer licensed in eight states and Washington, D.C. In construction litigation and arbitration, he represents construction and infrastructure clients, including general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, manufacturers, architects, engineers, roofers, developers, and other professionals. He is an EU arbitrator for construction-related disputes.
Cotney focuses his practice on all aspects of construction litigation and arbitration, including OSHA defense, lien law, bond law, bid protests, and construction document review and drafting.