Stephen O. Taylor

Stephen Taylor is a legal and organizational analyst and strategist with over twenty-five years experience creating and analyzing strengths and weakness in companies and litigation. He brings to every legal and business challenge an ability to pull together diverse resources to address problems in difficult economic and political situations. Known for sometimes unorthodox approaches to problems, Mr. Taylor has demonstrated skill in organizing information to create innovative strategies aimed at resolving business, organizational and technical challenges. He has an ability to understand and evaluate the basic strategic implications of industry, technical and relational factors and to utilize that understanding to his clients' benefit.

Mr. Taylor has provided legal services for companies and individuals in a broad range of industries, including construction and engineering, mining, and nutraceuticals, concentrating on:

• Construction Litigation
• Construction Claims Analysis
• Contract Development, Negotiation and Drafting

Mr. Taylor has worked with Bechtel Energy Corporation in San Francisco. He has practiced in California and Utah, where he commenced his association with the Walstad law firm in 1988.

Mr. Taylor also provides services in business, family and personal injury law.

Mr. Taylor's construction claim analysis and litigation experience includes representation of companies and individuals on diverse and high-profile cases, with a focus on construction and engineering, business, and technical matters, including:

• Hands-on experience in the construction industry
• Purchase of custom engineered components of eastern seaboard nuclear power plant, negotiation of extra charges for significant increases in extent and complexity of disaster-simulation testing, and, when the facility was cancelled in the mid-80's, successful negotiation and settlement of claims of manufacturers upon termination of those orders incident to downturn in United States nuclear industry
• Evaluation of owner's claim against major engineering and construction firm's alleging faulty design and construction of a nuclear energy facility.
• Evaluation and prosecution of claims for defective design of a Rocky Mountain coal benefaction project for a British-based energy and mining company (settlement in favor of client)
• Defense of prime contractor against a "sick building" claim concerning mold alleged to exist in a high-rise city-county building located in the southeastern United States (insurer induced to accept coverage and settlement responsibility)
• Prosecution of claims on behalf of a nationally-known theme park operator for faulty design of hotel facilities, including claims for defective materials and mechanical engineering, which resulted in failure of extensive ornamental features and mold and moisture damage (settlement confidential)
• Defense of suretyclaims regarding implementation of a faulty design of a southwestern United States ski resort and prosecution of claims against the designengineers (settlement confidential)
• Defense of claimsagainst a prime contractor related to insufficient engineering and design for earthquake forces in a residential integrated-care facility locatedin New Mexico (settlement confidential)
• Prosecution of claimson behalf of an Australian-Canadian-British mining consortium againsta United States engineering and construction firm for a $400 millioncost overrun and flawed design in a gold and copper mining and extraction facility in logistically and politically challenging circumstances inSouth America (settlement confidential)
• Prosecution againsta major United States designer and constructor for defective and delayeddesign and construction of earthquake-resistance enhancement and enlargementof the world's largest tailings storage facility, located adjacentto a metropolitan area (settlement confidential)
• Litigation regardingcontrol and ownership of a large multi-level nutraceutical businesswith international operations
• Merger and acquisitionof international nutraceutical company
• Litigation regardingclaims of Canadian mining company for multiple changes and impedimentson contract to add access and infrastructure-related tunnels to existinghard-rock gold mine near the Carlin trend

Mr. Taylor received his B.A. with High Honors in History and English Literature in 1971, and his M.A. in English and Latin in 1974, both from Brigham Young University. He earned his J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 1978.

Mr. Taylor was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1978, and to the State Bar of Utah in 1989. He is a current member of the State Bar of Utah and the State Bar of California.

An effective speaker, Mr. Taylor has delivered presentations to industry groups on Project Planning, Contract Drafting and Negotiation, Project Risk Analysis and Avoidance, and Construction Project Claim Avoidance.

Mr. Taylor is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, with substantial in-country experience working in South America.