Residential Contractor Boot Camp
Construction Delays in the Time of Coronavirus: A Legal Perspective
On May 28, 2025, the Supreme Court of Ohio passed on an opportunity to settle a long-standing legal question: Does Ohio law require a trial court to conduct an oral hearing before compelling arbitration under R.C. 2711.03?...more
Large public infrastructure projects typically involve several stakeholders and a complex array of contracts and subcontracts. A thoughtful approach to the negotiation and drafting of contractual dispute resolution clauses...more
In the recent case of DKT v. DKU [2025] SGCA 23, the Singapore Court of Appeal has, noting its observation of an “increasing tendency for disgruntled award debtors to abuse this ground of challenge on wholly unmeritorious...more
Does this sound familiar? Nearly every construction contract contains an indemnification provision with some variation of these terms. And if you have ever negotiated a construction contract, you know that indemnification...more
Ohio courts are reaffirming a consistent and increasingly important theme: if your contract contains an arbitration clause, expect to be held to it. Three recent appellate decisions—Denham v. Encino Energy, LLC,...more
“Manifest disregard of the law” is no longer a valid basis to challenge arbitration awards, at least not in the federal courts of Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Rather, according to the Fifth Circuit’s decision in U.S....more
New Jersey law recognizes that the voluntary arbitration of civil disputes is generally favored, subject to certain exceptions. One exception occurs when a party to a contract containing an arbitration waives its right to...more
A federal judge in Louisiana has dished out some harsh criticism of contractors who don’t reduce their contracts to writing. The case involves the decommissioning of 26 orphaned oil and gas wells near Baton Rouge. The...more
Disputes are inherent on major subsurface projects. Typically, these disputes arise out of differing subsurface conditions and disagreements about the roles, responsibilities, and risks of the various project participants in...more
With the exception of those living under rocks, construction professionals are well aware of the recent spate of litigation about the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Act. In 2022, the Massachusetts Appeals Court interpreted the Act...more
Ask anyone with experience on construction projects, particularly large, complex “mega-projects,” and they will tell you that disputes are an expected part of doing business. It is rare that these projects come in on schedule...more
An Idaho court has confirmed an arbitration award for a general contractor who left a project and did not return after being told by the owner to “get the f*** off my site.” The case involves the construction of five...more
I have practiced law for 40 years, with the vast majority spent as a “construction lawyer.” I have seen great… and bad… construction lawyering, both when on the other side of a dispute, as well as when serving well over 300...more
Many construction contracts used in the industry include clauses mandating that any disputes be decided by binding arbitration rather than a jury or bench trial. The standard AIA forms provide the parties with the option of...more
In a civil case, is it wiser for a business to try to persuade the counterparty to agree from the outset to arbitration—or potentially to place it's very solvency in the unpredictable hands of a judge and jury? Originally...more
A recent opinion from the Court of Appeals of Georgia illustrates that contracts entered into with an unlicensed contractor, which are often unenforceable by an unlicensed contractor under many states’ laws, likely will not...more
Australia is a highly advanced mixed economy, but investors – often drawn to the country's economic stability and resilience – should be aware of certain clauses that typically appear in construction contracts. Australia...more
Univ. of Iowa Bd. of Regents v. Am. Arbitration Ass’n, No. 17-0949, 2019 BL 7069 (Iowa Ct. App. Jan. 09, 2019) - Modern Piping, Inc. (“Modern Piping”) and the University of Iowa, Board of Regents, and State of Iowa...more
Large construction projects provide significant scope for disputes of various types to arise between contractors and employers. An essential aspect to resolving the parties' disagreements, both in the course of executing the...more