Albert E. Phillips Scholarship

The Albert Phillips scholarship honors Al Phillips, a founding member of COAA who served as general counsel for the organization for 13 years.  Al gave tirelessly of himself to the organization and its goals in an effort to support construction owners throughout the U.S. and Canada.   Anybody involved with COAA for any length of time understands that, without Al, the COAA would not exist today.

Albert E. Phillips is a partner in the Atlanta law firm of Phillips & Morgan, LLP.  Mr. Phillips’ practice is entirely related to construction matters, with particular emphasis upon representing owners of construction projects.  Mr. Phillips has represented a broad variety of clients in his field, including state, city, and county governments; state universities; airport authorities; hospitals; national and multi-national corporations, including hotel and retail chains; airlines; public utilities; private developers; architects; engineers; contractors; and surety companies.  He is the Founder and General Counsel of the Construction Owner’s Association of America and past chairman of the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA), Section of Local Government Contracts and Procurement.  Mr. Phillips is also past chairman of the American Bar Association’s Delay Damages Sub-Committee of the Architect and Engineer Contracts and Construction Contracts Committee and past Vice Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Fidelity & Surety Law Committee.  He currently serves as a member of the American Bar Association’s Forum Committee on the Construction Industry and its Public Contract Law Section.  He has lectured extensively on the prevention, handling, and resolution of construction disputes for the American Bar Association, The George Washington University, The Ohio State University, the National Association of Attorneys General, IMLA, the Northwest Center for Professional Education, the University of Alaska, the University of Tulsa, the State Bar of Georgia, the Continuing Legal Education Program for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the University of Oklahoma, and the State System of High Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, plus many private corporations and public agencies throughout the country.  Mr. Phillips has authored, presented, and published numerous articles for such organizations as the American Bar Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, The Journal of College AND University Law, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle.  He is co-editor of the textbook CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION: STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES (John Wiley & Sons 1989).

The COAA acknowledges that education is a critical element to the success of those pursuing a career in our industry.  As such, COAA is proud to offer up to two (2) Albert Phillips scholarships annually to college students desiring to pursue a career in the design and construction industry.

Each scholarship will be in the amount of $1,500.00.  The scholarship monies are to be used for courses of study related to the design and construction industry.  There is no limit to the number of times a student may apply for, or receive a COAA scholarship. 

Eligibility:

Eligible students must be either; i) a relative of an employee of a COAA Member or Associate Member, or ii) an employee of a COAA Member or Associate Member organization.  

The COAA scholarships are intended for full-time undergraduate students who have successfully completed their freshman year in a technical field of study such as architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction management, or similar.

Applicants should have a minimum of a 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.  A current copy of the student transcript may be requested.

Should a scholarship recipient elect to enroll in a COAA conference or educational program, all enrollment fees will be waived.

In addition to the application, students will submit:

An essay of 1000 words or less on one of the following topics:

• What attracted you to construction and what are your career plans in the industry?

• What do you find to be the most critical issue facing the construction industry and why?

Two (2) Letters of Recommendation, one (1) of which must be from a COAA member.

The scholarships will be awarded at the COAA Spring Conference, held annually in May.