What Does a Construction Lawyer do?
As you can probably imagine, a construction lawyer does not do any one thing. Construction law can involve a range of practice areas that cover virtually every aspect of construction from planning and approvals to employment law, property law, dispute resolution, litigation, and beyond.
Since there’s such a wide range of practice areas that a construction lawyer can cover, let’s start by discussing what a construction lawyer might be able to help you with. Why might you even need a construction lawyer? What can they do for you? But also how can they protect your best interests and help keep the project on time, on budget, and financially secure?
How Can a Construction Lawyer Help?
A construction lawyer will have expert knowledge I the area of construction law, which means the person will be able to offer expert advice to navigate the sometimes-volatile situations surrounding contracts, project management, and employment issues. Here are just a few of the areas where a construction lawyer might come in handy.
Facilitate Proposals and Bidding
A construction lawyer may be involved in responding to requests for proposals and the bidding process, at least as far as in determining if the terms are acceptable, legal, and binding. A construction lawyer can also gauge the validity of the awards process and challenge situations where the contract was awarded under false or misleading pretenses to an undeserving competitor.
When you have a construction lawyer involved from the very inception of a project, you can avoid many of the pitfalls that may have haunted previous projects. It’s a great way to make sure that legal wrangling happens sooner rather than later. With the legal wrap-up out of the way, you can focus on just finishing the project as agreed upon by the contract terms and conditions.
Watch The Money
Money is what makes the world go round, and a construction lawyer can be an invaluable asset when it comes to protecting and facilitating the on-time delivery of payments to comply with contract terms and conditions. While unfortunate non-payment situations do happen in the construction industry, a construction lawyer can help mitigate those circumstances and recover unpaid monies.
While disputes over money do occur, there’s nothing quite like having a lawyer involved to expedite the process and grease the sticky wheels that should ensure proper on-time payment options. The power of a lawyer’s presence can mean that you can file claims against a payment bond or file liens as needed to ensure that all labor, material, and equipment costs are covered as laid out in the contract.
Negotiate Contracts
One of the first and foremost tasks of a construction lawyer is probably to draft and negotiate the terms and conditions of contracts. It’s common because it’s such an essential part of the business. With contracts, the work dries up. Contracts are often the basis for your relationship with your employees, but they are also the foundation for healthy business relationships.
Contracts also ensure that fair and legal practices are being followed and agreed upon by both sides. A contract will often include details on billing milestones, as well as insurance requirements, deliverables, and conditions. It will often spell out what happens if there are scheduling delays or other situations that postpone the completion of the contract terms.
Why Now Is the Best Time to Consider a Construction Lawyer?
With so many delays in construction projects over the last year, it’s now more important than ever that your projects run smoothly, but also that you’re able to maintain those tight milestone deliverables on-time and in budget. You also need to look for ways to continually improve and streamline your processes to ensure ever-greater efficiency and effectiveness on the project.
With so much at stake right now, you can’t afford to have any lapses in understanding or implementation of your agreed upon project plan, which is why a construction lawyer really is the ideal solution for your needs.
Next Step: Schedule a Free Consult with a Construction Lawyer
A construction lawyer can represent a number of roles and opportunities to you and your organization, but the first step is to reach out and find out what they can do for you. Even if you’ve never reached out to a lawyer before, it’s time to start a relationship if you are currently or may soon be involved in a construction project.
The truth is that what you don’t know really can hurt you and affect the legitimacy of your relationship with both your employees and any other company that you plan to work with. You may not realize what you’re doing wrong, but a construction lawyer can quickly set the contractual relationships on the right track.
There’s something else you should consider as well. If you are ever sued or you have any dispute that leads to legal wrangling, a qualified construction lawyer is the best solution you could possibly have in your corner. It’s not just about being able to adequately respond to the situation, but a construction lawyer can help to avoid the situation altogether and help you navigate any troubling legal waters if it does come to a battle in court.
