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Construction

If you are in the development, construction, or design business, you know the importance of legal advisors and advocates who speak your language and care deeply about your success. That’s who Much is – a distinction that sets us apart and results in long-term relationships.

Construction

The success of Much’s Construction practice is built on lawyers who truly understand the construction industry, your specific business, and the challenges you face. We’ve been there. In fact, we are one of the few midsize law firms with experienced construction law attorneys who also have substantial hands-on training in the architectural, engineering, and contracting arenas. Our lawyers include an architect, a former law clerk to a mechanics lien judge, and a former general counsel for one of the largest general contracting and trade contractor firms in the U.S. As a result, we offer a compelling blend of legal knowledge, practical industry experience, and a built-in ability to speak your language.

Our special place in the market.

Think about any construction project, and you’re thinking about a tremendous number of diverse legal and business issues that must align to make it successful. These include design and construction contracts, licensing and regulations, corporate matters, labor and employment issues, insurance, real estate, intellectual property, creditor rights, and environmental concerns, and if something goes wrong, dispute avoidance and resolution. The Much team is built with our clients’ needs in mind. We offer the full-service capabilities of a large firm without the large firm rates, and boutique firm depth of knowledge without boutique limitations. Because we’re first and foremost a business-centric firm, having all of your needs covered under one roof by lawyers who know you and your business just makes sense.

“Much Shelist has an unmatched understanding of the construction industry. Their ability to handle complex construction matters is superb.”

Chambers USA Client Interviews

Because construction law spans most legal disciplines, Much clients know that no matter the need, we have the right talent and experience to get the job done. Among the legal areas for which construction clients count on Much are:

  • Construction and design contracts
  • Construction and design disputes
  • Construction development
  • Construction industry M&A
  • Construction and design licensing and regulatory matters
  • Labor and employment issues in construction
  • Intellectual property protection in design and construction
  • Construction-related bankruptcies and workouts
  • Construction and design industry insurance and coverage issues

Trending & Horizon Issues

At Much, positioning ourselves on the cutting edge of trends and evolving issues that affect our clients allows us to help them prepare for what’s coming.

  • Climate change-related issues: If 100-year floods happen every 10 years, how do we plan for that? Changes in the frequency or intensity of fires, temperature increases, wind events, and floods, all of these events have an impact on the design and construction of buildings. Our lawyers are thought leaders on the failure of the industry to adapt to climate change and whether there is a new or emerging standard of care for industry participants.
  • The post-pandemic world: What happens to a construction project when price increases force an important contractor to charge more, default on a contract, or go out of business altogether? These are the kind of issues our clients face every day. Materials prices are up, and shipments are disrupted and delayed. In construction, this is the new normal we’ve had to adapt to, with contracts written to account for the many pandemic-related disputes to resolve.
  • The trend away from condo conversions: Because condominium owners associations are especially litigious, architects and contractors are increasingly writing restrictive covenants into their contracts, preventing multifamily residential rental properties from being converted to condominiums for a statute of limitations period. Through our lawyers’ experience in both drafting construction agreements and handling dispute resolution, we are well-versed in navigating exposures to costly construction defect claims and accessibility claims under the Federal Fair Housing Act.
  • The increasing role of technology: From modeling to the actual fabrication of components, 3D printing has the potential to enable sophisticated designs while reducing costs and cutting waste. Technological advancement in general will generate tremendous efficiencies in the construction industry.
  • M&A and the entry of private equity: Many see the construction and design industry as ripe for consolidation, economies of scale, and technical innovation. This has led to continual M&A activity that seems to increase every year. But an M&A deal in the construction and design space is not like any other deal. Our clients recognize that Much brings a unique ability to combine M&A legal know-how with a deep awareness of the unique risks and processes of construction and design.

News & Insights

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