Construction Industry

Jones Walker helps industry participants manage the complex network of moving parts and business relationships that define every construction project.

Comparing most industries to the construction industry is not an apples-to-apples comparison, or even like comparing apples to oranges — it’s more like comparing apples to oranges and lemons and tomatoes and virtually every other type of produce. Few industries depend on such a vast array of raw materials and high-tech products, or have such complex business relationships among suppliers, designers, vendors, contractors, and others.

Jones Walker’s highly experienced and nationally ranked construction team helps clients from across the industry manage all of these moving parts. We understand the complex dynamics between — and the unique priorities of — industry participants and craft effective solutions that minimize disputes, manage risks, and help keep projects moving from conception to completion.

We represent clients from every sector of the industry, including:

Construction equipment and materials suppliers, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers
Architects, designers, and engineers
Contractors, including industrial, heavy construction and lifting, excavation, electrical and power line, supplies trade, and equipment installation companies
Demolition and site-preparation companies
Renovation and restoration specialists
Oil and gas field services and water transport companies
Real estate developers

Our clients’ projects are equally diverse and include major infrastructure, office buildings, manufacturing facilities and plants, educational buildings, student housing, hospitals, sports stadiums, marine facilities, airports, research and development centers, and residential communities, as well as the sophisticated products and services necessary to complete such facilities.

Our counsel is comprehensive. In addition to the in-depth, firsthand experience of our cross-disciplinary team, we regularly draw on the knowledge of attorneys in Jones Walker’s other core practices, including labor and employment, asbestos and product liability, commercial and class action litigation, real estate, environmental, corporate and securities, maritime, tax compliance and tax-credit financing, and intellectual property.

For many clients, government contracts are an important and sometimes primary contributor to revenue. We provide full-spectrum counsel on local, state, federal, and international procurement and government contracting regulations; economic development funding; tax incentives; and public-private partnerships. This experience with federal, state, and local government contracts has made us a go-to practice for international and domestic contractors seeking assistance as they navigate the complex process of bidding for, winning, and fulfilling contracts with public entities.

We have counseled clients on a broad range of claims arising under these contracts, including analysis of the following:

Entitlement and claims pricing issues
Claim notification and certification requirements
Contract Disputes Act claims
False Claims Act investigations
Miller Act Claims
Tucker Act Claims

We also have experience prosecuting and defending public contracts under state procurement laws in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. In addition, we appear before the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), Court of Federal Claims, and Boards of Contract Appeals in connection with federal procurement disputes.

We actively support and participate in legal and trade organizations such as Associated General Contractors, Associated Builders and Contractors, American Institute of Architects, the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on the Construction Industry, the Fidelity and Surety Law Section of the ABA, the ABA Litigation Section Construction Law Committee, the International Bar Association, the Surety and Fidelity Association of America, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, and the Construction Specifications Institute.

As industry thought leaders, our attorneys have authored papers and articles in journals such as Transportation Builder Magazine, Construction Law Update, The Construction Lawyer, World Arbitration and Mediation Review, and more. We have presented programs at the local and national levels on a variety of construction law issues, including claims, claim avoidance, commissioning, damages, indoor air quality, public and private works acts, and public bid law.

Noteworthy

Ranked in Chambers USA regionally and nationally
Selected by The Best Lawyers in America
Recommended by Legal 500
Named in Super Lawyers
Named in Who’s Who of Business Lawyers

Publications

Editors of Construction Law Update
Contributing Authors for ABA The Construction Lawyer
Contributing Authors for World Arbitration and Mediation Report
Contributing Authors for Association of General Contractors Law in Brief

Representative Experience

A manufacturer of recreational vehicles
A company providing state-of-the-art construction hoists
A pioneer of manufacturing foam insulation free of environmentally damaging blowing agents, operating across North America and distributing products worldwide
An engineering, construction, and project management company that has completed projects in more than 140 countries and that employs more than 40,000 people worldwide
A provider of industrial construction services that supplies scaffolding equipment to companies in the chemical, oil, paper, and petrochemical industries for nonresidential building construction, renovation, and maintenance
One of the South’s leading distributors of fabrication equipment
A global engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company specializing in all-inclusive projects for customers in the natural resources production industry
A company that offers a range of oilfield services, including drilling, completion, and production services, as well as product sales
A full-service marine contractor that is a leader in the oilfield industry and has been in operation for more than 50 years
A family-owned commercial construction company
A family-owned and operated construction company specializing in demolition, site preparation, and underground utilities
One of New Orleans’ largest electrical contracting firms
A Florida-based custom home builder
A company that provides a wide range of construction and support services to the offshore oil and gas industry in the United States Gulf of Mexico, Latin America, West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions
A full-service industrial, environmental, and heavy civil construction company serving clients throughout the United States
A company specializing in tank and pressure vessel manufacturing and servicing
A major player in the market for the design, manufacture, and sales of telescopic and lattice boom cranes
A marine construction company specializing in building structures such as bridges, locks, and dams
A global engineering and construction firm active in offshore oil and gas construction, power generation systems, and government contracting
One of Louisiana’s top industrial contractors, providing services to industrial, process, and power markets, including chemical and petrochemical plants, refineries, and pulp and paper mills in the Gulf Coast region
A leader in the specialized field of machinery erection, relocation, and maintenance
A design/build construction firm that has headed more than 3,000 commercial, industrial, retail, and institutional projects
A full-service construction company that provides services to the oil and gas industry in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and other locales in the Gulf Coast region
A top domestic industrial construction, contract maintenance, and outsourcing firm serving oil refiners, petrochemical companies, power generators, and pulp and paper mills

Related Professionals

name

Michael C. Drew
title

Partner
phones

D: 504.582.8318
email

Emailmdrew@joneswalker.com
name

Chad V. Theriot
title

Partner
phones

D: 404.870.7515

D: 504.582.8708

D: 646.512.8101
email

Emailctheriot@joneswalker.com

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Related Practices

2023 Construction Law Update

Each year Jones Walker LLP brings together its construction lawyers and clients to personally interact and learn from one another. In 2023 the law firm hosted its construction seminar in Houston. Jones Walker’s team of 30-plus construction attorneys delivers comprehensive legal services to clients across the country and throughout the construction industry.