Find Lawyers in Houston, Texas for Construction Law
Practice Area Overview
For a typical project, a construction lawyer may be called upon to assist the owner in obtaining land for the project. Buying the land and building a project on the land often requires financing from another source, and construction lawyers often help prepare and negotiate the various loan documents that define the rights of the bank, bondholders, or other source of funding.
Construction lawyers may assist owners and developers in deciding which project delivery approach best suits their project, such as design-bid-build, design build, or multi-prime construction. Then, construction lawyers may help draft requests for bids to allow the owner or developer to identify a contractor. A lawyer may help determine whether a bid can be withdrawn due to a mistake. For certain public projects where the owner is a city, county, state, or arm of the federal government, a construction lawyer may be called upon to file a bid protest to challenge the fairness of the bidding process.
After the project is awarded, lawyers are often involved in drafting and negotiating contracts between the owner and general contractor or the general contractor and its subcontractors. Lawyers also may be involved in documenting insurance and bonding arrangements to secure performance of the work and protect the parties against property damage or personal injuries.
During the project, construction lawyers are often called upon to help the participants understand their contracts and comply with them. Many construction lawyers see this kind of work as extremely rewarding, because their guidance can help keep construction on track toward a successful conclusion. Where contractors or subcontractors are not being paid for their work, construction lawyers may file liens or bond claims to secure payment for their clients’ work.
Construction projects are complex, expensive, stressful, and sometimes dangerous, and thus give rise to many different kinds of disputes, including disputes about the cost and duration of the project, the quality of the work, and responsibility for injuries or damages suffered during the work or, sometimes, after the work is completed. Construction disputes are often complex, involving many parties and substantial amounts of money, so construction lawyers often engage in complex commercial litigation. Many construction contracts call for dispute resolution through dispute review boards, mediation, and arbitration, so a successful construction lawyer will understand the advantages, disadvantages, and nuances of alternative dispute resolution techniques.
While often seen as a specialist, a construction lawyer is, in many ways, a generalist who must be prepared to deal with almost any kind of legal problem that may affect the construction industry, whether that problem involves contract law, banking law, tax law, environmental law, criminal law, international law, bankruptcy law, real property law, insurance law, tort law, bond and lien law, administrative law, or litigation.
Kim Altsuler is a partner in Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office. While Kim has a diverse litigation practice, her concentration is in all aspects of residential construction, from contracting through dispute resolution. Over the years Kim has handled a variety of complex litigation matters, with residential construction being the primary focus of her practice. Kim represents national, regional, and local homebuilders in all aspects of their business needs, from preparing contracts, ...
For over 40 years, Bill Andrews, a leading construction attorney in Houston, has practiced construction law , focusing on construction-related claims, lawsuits, mediations and arbitrations . He has represented owners, contractors, subcontractors, vendors, suppliers and engineering firms on a wide variety of construction-related projects. His experience in claims, trials, arbitrations and mediations includes projects such as highways and bridges, public works projects, commercial and retail co...
Michael L. Burnett focuses his practice on commercial litigation as well as all aspects of construction law. His has a concentration in the representation of owners, general contractors, subcontractors and others in the construction industry. He assists clients through all stages of construction projects, including preparing and negotiating construction contracts, advising owners and contractors during the project so as to avoid and resolve disputes during projects, and litigating disputes su...
Jared Caplan has spent nearly two decades representing clients in the construction and oilfield industries. His multi-faceted experience ranges from trusted advisor on business operations to his successful prosecution and defense of multimillion-dollar litigation matters. Jared’s experience includes dispute resolution, contract disputes, toxic tort exposures, insurance coverage matters, personal injury, wrongful death, property damage and premises liability. He has successfully handled ...
Gregory Cokinos is a founder of Cokinos | Young and he has earned a reputation as one of the preeminent lawyers in his field. Gregory’s practice includes all aspects of commercial and industrial construction, including office buildings, high rise condominiums, schools, power plants, processing plants, refineries, pipelines, highway construction, as well as offshore production and drilling platforms. Gregory has extensive experience in real estate transactions and development, having rep...
Jim Collura has a nationwide energy and construction litigation practice in which he has handled hundreds of millions of dollars in claims. His experience includes trials in state and federal courts across the country. Jim has represented plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal court in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio and his home state of Texas. This experience includes complex litigation with an emphasis on matters ...
Brittany Cooperrider’s practice focuses on construction law, litigation, alternative dispute resolution and labor and employment matters. She represents general contractors, subcontractors, and small and mid-sized companies in a variety of construction and employment related disputes and also provides guidance in their labor and employment needs. Prior to joining the firm, Brittany worked for a civil litigation boutique, the Attorney General of Texas, and The Office of the Attorney Gene...
R. Kelly Donaldson has practiced construction law in Texas since 1986. Mr. Donaldson assists clients through all phases of project development, design, procurement, construction and post construction matters. Clients have included owners, architects & engineers, general contractors, developers, lenders, sureties, subcontractors, suppliers, manufacturers & fabricators. He has experience with projects related to energy (upstream, midstream & downstream); maritime design & constr...
Denis Ducran is a partner in Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office. A board certified construction lawyer and registered architect, Denis specializes in construction industry transactions, risk management and dispute resolution. Denis works side-by-side with contractors and others involved in the construction industry to provide practical counsel regarding risk management, contract preparation and negotiations, litigation, arbitration and mediation. His extensive industry experience be...
Ian has broad experience in real estate law, with a focus on commercial, industrial and residential construction law. Ian has extensive trial experience conducting jury and bench trials, as well as arbitrations, from homeowner claims to multimillion- and multibillion-dollar commercial projects throughout Texas. He represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, homebuilders, homeowners, business owners and individuals in a variety of disputes, as well as in OSHA compliance and inv...
Patrick Gaas is a Director in the Construction/Surety section of the Texas based law firm Coats Rose and Section Head of one of the largest and most accomplished construction practice groups in the USA. With over 25 years of experience, Patrick is regularly engaged by owners, contractors, engineering / design professionals and lenders to handle some of the largest and most challenging commercial and industrial disputes and transactions in the USA and internationally. Patrick's professional me...
Patrick Garner is a litigator and trial attorney with extensive experience in employment law, construction and commercial litigation representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants. Patrick acts as comprehensive legal counsel for a variety of large and small businesses and advises employers on how to resolve, mitigate and avoid issues, problems and disputes before litigation becomes necessary. Despite his outstanding experience as a litigator, Patrick prides himself on protecting the client&rsquo...
Charles Getman has more than 38 years of litigation experience representing medium and large business clients in Texas and New York, with particular expertise in sophisticated commercial litigation in federal and state courts and arbitration, with emphasis in major construction failures/disputes, intellectual property, and professional liability. Charles has worked with national, regional, and local property developers, contractors and vendors, professional and amateur sports leagues, teams a...
No stranger to a construction site, John Grayson worked his way through college as a laborer, equipment operator and pouring concrete in the Houston area. While a student, he pumped gas and fixed flats at a service station and worked in the History Dept at Texas A&M University. Grayson is a Principal in Cokinos | Young and represents major contractors, EPC contractors, subcontractors, pipeline contractors and owners, mechanical contractors and owners in complex construction matters across...
Jon Paul helps construction and energy companies solve problems as efficiently as possible. Jon Paul is often called to serve as a trusted legal advisor to his clients, providing a 360-degree approach to risk management, litigation and general business issues. His practice focuses on advising clients in the construction, energy, and oil and gas industries. He often represents general contractors, subcontractors, oil field service companies, product and equipment manufacturers, as well as prop...
Curtis W. Martin is Managing Partner of Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office. He represents contractors and owners on large construction projects and advises clients on all facets of the construction process, from the preparation of contract documents to counseling on risk management, business and legal issues that arise during projects, and dispute resolution. Mr. Martin draws on his extensive experience in the construction industry, where he has focused his professional life since 1...
Joshua Mermis’ focus is on litigation relating to construction, energy, product liability and business law. He has extensive experience conducting both jury and bench trials, as well as arbitrations. His litigation experience is broad, ranging from homeowner claims to multimillion dollar commercial projects throughout Texas. Joshua represents domestic and international companies including developers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and equipment manufacturers, as well as in...
Based in Houston, TX, Matt Moore is co-managing partner of Peckar & Abramson’s Texas offices and a member of the firm's Construction and Surety practice groups. His practice is focused primarily on the transactional, litigation and dispute resolution aspects of Construction Law. Matt represents general contractors, construction managers, sureties, owners, developers, and subcontractors in all phases of construction and on a wide variety of construction-related issues, including brea...
Tom Myers’ practice is focused on construction-related transactions, claims, insurance, risk management, workouts, mediation, arbitration and litigation. For over 30 years, he has represented public and private owners, contractors, EPC’s, subcontractors, vendors and manufacturers on a wide range of construction projects, including office, high-rise residential, industrial, multi-family, educational, retail and governmental facilities as well as coal, gas and hydro power plants and...
Barry is a Director in the Construction and Surety section of Coats Rose in the Houston office. Barry’s practice includes representation of owners, sureties, general contractors and subcontractors in construction litigation, arbitration, construction arbitration, document preparation, investigation and administration of construction contracts and contract defaults, as well as general commercial litigation. Barry has been involved in the mediation, arbitration and trial of numerous matte...
Dan is a Director at Coats Rose with more than thirty-two years of experience in the practice of law. After receiving his degree from Georgetown University School of Law, he joined the firm of Butler & Binion. In 1985, he joined the firm of Cook, Davis & McFall and became that firm’s first new partner in 1986. In 1990, Dan formed Davis & Shank and subsequently joined the Coats Rose team in 2000. During his career, Dan has successfully tried numerous cases involving a broad r...
Neal Sweeney is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He focuses his practice exclusively on construction law and government contracts. Drawing on his more than 30 years of experience with the construction industry, Neal counsels clients on major infrastructure and P3 projects such as transit, airports, highways, wastewater treatment, and tunnels. He is also involved in energy and industrial projects linked to clean technology and renewable sources, including hydro, solar, wind, geother...
Roger Townsend handles appellate matters in appellate courts throughout the United States and assists trial lawyers with legal issues. He also manages complex civil litigation. With 36 years of experience, he has learned to handle matters effectively and efficiently, always putting the client's goals first. Roger’s diverse, national practice includes virtually every type of civil appeal, ranging from antitrust to zoning and all subjects in between. He is a noted expert in energy, oil an...
John Warren is a principal in the Houston office of Cokinos | Young. John is Board Certified by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Construction Law and focuses his practice on all types of major industrial, commercial, and residential construction, development, and real estate. Although he often helps clients avoid litigation through early involvement in the project’s lifecycle, John is frequently asked to handle disputes relating to design and construction defects, delays, loss...
Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Ben Westcott, the firm’s Co-Managing Shareholder, has a practice that focuses on both transactional and dispute resolution aspects of construction law. He represents general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and owners on substantial construction projects, including schools, public infrastructure, sports facilities, airports, petrochemical and industrial plants, highway projects, wastewater treatment fa...
Andrew Bell represents energy sector companies in complex oil and gas litigation. Andrew has extensive experience litigating multidistrict and class action royalty cases in both state and federal court and represents upstream oilfield companies in contractual, commercial and catastrophic personal injury disputes. In addition to his oilfield experience, Andrew represents clients in a variety of commercial and construction litigation matters, including contractual disputes, business torts, and ...
Committed to thoughtfully and effectively representing his clients, Tres Gibbs handles all types of civil and commercial litigation matters. While he seeks to create efficient and creative solutions to resolve disputes for clients of all sizes, he recognizes that many situations require zealous representation in front of judges, juries, and arbitrators. Because no two problems are the same, neither are any two solutions. Tres’s practice consists of representing clients in areas of profe...
William McMichael maintains a nationwide practice with an emphasis on complex commercial and insurance coverage litigation. His representative experience includes serving as trial counsel for plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts in more than a dozen states across the nation. He has successfully prosecuted and defended claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and for violations of various consumer prote...
Alfredo Montelongo is a trial attorney who focuses on complex commercial matters. He joined AZA from a leading construction litigation firm where he advised clients on complex construction matters, including related to the construction of large pipeline construction projects. Mr. Montelongo has obtained multi-million dollar judgments for his clients and has also successfully defended his clients from multi-million dollar suits. Mr. Montelongo was named to the 2023 – 2025 lists of Best L...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.