Kelli Goss:
From architect to construction attorney
By Carolyne Gruske
North Carolina Construction News
special feature
General contractors
and design firms hiring
Kelli Goss as an attor-
ney end up with a two-
for-one bonus. Not
only is Goss a con-
struction litigator, she’s
also an architect.

Goss is a licensed
architect in North Car-
olina and an active member in the
American Institute of Architects.

Prior to law school she was a princi-
pal in a major Raleigh design firm
for a number of years.

“I always performed construction
administration on all my projects,”
she says.

Now, as a lawyer, she is a part-
ner at Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC,
a firm that primarily practices con-
struction law. Combining these two
professions means Goss is able to
work in two fields she is passionate
about, all while giving
clients the benefits of
her training, experience,
and combination of
skills. “When somebody
comes to me and to this
firm they are getting an
attorney that also has
other life experiences in
construction—to have successfully
addressed issues that have arisen
on a project and to know how to
read drawings and specifications is
an asset in practicing construction
law. It goes a long way with clients
looking for somebody to help them
when they have issues on a con-
struction site,” says Goss.

Although Goss is a litigator, she
16 — AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 — The North Carolina Construction News
believes there is value in preventing
clients from going to court in the
first place.

“We review contracts for our
clients. Our goal is to be there for
our clients before they even get
into trouble. I like to work with
clients on the front end and review
their contracts and subcontracts.

We go through them and make sure
they best protect our clients.”
Goss says she prefers taking a
straight and direct approach with
her clients and with opposing coun-
sel. It’s an approach that makes
sense to her because the construc-
tion industry is small enough that
it’s likely she’ll encounter the same
people on future jobs, cases or proj-
ects. That sense of directness and
openness also served her well on
the job site, when she often found
herself as the only woman in the



© Can Stock Photo / gyn9988
construction trailer, and the person
tasked with construction adminis-
tration responsibilities.

Even now, Goss finds that being
open with clients about her qualifi-
cations and her background makes
her job as a woman working in con-
struction law easier.

“It is common when I meet with
contractors that they start trying to
explain something to me about the
project in a simplified manner be-
cause they think I’m just a female
attorney who doesn’t know any-
thing about construction, but all I
have to do is say, ‘would it help you
out to know that I’m also a licensed
architect and I practised for years.’
Their response is usually, ‘thank
God, yes.’ Then they roll on with
the terminology and everything that
happened with regards to the con-
struction and the project.

Goss is admitted to practice in
North Carolina State and Federal
Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals
mittee) and the American Institute
of Architects. She has also spoken
at national conferences on the topic
of construction law. Locally, she
was an appointed member of the
Raleigh Appearance Commission, a
commission that reviews new con-
struction projects in the city, and
served four years on this commis-
sion. for the Fourth Circuit, the Court of
Federal Claims, and the United
States Supreme Court.

She is an active member of a
number of professional organiza-
tions dedicated to advancing and
promoting construction law, includ-
ing the American Bar Association’s
Forum on Construction Law (serv-
ing on its Division 13 steering com-
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The North Carolina Construction News — AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 — 17