Farella Braun + Martel's Alan Harris Elected President of American College of Construction Lawyers; Succeeds Colleague and Partner Deborah Ballati

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 29, 2012) - Farella Braun + Martel LLP Of Counsel Alan E. Harris has been elected president of the American College of Construction Lawyers (ACCL). Harris has been a Fellow with the ACCL since 1992.

In unique back-to-back presidencies, he succeeds Deborah S. Ballati, his colleague and a partner at Farella, who served as the ACCL's first female president in 2011. Harris' election to president marks the first time attorneys from the same firm have consecutively served as president of the ACCL.

The ACCL is one of the premier legal associations in America. Founded in 1990, the College is comprised of the top one percent of the construction bar and includes lawyers, professors and judges from the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and France. Fellowship is extended by invitation to those who are found to have mastered the practice or the teaching of construction law and dispute resolution in the complex technical and legal fields pertaining to the built environment, whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, scholarship, professionalism, and collegiality, and who have demonstrated a commitment to "give back" to the construction industry.

Harris' construction law practice spans more than 40 years. He has advised owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, municipalities, special districts and design professionals throughout the country on disputes stemming from construction contracts and defects and delay damages. He has tried complex construction cases involving office buildings, roads, waste treatment plants, cogeneration facilities, dams, powerhouses and apartment complexes. Harris has mediated hundreds of disputes and has served as an arbitrator, court-appointed special master and expert in construction cases.

Harris is a frequent speaker on construction claims and defenses and is a professor of construction law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He has been recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Who's Who Legal: California and Legal 500 USA. Harris received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1968).

Farella Braun + Martel represents clients throughout the United States and abroad in sophisticated business transactions and high-stakes commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Founded in 1962, the firm is headquartered in San Francisco and maintains an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry. Farella Braun + Martel lawyers are known for their imaginative legal solutions, dynamism and intellectual creativity. With an unwavering service ethic and interdisciplinary team approach, the firm is committed to advancing clients' objectives in the most effective, coordinated and efficient manner. Farella Braun + Martel is a green business.