Construction Litigation
Construction and engineering projects can ill afford to become bogged down by legal concerns. The attorneys at McKenna Long & Aldridge (MLA) keep construction projects on target. Our team not only has decades of proficiency in construction law, but also first-hand experience working in the industry. That insight enables us to help suppliers, subcontractors, contractors, engineers, owners and architects anticipate and promptly address issues that can derail a deadline.
When litigation is necessary, we have the depth and skill these cases demand. MLA attorneys have extensive experience litigating and arbitrating complex construction disputes. We bring and defend all types of construction claims on behalf of owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, suppliers, manufacturers, design professionals, risk insurers and sureties.
Our attorneys excel in construction litigation because they know the construction industry. One attorney in our group, for example, is schooled in civil engineering and construction management. Another was assistant general counsel to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Several are contributing authors to construction law treatises and practice guides.
Our litigation experience includes hotel, medical facility, process piping and heavy construction disputes. We have handled cases involving major public works projects, including the construction of bridges, tunnels, state-of-the-art water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations and associated pipelines. We represent national and international companies in industrial construction disputes, with particular knowledge of the pulp and paper and the engineered wood products industries. Our experience encompasses all types of building products, including concrete, steel, masonry, wallboard, glazing systems and built-up roofs.
We regularly represent clients in construction arbitration as well as in litigation. Our attorneys also draft construction and equipment supply agreements, help design and implement dispute resolution procedures, and counsel clients on the management and avoidance of construction claims and disputes. We often represent clients in surety actions under the federal Miller Act or state bond statutes.
Our services include:
- Representing design professionals, contractors and owners in litigation.
- Representing clients in construction and engineering cases involving hotels, convention centers, hospitals and large developments.
- Drafting construction and equipment supply agreements.
- Counseling clients on the management and avoidance of construction claims.
- Litigating design and construction defects.
- Representing clients in insurance and other coverage claims.
- Litigating and arbitrating construction disputes involving mass torts.
- Defending architects and engineers in malpractice actions.
- Representing clients in federal and state construction litigation claims.
- Representing clients in private construction claims.
- Negotiating and drafting international contracts.
Representative Engagements
- Tried and won $1.7 million judgment in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on builder’s risk claim, where opposing party alleged defective construction methods causing loss.
- Tried multi-million dollar construction claim in arbitration, defending U.S. subsidiary of international company; client substantially prevailed on delay and disruption claims.
- Defended general contractor in arbitration against claim by earthwork subcontractor on project involving environmental remediation of Air Force base where client defeated subcontractor’s claim and won award on its counterclaim.
- Tried construction claim in arbitration, successfully defending U.S. subsidiary of international company as EPC contractor against subcontractor claim on industrial project.
- Obtained dismissal of multi-million dollar False Claims Act claims filed against contractor on motion for summary judgment.