Construction law & Claim management

Areas of expertise

Our long standing experience in handling complex large-scale projects during the bidding, execution and warranty phases in building construction, civil engineering and infrastructure translates into a high level of specialisation in construction contract law. For many years we have achieved top positions in international and national performance rankings.

We draft and review contracts for clients and suppliers as well as for planners and public sector contractors.

We offer legal support to project managers and executives on all aspects of construction projects. One particular focus is support in disrupted construction processes and extra costs documentation and verification of disruptions. The interdisciplinary educational background and regular cooperation with construction experts provides our construction law team with a profound understanding of building contexts.

We advise on the judicial and extra-judicial enforcement of claims from construction projects and boast many years of experience in conciliation proceedings during the  building process and the preservation of evidence.

All lawyers in our construction law team publish regularly and give lectures on all topics relating to construction contracts.

At our in-house seminars, we support our clients on in-company training and quality assurance.

Our focus:

Construction contracts

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating contractor general, total contractor and individual work contracts for clients and contractors, supplier contracts and consortium contracts (ARGE contracts)
• Developing innovative contract models (GMP contracts, alliance contracts, partnership models)
• Preparing contracts for plant construction, both according to national and international standards (FIDIC)
• Contract review and drafting of general terms and conditions

Legal advice during construction

• Accompanying legal support for construction and infrastructure projects (as part of MP construction project support), in particular by optimizing correspondence,  legally and ÖNORM compliant documentation as well as project-accompanying dispute resolution
• Advice on the enforcement, negotiation and plausibility of additional cost claims with special consideration of the reconciliation of legal and construction aspects and the required evidence
• Model documentation and correspondence
• Preservation of evidence during construction in and out of court

Warranty and final phase

• Support on acceptance, invoicing and auditing
• Enforcement of claims for wages and additional costs
• Advising contractors and clients on warranty and damage claims
• Representation in court and arbitration proceedings, as well as in arbitrator expert opinion processes and mediations

Legal advice to (general) planners and ÖBA

• Support in the handling of construction projects
• Defense against liability claims from planning, supervisory and coordination errors (planner’s liability)
• Enforcement of fee claims and additional cost claims

In-house seminars on building law topics

Industries

Structural and civil engineering | Electrical engineering and building services | Drywall installation | Steel-girder construction | Facade building | Constructional engineering