Construction and the Law

The American construction industry is enormous, and there are many thousands of contractor crews working today to build modern schools, office buildings, suburban houses, banks, and more. Often, a construction project involves pooling several contractor teams together and combining their skills, materials, tools, and more to get the job done. This also means that contracts, invoices, and regulations (and other paperwork) should be neatly done to ensure that there are no legal or monetary issues to complicate the project. And in the case something does go wrong, construction lawyers can help resolve an issue and even take it to court if necessary. Aside from the work of construction attorneys, commercial real estate law is a related field when someone is looking to buy or sell a piece of commercial real estate such as a bank, a library, or more. When might labor law or commercial real estate law factor into a project or the sale of a complete building?

Commercial Real Estate Law

The purchase or sale of a house is no simple matter, and neither is the purchase or sale of a commercial building such as office spaces or the like. The good news is that commercial real estate lawyers are there to help for a client who is on the buying or selling end, and these professionals will be well-versed in relevant laws to ensure a fair and smooth transaction. A younger entrepreneur who is looking to buy their first piece of property for an enterprise may have little experience with such commercial real estate law, and they are urged to hire an attorney for the purchasing process. This can ensure a fair price and make sure that all rights and ownership are transferred correctly and legally. Buyers may also use a commercial real estate lawyer in case the previous owner does something dishonest, such as attempt to claim that property as their own for tax purposes. Meanwhile, someone who is selling the property can hire a commercial real estate law to defend their interests, as in, sell the property for a fair price.

Construction Law

A lot of time and money is invested in a construction project, even a smaller one, so proper paperwork must be done for invoice payment promises, usage of equipment, the project’s timetable, and more. Construction lawyers will represent their respective clients during the preparation for a project, and they will review all paperwork to make sure it’s all in order. This includes complying with city or state codes and regulations for safety and fire hazards and zoning law, in addition to setting up invoice payments.

Of course, something may go wrong during the construction project, and construction attorneys will be needed to sort this out. What might go wrong? Worker injury or even fatality is a common issue, and a construction site has many hazards. On the site, workers might get their arms or legs trapped in machinery or under heavy items, or they may slip and fall from a great height and land on a hard surface. Workers might collapse from heat exhaustion or heat stroke in summer, and they might accidentally inhale noxious fumes or airborne silicate particles. Otherwise, property damage might ensue if tools are misused or if equipment is damaged. Every year, the AAA, the American Arbitration Association, oversees many construction legal cases. Some of them are worth many millions of dollars, and some of the largest top over $1 billion in value.

A team’s construction lawyer will step in if there are cases of worker injury, property damage, late or missing invoices, violations of state/city codes, or attempted termination of the project. A lawyer may pursue litigation against another contractor team that failed to pay its invoice totals, or such a construction lawyer might take action if another contractor team on the project attempted wrongful termination of the overall project. It should be noted that some injured workers may also want to find personal injury law firms and hire an attorney from them, too. A construction lawyer may attempt to shut down wrongful termination if need be, but in other cases, a construction lawyer may call for termination if the project is far over budget, behind schedule, or causing a lot of worker injury incidents or equipment damage.

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