A construction project will involve multiple parties, everyone from the project’s owner and manager to the various construction crews who will work together to get the project done, such as crews dedicated to pouring concrete or installing electric systems into the building. The whole time, construction law will be in effect for the sake of the workers’ safety as well as following construction codes and regulations to make sure that a sound and safe building is made, and that no one is hurt in the process of building it. A construction lawyer will likely be on retainer for each construction crew involved in a job, and a construction law firm is available if a worker is injured or if another party is late with paying invoices or if someone wrongfully terminated the project. The question “When do I need a construction attorney?” should be on the minds of workers who will be risking their safety on a work site, and “When do I need a construction attorney?” becomes relevant when a worker becomes injured on the job from fire, heavy items, breathing hazards, or other trauma. Hiring a lawyer can help any injured worker get the compensation they want after an accident, and lawyers from different parties involved will work out a settlement so that the project can resume as soon as possible.
Workplaces and Law
Past incidents show that when something goes wrong on a construction project, such as w0orker injuries or damaged property or late payments, court cases and litigation will follow. Sometimes, crew managers will face the question “When do I need a construction attorney?” if a problem comes up, and there are precedents for this. For example, the American Arbitration Association, the AAA, administered a total of 551 construction industry cases that were worth $500,000 or more in claims in 2015. Of all mediated cases, the one with the highest value was worth $2.6 billion, and the largest arbitration case was worth $96 million. In 2015, the total value for claims and counterclaims came out to $5.5 billion. And given the sheer size of the construction industry (1.162 trillion in 2016), this can some times represent a lot of paperwork and expense for a company that is pursuing a case against another.
Problems and Paperwork
Why is construction law needed? Even when there are no problems on a project, the involved parties will have their own legal representatives to look over all contracts and schematics for the project and make sure that everything is fair and legal, and make sure that invoices will be paid fully and on time. Such lawyers are also there to help make sure that all codes and regulations for construction and materials are followed, such as fire codes. Also, if a party feels that a project is going over budget, or if there are too many workplace incidents happening, a construction crew may use their lawyer to file paperwork to terminate a project. Conversely, if a crew feels that a project was wrongfully terminated, they can use their attorney to investigate this.
When do I need a Construction Attorney?
A worker on a construction project may need legal aid if that worker becomes injured on the workplace, or if a manager is expecting an invoice that is running late or if equipment becomes damaged through misuse or other accidents. What can go wrong? Workers can become injured from a number of problems, such as merely slipping and falling when there are materials on the floor of a project, or if a worker is exposed to extreme heat or open flames. A worker may also be hurt if body parts become crushed under heavy items or trapped in machines, or if a worker is hit by a moving vehicle whose operator wasn’t looking. A worker may seek settlement money from the crew responsible for the injury, and in most cases, this will be resolve pre-trial. Late or missing invoice money may also prompt the question “When Do I need a construction attorney?” or if equipment was observed being misused or damaged on the work site, resulting in costly repairs for damaged property such as tools or vehicles. Such matters have to be resolved neatly before a project can continue.
