Practice Areas
Education
Mr. West is a seasoned construction lawyer whose practice maintains an emphasis on representing design professionals, contractors, subcontractors, owners. Mr. West has established a reputation as a passionate advocate with a practical approach to litigation and negotiation. Mr. West enjoys working with clients to avoid risk and when necessary zealously defending their interests with the tactics and sound counsel of a skilled veteran. Mr. West has successfully tried cases before juries, judges and arbitrators. He is licensed to practice law in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Mr. West is a frequent lecturer on various construction related topics including lien law, construction contracts, claims avoidance and public contracting issues, and speaks regularly at the UNCC School of Architecture, North Carolina Bar Construction Section, AIA, and various design professional firms and organizations. Selected by Martindale-Hubbell® as AV Preeminent, Mr. West has been selected by fellow Bar members for inclusion in Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite in Construction Law for the past several years. Mr. West is also a Certified Mediator in North Carolina.
Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. West worked as a television reporter covering politics and government for WIS News in Columbia, South Carolina, and prior to that served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a noncommissioned officer. Mr. West also has experience as a senior executive for a leading lighting manufacturing company located in Charleston, South Carolina.
Experience
- Representation of clients in commercial litigation, dispute resolution and contract negotiation.
- Works with all entities involved in the construction arena including owners, design professionals, contractors and sureties to provide counsel throughout the construction process, including contract drafting and negotiation.
- Representation of contractors and subcontractors in construction defect claims involving moisture intrusion, mold, structural, and other issues in both North and South Carolina.
- Representation of architects, structural engineers, surveyors and geotechnical engineers in a variety of cases involving everything from industrial accidents to residential design defect claims.
- Representation of design professionals before federal and state governing boards
- Representation of residential and commercial owners in a variety design and construction defect claims.
- Representation of various municipalities and contractors involving bid challenges and procurement disputes.
Honors + Activities
- Martindale - Hubble® AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating
- Selected as a “Super Lawyer” in the North Carolina Super Lawyers publication
- Selected in Construction Litigation in Business North Carolina's Legal Elite
- North Carolina Bar, Construction Law Section, ABA Liaison Committee Chair
- Charlotte Viewpoint, Board Member
- Men for Change Committee (2010-Present), Member
- North Carolina Construction Law Deskbook, Assistant Editor
- Mediator, Mecklenburg County Fee Dispute Committee
- Charlotte Leadership, Class 33
- Lunch with a Lawyer, Volunteer
- District Bar Candidate Committee for the Board of Law Examiners
- William H. Bobbitt American Inn of Court
- Member, North Carolina Bar Association (Litigation and Construction Sections)
- Member, South Carolina Bar Association
- Member, Mecklenburg County Bar Association
