Construction Law Blog

New legislation now prevents Virginia contractors from withholding payment on one project to address claims or backcharges on another.

Construction industry professionals faced a number of challenges in 2019—chief among them a persistent labor shortage. 2020 promises to bring similar challenges to the construction industry. Below we identify six trends we expect to carry forward into the new year.

Most design and construction contracts contain “dispute resolution” provisions that require mediation, arbitration, or litigation. In this post we provide a reference chart identifying some of the differences, pros and cons among these three options. 

2018 was a strong year for the construction industry. Despite a labor shortage and some uncertainty regarding material costs, construction professionals remain optimistic that the trend of growth will continue in 2019. Below we identify eight trends we expect to carry forward into the new year. 

We have seen an uptick in mechanic’s lien filings in 2018. Thankfully, the increase in lien filings likely arises from an increase in construction projects not instability in the market. In our latest post we revisit the general process for filing mechanic’s liens and insight on the option for replacing these liens with a surety bond.

Parties to a construction contract should pay particular attention to the contract’s terms concerning claims. Statutory limitations periods may be shortened or extended.

Recent Virginia cases underscore the importance of including a prevailing party attorneys’ fees provision in any construction contract and make clear that a court cannot simply calculate a prevailing party’s attorney fee award based upon the amount of damages sought.

The various cycles in the real estate market require different legal services. This post discusses four typical phases of the market cycle, legal issues common to those phases, and ways in which contractors can use this understanding to prepare for the future.

Most design and construction contracts contain “dispute resolution” provisions.  Some contracts state that the parties must “mediate” a dispute before “litigation” or “arbitration.”  Through mediation, the parties attempt to resolve their dispute with the assistance of a mediator.  The mediator is not a decision-maker.  Rather, the mediator assists the parties through facilitating a negotiation.  Some mediators will offer their opinion regarding the likely outcome if the case isn’t resolved through negotiation.  Neither party can be forced to settle the ...