choosing a paper topic, burntout 4L Forum

[brorepresentation1]

I am going into my fourth year of law school. I worked part-time and went to law school part-time and managed to pull it off (I still do not know how). In any event, I have the opportunity to do "directed research" which essentially is a law related thesis paper that uses case precedent to come to an independent conclusion. The problem is, the professor has made it unequivocally clear that "THE PAPER MUST BE ABOUT CONSTRUCTION LAW." I must have a construction law topic soon with construction related appellate cases to back it up.

I have no experience in construction law -- I have never taken a construction law class -- I was not even sure construction law existed. Where would I even start? Is anyone on here aware of a nuanced area of construction that is worthy of analysis?

No, I'm not a "flammer" or faking this, I just found myself in a weird situation.

[MKC]

Broad topic suggestions:

Statutes of limitations/statutes of repose related to construction projects (Determining when the clock starts running can be messy as hell)

Mechanic's liens (I haven't looked at this much, I just know people fight over these all the time; may not be much nuance here)

Workers comp and Respondeat Superior issues related to who is an independent contractor and who is an employee

Engineer/Architect liability vs contractor liability (When is the problem related to design vs when is it related to execution/construction?)

[brorepresentation1]

Broad topic suggestions:

Statutes of limitations/statutes of repose related to construction projects (Determining when the clock starts running can be messy as hell)

Mechanic's liens (I haven't looked at this much, I just know people fight over these all the time; may not be much nuance here)

Workers comp and Respondeat Superior issues related to who is an independent contractor and who is an employee

Engineer/Architect liability vs contractor liability (When is the problem related to design vs when is it related to execution/construction?)

These are all great starting points, thank you.

[Jchance]

You can read construction law treatise for foundational knowledge. And as to topic selection, browsing blog posts and twitter feeds of construction law scholars can help inform of current "hot" issues.