Construction

A construction project has legal needs from its conception to its completion. The more complex the project, the more sophisticated the needs, which often involve a spectrum of legal services from financing to real estate and land use, contracts, procurements, labor relations and dispute prevention.

Failure to meet these needs can create delays, cost-overruns, design errors or omissions, and contract issues that end up in a formal dispute resolution process that can seriously damage the project and those involved with it. We help clients avoid this result.

Our clients include public and private owners, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, architects, engineers and consultants. They typically are involved in complex, multi-stage construction projects in the United States and abroad. We also advise dozens of school districts, institutions of higher education, fire districts, public facility districts, cities, counties and other public entities on construction issues.

At the start of a project, we advise on site acquisition issues, including finance, real estate, zoning and environmental regulations. We negotiate and prepare contracts for consultants as well as engineering, architectural and other design services. As a project progresses, we work on contracts and advise on issues involving contractors, subcontractors, and supplier and construction managers.

Throughout a project, we help clients resolve disputes and other problems as quickly and informally as possible. We pioneered the use of alternative dispute resolution techniques in construction law and have successfully used project facilitation, mediation, mini-trials, arbitration and dispute resolution boards. We are experienced in arbitration conducted through the American Arbitration Association, the International Chamber of Commerce and other bodies. 

When the only option is litigation, we have the experience and personnel to handle any construction dispute in state or federal court. And our attorneys have successfully prosecuted and defended numerous multimillion-dollar claims.