Construction Law Blog

Construction Law Insights

Expert analysis on mechanic liens, bond claims, and payment recovery. Every article reviewed for accuracy by licensed attorneys.

Articles

Showing 169–192 of 201 articles

Contractor arriving at a lien law firm front desk to get help when a lien alone is not enough
September 5, 2017Guide

What to do When a Lien Just Isn't Enough and You Need a Lien Lawyer's Help?

Describes situations where a lien lawyer adds value beyond a basic filing, including bankruptcy or multi-state projects, negotiations, bond company dealings, complex liens, and setting up payment-tracking business processes.

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Roofing crew torching down a flat commercial roof above a dense city skyline at dusk, cities and states caught up in construction conflicts
August 28, 2017News

Lien Law Update: Cities, Business, and States Caught Up in Construction Conflicts

A roundup of construction law developments, including a court order to sell a Pendleton, SC mill over a mechanics lien, a lien against city-owned property in Joplin, MO, California's proposed SB 2 document tax, and a Boston shadow-law dispute.

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Rebar crew on a coastal Florida condo tower deck as storm clouds clear over the beach, palms bending in the wind
August 21, 2017News

Florida Lien Law Update 2017: What has changed?

Reviews 2017 Florida law changes, including HB 357 expanding self-storage operator rights and the spread of the PACE program, whose liens take priority over mortgages and complicate sales and refinancing.

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Four framers working out a plan together over blueprints inside a framed house, settling construction disputes at the table
August 14, 2017Guide

Construction Mediation and Arbitration: What is it and how do you do it?

Explains the two main forms of alternative dispute resolution in construction. Mediation is a non-binding facilitated discussion, while arbitration produces a binding, enforceable ruling. Both are often selected in the construction contract.

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Concrete finisher screeding a fresh slab with a second worker floating the far edge, twin new-construction pours side by side
August 2, 2017Guide

What are the Notice of Commencement Requirements in Florida and Georgia?

Florida and Georgia both require a notice of commencement, but the rules differ. This guide compares who files, the filing and posting requirements, and how the notice affects subcontractor and supplier notice deadlines in each state.

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Four ironworkers crossing the steel frame with tool bags, cable coils and a welder in hand, the must-have tools arriving at the job
July 24, 2017Guide

5 Must Have Tools for Construction Office Managers

An overview of five tools that help construction office managers handle invoicing, project tracking, lien deadlines, and bond claims, including CE Tech Trends, ConAppGuru, PandaDoc, FieldLens, and Smartsheet.

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Credit professional on a headset making a confident construction collections call at her desk
July 17, 2017Guide

How to Run a Successful Collection Call

Practical tips for making a collection call on an overdue construction invoice: prepare and practice, stay professional, build rapport, find out why payment is late, and secure a specific commitment while watching your lien deadline.

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Construction professional verifying job information on a branded clipboard against blueprints on an active job site at golden hour
July 10, 2017Guide

How to Verify Job Information Before Starting Construction Work

How to collect and verify job information before starting construction work, including property owner and prime contractor details needed for invoicing and mechanics liens, and how to confirm ownership through county records.

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Construction law and mechanics liens law books with a judge gavel and hard hat in front of a commercial building under construction
July 3, 2017Guide

Construction Law 101: What Law Really Applies to Construction Projects in Your State?

An overview of how state-specific construction law shapes a contractor's business, covering licensing, insurance, mechanics liens, and collections, plus when to consult a construction attorney and how environmental and public-project rules apply.

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Crew finishing a foundation pour at a misty north-woods sunrise, the projects behind the Minnesota lien notice court ruling
June 29, 2017News

Lien Law Update: Minnesota Court Says Lien Notice Attorneys Not Immune from FDCPA

A roundup of lien law developments: a Minnesota ruling that an attorney serving a lien notice as a debt collector must comply with the FDCPA, a contractor lawsuit over the stalled Las Vegas Alon project, and Indiana electronic recording and fee changes.

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Construction contract on a clipboard with pen and laptop while two workers review building plans on the job site behind
June 17, 2017Guide

Construction Contracts: 5 Things You Need to Know

Five key terms construction professionals should review in their contracts: scope of work, payment terms, schedule of work, warranty limits, and dispute resolution. Each affects payment rights and how disputes get handled.

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Building material supplier tracking outstanding invoices and lien notices in an automated app at a lumber warehouse
June 5, 2017Guide

Four Lien Processes Credit Managers Should Automate to Make Life Easier

Four lien-related processes a construction credit manager can automate: preliminary notices, lien filing deadlines, legal compliance records, and project documentation. Automating these tasks helps track multi-state deadlines and preserve payment rights.

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Two workers overlooking a massive high-rise site of rebar columns and tower cranes at dusk, the scale of major projects hit with mechanics liens
May 29, 2017News

Lien Law Update: Millions of Dollars of Mechanics Liens Filed on Major Projects

A monthly lien law roundup covering mechanics liens filed amid the Westinghouse bankruptcy on the VC Summer and Vogtle nuclear projects, a contractor's increased lien on a Norwalk theater, and a Third Circuit ruling on liens and the bankruptcy automatic stay.

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Mechanics lien lawyer reviewing a lien claim with a contractor client, mechanics lien law book and scales of justice on the desk
May 22, 2017Guide

What Does a Mechanics Lien Lawyer Actually Do to Help You?

Describes how a mechanics lien lawyer helps contractors and suppliers, from setting up a process to track invoices and notices to filing the lien, notifying the proper parties, and negotiating a settlement after the claim is filed.

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Two masons setting a riverwalk stone wall block by block along the city river, each finished course like a partial waiver on progress payments
May 8, 2017Guide

What is a Partial Waiver of Lien and How Can it Affect You?

Explains what a partial waiver of lien is and how it works, including how a progress payment waives a corresponding portion of lien rights and the difference between conditional and unconditional waivers.

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Contractor reviewing house plans on a truck tailgate while weighing what to consider before filing a mechanics lien
May 3, 2017Guide

7 Things to Consider When Filing a Lien

Seven things to check before filing a lien in any state, including licensing, foreign corporation registration, notice and filing rules, indemnification clauses, prompt payment laws, required lien details, and tracking the deadline to follow up.

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Brick colonial Virginia home wrapped in renovation scaffolding, dogwoods blooming and the Blue Ridge countryside rolling behind
April 24, 2017Guide

10 Things to Consider When Filing a Mechanics Lien in Virginia

Ten practical points for filing a mechanics lien in Virginia, covering the unpaid-balance rule, preliminary notice and lien deadlines, licensing and notarization requirements, mailing rules, and how residential and other project types differ.

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Printed construction contract terms and conditions on a clipboard beside a hard hat, rolled blueprints and laptop at a job site desk
April 4, 2017Guide

7 tips to Improve Standard Terms and Conditions for Construction Work

Lists seven elements to review in construction standard terms and conditions, including lien waivers, change orders, dispute resolution, insurance, and the relationship of the parties, plus the core scope and payment details a contract should spell out.

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Contractor shaking hands with a construction attorney outside a modern office building
March 21, 2017Guide

How To Choose The Right Construction Lawyer

Offers guidance on selecting a construction lawyer, stressing state-specific experience, multi-state capability, preparing documents for the initial consultation, and discussing budget and expectations up front.

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Two welders tying in a pipeline that runs straight to the horizon across rolling plains, money moving like product through the line
March 6, 2017Guide

Does the Prompt Payment Act Get You Paid Faster?

Prompt payment acts require payment down the contracting chain within set time frames, often 7 to 14 days after the level above is paid. This overview explains how the acts work and the penalties that apply when payment is late.

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Worker bolting a steel guardrail along a badlands highway curve, the standard terms that keep every job on the road
February 28, 2017Guide

Mechanics Liens Plus Favorable Standard Terms: Payment Power for Subs and Suppliers

Argues that a well-drafted contract with favorable standard terms and conditions, combined with timely compliance with state mechanics lien law, gives subs and suppliers leverage to secure payment on a defaulting project.

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Plumbers performing home improvement work under a kitchen sink, work that can support a mechanics lien on a house
February 21, 2017Guide

What is a Mechanics Lien on a House?

Covers what a mechanics lien on a house is, how foreclosure and lien priority work, who is eligible to file, and the steps a homeowner can take to remove or prevent a lien.

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Four ironworkers guiding a crane-hung steel beam into place, every party with a hand on the same piece the way a joint check agreement puts every party on the same payment
February 6, 2017Guide

What is a Joint Check Agreement?

Explains what a joint check agreement is and how it ensures payment flows down the construction chain to suppliers, including how reliance and promissory estoppel let courts enforce these agreements.

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Contractor and legal advisor reviewing contract documents at an outdoor plan table on an active construction site
January 18, 2017Guide

2017's Top Twelve Legal Tips for Contractors and Suppliers

A month-by-month guide to twelve legal practices for contractors and suppliers, covering lien waivers, contract remedies, job verification, preliminary notice and bond deadlines, compliance tracking, recordkeeping, negotiation, documentation, and getting experienced help.

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Deadlines Are Unforgiving

Every Day You Wait Is a Day Closer to Missing Your Deadline

Construction lien deadlines are strict and unforgiving. Once they pass, your right to payment may be gone forever.

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