All About Cotney Construction Law on the Roofing Road Trips with Heidi Podcast

By Lauren White, RCS Reporter

Trent Cotney shares what makes Cotney Construction Law unique.

Coming from a family of construction professionals, Trent Cotney has a passion for giving back to the industry.  His company, Cotney Construction Law, which he started seven years ago, has a robust repertoire of practice areas, including: construction law, OSHA defense, immigration, contract review and drafting, bid protests, lobbying, and much more.  Trent speaks with Heidi Ellsworth, RoofersCoffeeShop® partner, about their continuous growth and the progressive ways he and his company are helping contractors.  

Trent’s specialty is understanding and identifying what keeps contractors up at night, and then finding ways to solve those problems.  Some issues and questions he’s encountered include, “...compliance issues, how do I make sure I’m paying my people right, how do I make sure I’m OSHA compliant, how do I avoid getting an audit from immigration, how do I make sure I’m I-9 compliant, are my contracts right…” Trent explains.  Cotney Law works hard to eliminate those headaches so contractors can focus on their business and its growth.  

In developing Cotney Law, Trent wanted to get away from the billable hour and change the way people see lawyers.  He, “...knew there was a better way to provide legal services where we were a business partner rather than just a third-party lawyer,” Trent shares.  This is why he developed the subscription plan, so contractors pay a fixed rate for their legal services each month. He also provides webinars, ebooks, and articles with great information and legal help for free on RoofersCoffeeShop and other places.  “Let’s educate the industry out there, let’s raise the professionalism as a whole,” Trent urges.

His team of specialists is 40 lawyers strong.  And each person working at Cotney Law has either worked in the construction industry or has family members who have.  They are a full-service firm that is now lobbying for the industry. In doing this they’re, “...helping advocate for rules, regulations, and statutes that are beneficial to the industry,” he reveals.  

Cotney Construction Law is truly committed to serving the industry.  They continuously find new ways to provide legal help and guidance for roofing contractors so they can keep focusing on growing their businesses.  Trent is excited for what the future will bring and to promote positive change for the industry.

Listen to the podcast to hear more about Cotney Construction Law and their lobbying efforts.  Check out the RoofersCoffeeShop® podcast page for even more.  

Read the podcast transcription here.