Construction Contracting & Litigation

Our construction team has been a key partner with many of the most prominent construction projects in the Northwest and Alaska, including sports stadiums, museums, light rail systems, hospitals and medical centers, schools and universities, and tunneling projects.

We are committed to helping build successful projects. This is why we most enjoy getting involved at the front end in order to ensure contracts are properly drafted. Should problems arise during construction, we also offer practical and informed guidance on how to resolve disputes without sacrificing the success of the project. Our clients include a broad range of private and public owners, general contractors and design professionals. As part of one of the nation’s top law firms, we bring our clients outstanding lawyers to help with any business or risk planning needs.

Projects where clients seek our counsel include:

PRIMARY FOCUS AREAS
Construction Transactions: We work with clients to identify the needs and potential risks associated with each individual project. Based on these discussions, we draft and negotiate contracts suited to the particular construction or design needs of the client, including:

• Design/Build Agreements
• GC/CM Contracts
• Joint Venture Agreements
• Preconstruction Agreements
• Subcontracts
• Teaming Agreements
• Tenant Improvement Contracts

While every transaction is unique, we typically focus on those parts of the contract that we know matter most—i.e., schedule, insurance, indemnification, coordination, price, limitations of liability, standards of care—and do so in a cost-effective and efficient manner that speeds the execution of the contract and gets the project off to a solid start.

Procurement: We are very active in all aspects of bidding and procurement, and government contracts law, including bid protests, contract disputes, pricing disputes, false claims allegations, and suspension and disbarment proceedings. We also counsel clients regarding Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs) and clients facing government audits and investigations. We have extensive experience dealing with state agencies, local governments, semi-private state and federal entities, and with parties and projects located abroad.

In addition, we are recognized as a leading firm for counsel regarding innovative methods of contracting and alternative procurement issues, including:

• GC/CM alternative procurements
• Integrated Project Delivery
• Public/Private Partnerships

Claims: We counsel and litigate construction claims in many jurisdictions regionally, nationally and internationally related to the complex array of issues that arise on large projects, including:

• Construction defect disputes
• Critical Path Method scheduling disputes
• Differing Site Conditions claims
• Terminations for default and convenience

PARTICULAR AREAS OF EXPERIENCE
Trenchless pipeline construction: We represent public agency clients in all phases of development and construction of trenchless projects. Our services include risk review and assessment, contract preparation (geotechnical, specification, bidding/qualifications), bidding and procurement and dispute resolution.

Water & Wastewater: We also advise and represent municipalities, water and wastewater districts, and utilities in connection with open cut projects, treatment and pump station facilities and other civil infrastructure, design, and construction work.

Employment & Labor: We understand the employment and labor issues unique to clients in the construction industry, and we regularly counsel clients with respect to the Davis-Bacon Act and other prevailing wage laws, the construction-specific provisions of the NLRA, collective bargaining negotiations, project labor agreements, federal and state OSHA regulations, and ADAAA compliance.

A full-service firm, we work closely with our energy, environmental, government contracting, health care, hospitality, insurance, land use, real estate, and telecommunications attorneys.