Construction Law

 

Disputes with and between general contractors and subcontractors involve numerous complex legal issues; Tom Rand has litigated many cases for general contractors and subcontractors, on commercial, public and residential jobs. His experience includes home improvement regulatory issues, mechanics liens, and payment and performance bonds.

 

Construction contractors who work on residential and commercial property and buildings may have rights enforceable by mechanics liens in the courts of Maryland (the Circuit Court of Maryland) and Washington, D.C. (the Superior Court of the District of Columbia). Also, construction projects involving public buildings or governmental agencies typically have protection with bonding companies; there may be short deadlines involved in perfecting a claim against a bond, and the failure to quickly line up one's case against a bond company, means the only defendant left may be a general contractor or a subcontractor. This is frequently an unfortunate development because any particular general contractor or construction subcontractor may be here today, gone tomorrow. There are ways to keep pursuit of a case active even where there is no bond claim, and the defendant construction contracting firm has "gone out of business," but usually the tactics required in that situation mean that there is a second legal case following the first case, and each lawsuit carries with it expense, time and effort.

 

For matters pertaining to Virginia Construction Law, please visit my associate, Richard M. Sissman, Esquire.