Karl F. Oles

Experience

Karl Oles is a partner of the firm practicing in the Real Estate and Construction practice group. He has represented owners, architects, engineers, contractors and subcontractors in complex construction litigation and has experience in other complex business disputes. He has experience in trial, arbitration and mediation. Karl has also drafted and negotiated multimillion-dollar design and construction contracts on a wide variety of projects, including alternative energy projects.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America® (currently: Litigation-Construction), 2013
• Listed in Washington Super Lawyers®, 2003-2007
• Member of practice group nationally ranked Tier 1 for Construction Law by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" 2010-Present
• Member, Technology and Steering Committees for Division 12 (Owners and Lenders), American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry
• Member and arbitrator, American Arbitration Association Construction Panel
• Past Chair, Construction Section, Washington State Bar Association

Presentations

• Moderator, "The Construction Contracts Program: Understanding and Negotiating the Clauses in the New Industry Form Documents," American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, Seattle, Washington, Nov. 2011
• "Disputes Between Contractors and Subcontractors," Alaska's Preeminent Construction Law Conference, The Seminar Group, Anchorage, Alaska, Oct. 2010
• "Who's Steering the Ship? Construction Administration by Design Professionals and Agency Construction Managers," American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry Fall Meeting, Newport, Rhode Island, 2007
• "Construction Contract Formation and Drafting," Lorman Education Services, Comprehensive Construction Law in Washington, Seattle, Washington, 2006
• "Delay Claim Damages Measurement," seminar, Contract Solutions Group, Seattle, Washington, 2006
• "Beating Difficult Contract Clauses," seminar, Washington State Bar Construction Section, Seattle, Washington, 2005
• "Avoiding Claims: Case Studies and Lessons Learned on Recent Public Projects," seminar, Washington State Bar Construction Section, Seattle, Washington, 2003
• "Working with the Construction Expert," seminar, Washington State Bar Construction Section, Seattle, Washington, 2002
• "Parties and Claim Theories in Construction Cases," seminar, Washington State Bar Construction Section, Seattle, Washington, 2002

Civic Activities

• Board Member, ACE Mentors of Washington
• Chairman, Board of Trustees, Episcopal Retirement Communities
• Member, Commission on Ministry, Episcopal Diocese of Western Washington

Publications

• "The Stop Notice: Another (Possible) Way to Get Paid," Daily Journal of Commerce, January 2013
• "Is the Prime Contract Applicable to Subcontractors?" Daily Journal of Commerce, July 2012
• "Modern Construction and Design Forms," Daily Journal of Commerce, 2011
• "Washington Procurement Rules and Regulations" (coauthor), Guide to State Procurement, American Bar Association Section of Public Contract Law, 2011
• "Take Your Lawyer to Lunch," Daily Journal of Commerce, 2011
• "Questions Contractors Should Ask About Their Forms," Daily Journal of Commerce, 2011
• "Setting Up Shop: Design, Engineering, Construction and Turbine Purchase Agreements" (coauthor), Lava Law: Legal Issues in Geothermal Energy Development, Stoel Rives LLP, 2010
• "Design, Engineering, Construction and Turbine Purchase Agreements" (coauthor), The Law of Wind: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, 2008
• "Solar Energy System Design, Engineering, Construction and Installation Agreements" (coauthor), Lex Helius—The Law of Solar Energy: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, 2008
• "Ease into '08 with a Crash Course in Subpoenas," Daily Journal of Commerce, Oregon, 2008
• "Setting Up Shop: Design, Engineering and Construction for Biofuels Plants" (coauthor), The Law of Biofuels: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, 2007
• "Contractors Eyeing Washington Must Heed State Statutes," Daily Journal of Commerce, Oregon, 2007

Education

• University of Washington School of Law, J.D., 1986
• University of California at Los Angeles, M.A., 1982
• University of London, M.A., 1978
• Pomona College, B.A., 1977, magna cum laude

Admissions

• Washington
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Print to Word