A Conversation With ... Kevin Elmer

Right now, we have five attorneys in-house who do workers’ compensation, a lot of trial work on the civil side – personal injury – and construction claims. Then we’ve got one (attorney) here who deals with business organization issues, so we’ve got a little bit of a spread across a few different areas. Dec. 1 was when I joined the firm. I do workers’ compensation, personal injury trial work, and a lot of construction law.

Your first career path was as an architect, right?

Yes. I graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1994, and I went to work for a large corporate (architecture) firm, BSW International, in Tulsa, Okla. At the time, they fluctuated between 400 and 650 employees, and I was with them for three years.

Why did you decide to become a lawyer?

I was in that large corporate environmentand (found) so much legal work involved in the contracts, and (with) the exposure there, I decided I’d go to law school. I talked to my wife, and she said, “Why don’t you?” I did that in 1997 and graduated in 2000 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

What types of construction law cases are most common?

Construction litigation. A lot of it has to deal with defects in how the building is constructed. That’s just essentially a dispute over (when) the building leaks or some other sort of problem with it. Ultimately the dispute comes up: Was it the contractor’s problem, something they did wrong, or was the architect or design professional? Or perhaps was it the owner who failed to do something once they’ve taken over ownership of the building?

Does your architecture degree affect the construction-law area of your practice?

I’ve had a number of clients come (to) me for that reason.

At the same time, if I’ve been retained by an insurance company to go out and defend somebody, because we’re on that company’s list, I’ve found that during depositions, we’ll take a break, and I’ll have lots of questions from other counsel – “What do you think as an architect?” So it helps a great deal in those types of claims.

What drew you to Daniel, Powell, Wesley & Brewer?

I (joined) this firm because they were wanting to focus on building more of the construction-law practice. The last firm I was with (Hyde, Love & Overby) I got a great deal of trial experience working with some great attorneys.

I don’t regret my time there at all. I just felt that this was a better support base for growing the type of practice that I wanted to do.

What are your key professional goals?

When I originally left the practice of architecture ... the goal was to go back into that environment, to be a CEO or some sort of vice president for a large corporation. Over time, that’s changed. I’ve come to enjoy a great deal of the aspects of trial work … but I’d like to see my practice grow more to where I’m handling construction defects and consulting with owners and architects on construction contracts.

Do you ever miss architecture work? How do you stay in involved with that field?

There are times – and undoubtedly, whenever I go to the national (American Institute of Architects) convention – that I will … wish that I was doing nothing but practicing architecture. I’m (going to) San Antonio, Texas, for the AIA convention. That’s where I keep up my learning units that are required. There are moments when I miss that creative side, and designing and seeing the buildings actually come to life. ... Most of my involvement now is consulting with an owner as they go through the construction process.

What brought you to Springfield?

Well, I grew up in Salem, Missouri, so this is close to the area where I grew up. My wife and I … our oldest son was 1 year old at the time, and we wanted to move someplace out of the city where we felt like we could have the type of family life that we desired, and Springfield was it.

Tell us about your family and your spare-time interests.

My wife, Nancy, has played a large role in me being where I’m at today … always supporting me continually to move forward professionally. We now have three boys, Nathan, 7, Michael, 5, and Logan, 2. (Nancy) is a labor and delivery nurse with St. John’s. My father is a bricklayer, so I pretty well grew up on construction sites, and I love to build stuff. In the community … I donate time and services to different groups. ... I’ve been consulting on construction contracts for … Watershed Committee of the Ozarks.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]