The Construction Litigation & Surety Practice Team at Williams Kastner serves clients involved in all aspects of the construction industry, including general contractors, specialty subcontractors, owner/developers, architects, engineers, lending institutions and insurers. In addition, we have extensive experience in all aspects of surety law. Familiarity with this broad range of clients has helped the firm to build a group of attorneys who are well versed in virtually every construction-related legal issue.
Rapidly changing federal, state and local laws require increasing concentration within such fields as land use, job safety, environmental law, employer/employee relations, liens, financing, union and management issues, insurance, risk management and tax. Through the Construction Litigation & Surety Practice Team, those experienced in various aspects of construction law are brought together to address the entire spectrum of construction issues for our clients whether the client is a large contractor or a small professional construction service firm. The team also provides clients with audits to examine everything from construction safety programs to insurance needs to questions involving personnel.
The Construction Litigation & Surety Practice Team attorneys offer experienced legal support in the following areas:
- Catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death claims
- Construction defect
- Construction agreement drafting
- Bonds
- Labor disputes
- Bidding issues, including bid errors and bid protests
- Public and private contract claims
- Construction program safety and fall protection plans
- Permits
- Design flaws
- Delay claims
- Changed conditions
- Indemnification
- Insurance
- Liquidated damages
- Lien claims
- Personal injury claims
- Accident investigations
- OSHA/WISHA claims
- Guaranties
- Collection
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Arbitration
- Toxic waste and pollution
- Termination
- Bankruptcy
- Corporate formation and planning
- Equity capital
- Capital transactions
- Joint venture agreements
- Partnership formation
- Acquisition and sale of joint ventures, proprietorships, corporations and partnerships
- Employment contracts
- Equipment purchases, sales and leases
- Tax
- Employee benefits and qualified plans
- Buy-sell agreements
- Risk management
- Drafting, construction and enforcement of insurance policies covering all aspects of a construction project
- Risk management
- Analyzing and responding to default terminations and other performance bond claims
- Providing advice regarding complex bond claim investigations
- Addressing various project completion scenarios, including tenders, takeovers and financing the bond principal
- Defense of performance and payment bond claims under the Miller Act and state law, including discharge, exoneration and other surety-specific defenses
- Defense of extra-contractual claims by claimants, bond principals and indemnitors, including claims brought under the Washington Insurance Fair Conduct Act
- Prosecution of affirmative construction claims to mitigate surety losses
- Prosecution of indemnity and other salvage actions on behalf of sureties
- Resolving priority disputes between sureties, banks, trustees and public agencies
- Defense of claims on miscellaneous bonds, including license bonds and public official bonds
- Discrimination claims
- Unfair labor practices representation
- Contract analysis
- Unemployment compensation
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
- Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA)
- Prevailing wage
- Affirmative action
- Minority and women’s business enterprises
- Collective bargaining