Construction Law

The Construction Practice Group at HSSM, understands the underlying complexities of the various parties and stages of work involved in the development, design, and construction of real estate. Our team doesn’t operate with an “outside looking in” mentality; we learn, listen, and research firsthand—even going as far as visiting the site in question to gain further insight on the case. We understand the importance of transparency and responsive advice and prioritize our availability. We’re thorough, and unlike development timelines, we’re fast.

A small sampling of our representative matters include:

Represented local government in defense of claim for over $100 million arising from construction of a transit system. Successfully defended the local government in other disputes regarding construction of transit and airport projects.
Lead counsel for national contractor in Arbitration proceeding concerning ~$20M payment and design/construction defect disputes related to design and construction of manufacturing/industrial plant.
Successfully defended client in two-week trial for professional negligence in the design of a hospital expansion. The jury in the hospital’s own county returned a defense verdict, agreeing that our client was not negligent.
Represented and successfully defended sitework contractor on $30M sitework deal related to the development of property owned and leased by Western Carolina University for luxury apartment student housing.
Represented national engineering firm in relation to $20M construction project for large, national university.
Represented large national contractor in appeal of Arbitrator Award to North Carolina Court of Appeals with cert to the North Carolina Supreme Court related to failure to enforce contract terms.
Representation of geotechnical engineer in defense of $13M construction defect and earthwork movement/sink hole claim.
Representation of architect on dually-branded, 200+ room franchise hotel, related to claims of structural and MEP design defect and delays.
Representation of subcontractors against government contractor related to services and equipment provided to restore Puerto Rico power grid following Hurricane Matthew.
Represented national engineering Firm in relation to $20M track resurfacing project for large, national university.
Represented various contractors and designers in contract administration and project disputes involving renovations to Charlotte airport.
Handled administration and contractual disputes regarding the construction of the state’s first high-occupancy Interstate traffic lanes, a $647 million project. First of its kind project.

Experienced Construction Team

Our dedicated team of attorneys has decades of experience when it comes to matters of construction and development. Our Construction Team is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a leading construction firm, and members of our Construction Practice team are recognized as leaders in their fields, earning the titles of “elite” and “best in America” by fellow scholars. Our representation spans all segments of the construction industry, including state, federal, public, and private projects, joint ventures, and all project delivery methods from traditional design-bid-build, to design build, Public Private Partnerships and Integrated Project Delivery, among others. Our work touches all sectors of the industry from architectural and engineering design to commercial building, residential/commercial multi-family, civil, industrial and environmental construction, with extensive ADR, litigation and trial/arbitration experience when required.

Representative Experience

Because of our representative experience, we are experts in the negotiation and modification of construction contract documents, routinely assist with contract administration matters, and are intimately involved with surety and insurance law as applicable to construction projects. Our dynamic professionalism provides clients with full spectrum service that begins at project inception starting with the bid process and follows through to final close.