Background
Ken Slavens contributes articles on design
liability to IRMI.com.
Mr. Slavens is a partner in the Saint Louis office of the law firm of Husch
Blackwell LLP. He is a 1979, cum laude, graduate of the St. Louis University
School of Law. He concentrates his practice in the areas of construction and
commercial disputes, with an emphasis on the representation of design
professionals. Husch Blackwell has offices in St. Louis, Missouri, throughout
the United States, and in London, England.
Mr. Slavens served as the chair of the Missouri Bar's Construction Law
Committee from 1997 to 1999. He serves as the editor for construction law for
the Missouri Bar publication, The Courts and CLE
Bulletin, reporting on case law development from the Missouri Supreme
Court and the Eastern District Court of Appeals for this publication for
general distribution to all bar members. He is also the author of a chapter in
the publication of the Missouri Bar Continuing Legal Education Deskbook
Missouri Construction Law, 2nd Edition,
titled "Liability of Design Professionals," published in 2004. He was
also the author of a chapter in the first edition of the Missouri Bar
Continuing Legal Education Deskbook Missouri
Construction Law titled "Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation
and Partnering," first published in October 1994.
Mr. Slavens is listed in the Best Lawyers in
America (Woodward /White) publication for the practice area of
Construction Litigation. He is also listed as a Missouri and Kansas Super
Lawyer in the practice of construction litigation, as published by Law & Politics.
Mr. Slavens served on the Steering Committee for Division 3 - Design of the
American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry. He also is
the case note editor for Missouri and the Federal Eighth Circuit Court of
Appeals for the Construction Litigation Committee of the American Bar
Association's Section on Litigation's publication, CONSTRUCT!.
From March of 1997 to October of 1999, Mr. Slavens served as the chair of
the Defense Research Institute and Trial Lawyers Association's Construction
Law Committee. He was also the committee's vice-chair and the Seminars
Subcommittee chair from 1995 to 1997. Mr. Slavens serves as a member of the
Regional Advisory Committee, Construction, to the American Arbitration
Association. He is listed in Strathmore's Who's Who and in Who's Who in American Law. He is a frequent
speaker and author on issues related to the design profession, construction law
issues, as well as trial and evidence topics.
Mr. Slavens is licensed to practice in the States of Missouri and Illinois,
the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri and
the Southern and Central Districts of Illinois, and the Federal Eighth and
Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeals.