“Frantz Ward provides invaluable advice and timely insight to the commercial markets, allowing us to remain competitive in these challenging times.” – Construction Client, Chambers USA
The Frantz Ward Construction Practice Group is recognized regionally and nationally as a leading law firm in the construction industry. We offer a deep bench and extensive experience in all aspects of construction law, including contract development and negotiation, construction claim management, prosecution and analysis, surety claims, construction litigation, project conceptualization and planning, project financing, project management, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings including arbitration and mediation. We have successfully served as project counsel on billions of dollars of construction.
We represent hundreds of general contractors, heavy highway contractors, tunneling contractors, subcontractors, developers, design/builders, design professionals, lenders, owners, specialty trade contractors, sureties, suppliers and manufacturers of every size.
Our lawyers have efficiently and successfully managed, mediated, and litigated claims on a wide variety of projects in more than 40 states, as well as nearly a dozen other countries. These projects include airports, building renovation and revitalization projects, casinos, convention centers, courthouses, gas pipelines and facilities, high-rise structures, hospitals and health care facilities, hotels, parking structures, port facilities, power plants, roadways and bridges, schools, sewer and drainage improvements, sheet piling and dredging projects, shopping malls, stadiums and arenas, steel mills and steel processing facilities, tunnels, and water and wastewater treatment facilities.
The attorneys in Frantz Ward’s Construction Practice are recognized for their deep knowledge of the industry. We are routinely called upon to educate and counsel industry trade groups regarding legal developments and best practices. We serve in leadership roles in industry groups such as the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law, The Builders Exchange, the Construction Management Association of America, the Developers Council of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cleveland, the Advisory Committee for the Downtown Cleveland Alliance – Step Up Downtown, and the ALFA International Construction Practice Group.
Our Construction Practice is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and we have also been recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s list of “The Best Law Firms” in Construction, in Cleveland and across the nation. Individual attorneys in the practice have been recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America list for Construction Law and the Ohio Super Lawyers list and rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.
Representative Matters
- Successfully represented and obtained substantial claim resolution for structural steel fabricator pursuing additional costs in connection with the design and construction of a retractable roof for the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY.
- Represented construction manager at risk in all aspects of a $165 million quasi-public-private partnership Project in Ohio reported to be North America’s largest indoor sports facility.
- Defended a tunneling supplier in a multi-week “bet the company” International Chamber of Commerce arbitration hearing related to a $2 billion light rail transit system project in Seattle and defeated a $50+ million claim for costs and damages, resulting in an award that was approximately one-half of 1% of the amount sought.
- Defended construction surety in AAA Arbitration and resolved claims of $18+ million based on allegations of negligent design and construction of a hospital curtain wall system in downtown Chicago.
- Represented a surety before the Ohio Supreme Court and was successful in having the court acknowledge that Ohio’s 10-year construction statute of repose is not limited to tort actions, but also applies to contract claims. New Riegel Local School Dist. Bd. Of Edn. V. Buehrer Group Architecture and Eng., Inc., 157 Ohio St.3d 164, 2019-Ohio-2851.
- Successfully represented a tunneling contractor and equipment manufacturer in U.S. District Court pursuing a $9.8 million claim for defective materials, delay and lost productivity relating to the $1.7 billion (USD) Parramatta Rail Link Project in Sydney, Australia.
