Hiring a lawyer is often something associated with car accidents, lawsuits, or child custody in a divorce, but legal firms can cover more industries than that. Construction crews require construction law to keep a project running smoothly between all parties involved, and asking the question “When do I need a construction attorney?” can come up if there may be legal or contractual trouble with a construction project. Labor law and lawyers for construction are there to make sure that building codes, contracts, and other paperwork are all in place and that all parties are working and cooperating as they should.
Construction and Law
One may often ask “When do I need a construction attorney?” after considering how complex the paperwork of construction projects can be. The American Arbitration Association has noted a number of statistics and general trends about construction law. For example, in the year 2015, this association administered a total of 551 construction industry cases whose claims were each $500,000 or more. Among those cases, the largest mediated case was for construction a whopping $2.6 billion, and of all claims and counterclaims, the total value in that year reached $5.5 billion. On another note, AAA noted that alternative dispute resolution, or ADR, was the most popular conflict-management process within the industry of construction. The median time frame for such a case from beginning to end was 232 days, just under eight months. In light of all that, asking “When do I need a construction attorney?” can be a good idea, and research ahead of time can help make disputes easier to settle should they arise.
Managing Parties of Construction
Lawyers for construction companies have plenty to do, especially if contracts or codes are violated or if different parties in a project enter conflict for any other reason. According to KPPB Law, a construction attorney, defined simply, is a legal representative who can help out with any legal matters involved in a construction project. To do this work, the lawyer should be familiar with the whole process of construction and its many details, from planning to execution to completing a project. A construction attorney’s domain can cover many different disputes or problems, ranging from bankruptcy to insurance or labor issues, all the way to state building codes, fire codes, unresolved damages claims, and environmental matters, among others.
A construction attorney’s work often begins when the client company enters a contract with the contractor, and the attorney will ensure that the contract is legally sound, and accounts for various factors such as payments, insurance, job site conditions, and proper notice requirements. In particular, in the arena of payments, a construction lawyer will make sure that promised payments are fully delivered in regards to equipment, labor, and materials used for the project. This lawyer may also be called upon to take civilian action to recover unpaid sums. What is more, such an attorney can make claims for added compensation and time, not to mention unforeseen circumstances such as delays, injuries, outside interference, and defects in the construction design or materials. And if a construction project ends up terminated, the lawyer can oversee that process and ensure that it is called for, and follow procedures to make it work out smoothly. If litigation is undertaken by another involved party, a lawyer will represent his or her client during that process.
“When do I need a construction attorney?” In short, whenever a person or company wants to undertake a construction project at the federal, state, or public level, and they can provide legal defense and counseling as well as handling logistics like the budget, relevant codes, and timeline. Someone drafting or reviewing a contract, or drawing up a plan for a building project, may want a construction attorney by his or her side.