Butler Snow attorney Kate Van Namen recently spoke at the 2026 DRI Construction Law Seminar, held March 25–27, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. The annual seminar brings together construction law attorneys and industry professionals from across the country to discuss emerging issues, trends, and best practices in construction law.
Van Namen participated as a panelist on “The A‑Team — Getting Hannibal, Face, Murdock and BA to Solve Your Problems,” a session focused on assembling the right team of experts and emphasizing the importance of early investigation and consultation in complex construction matters. The panel addressed practical strategies for managing construction disputes and mitigating risk through effective collaboration among legal counsel, consultants, and industry professionals.
Kate Van Namen
Van Namen is Co-Chair of Butler Snow’s Construction Task Force and a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice group. She concentrates her practice in all areas of construction law, including contract drafting and negotiation, project delivery systems, liens, licensing issues, construction mediation, litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution procedures. She has experience drafting and negotiating all types of construction contracts, including lump-sum, guaranteed maximum price, cost-plus, construction management, design-build, and design services agreements on behalf of owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and design professionals. Van Namen also has experience representing sureties on multi-state performance bond claims and asserting and defending payment bond claims. She has previously counseled clients on international construction projects and helped navigate project delivery and project management issues with foreign governments.
Van Namen has been recognized by BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America® and Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers® for her work in Commercial and Business Litigation. In 2025, she was named to the Memphis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list. She is an active member of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel, where she previously served a three-year term as West Tennessee Director, as well as the Construction Law Committee of DRI, and the ABA Forum on Construction Law. She is also a current member of the Tennessee Bar Association Construction Law Section’s Executive Committee.
Van Namen earned her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Delta State University, and her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Mississippi.
