Service 04
Construction law.
Schneidman Law handles construction contracts for owners, general contractors, and subcontractors, from the first agreement to the final change order. Reviewed and drafted by an attorney who has worked these agreements from the inside, not just read about them.
What should a construction attorney actually do for you?
A construction attorney should get the contract right before the project starts, so the paperwork protects you instead of creating exposure you discover halfway through the job.
Most construction disputes trace back to a document that was signed without a careful read: a vague scope of work, an unclear change order procedure, or a payment schedule that never matched how the job actually gets built. Getting that paperwork right upfront is what keeps a project on budget and off a dispute path entirely.
Andrew’s background includes years as general counsel for a large construction and real estate development company, working these contracts from the inside. That is why the review is fast and the terms that matter do not get missed.
What does the construction law practice cover?
The practice covers the contracts that govern a project while it is being built: owner-contractor agreements, change orders, subcontractor agreements, and the payment and lien paperwork that keeps a job funded. It is a standalone service, separate from Real Estate Transactions and the outside general counsel subscription. Every matter below is transactional: the work of getting contracts right, not fighting over them afterward.
- Owner-contractor agreements
- Prime contracts between property owners and general contractors, with scope, price, and schedule defined in writing before the first sub gets hired.
- Change order procedures
- The process, pricing, and approval chain for scope changes, set out before the project starts so field changes do not become payment disputes.
- Subcontractor and supplier agreements
- Flow-down terms, scope, and payment tied to the prime contract, so obligations match at every tier of the job.
- Retainage terms
- The percentage withheld, the release conditions, and the timeline for getting it back once the work is done.
- Payment applications and schedules
- Draw schedules, application procedures, and the paperwork that keeps money moving as the work gets done.
- Insurance and indemnification
- Coverage requirements, additional insured status, and indemnification language reviewed so the risk sits where it belongs.
- Performance and payment bonds
- Bond requirements and the obligations they create for contractors and sureties, reviewed before bidding.
- Mechanic's lien notices and waivers
- Preliminary notices, lien waivers, and the deadlines that protect payment rights on both sides of the job.
- Design and specification review
- Plans, specifications, and scope documents read for the gaps and ambiguities that turn into change orders later.
- Warranty and punch list terms
- Completion standards, punch list procedures, and warranty periods defined clearly before substantial completion.
- Construction loan and draw coordination
- Contract terms coordinated with lender draw requirements so funding and construction stay on the same schedule.
- Delay and force majeure clauses
- Extension rights, notice requirements, and schedule protections reviewed before they matter.
Developers and contractors with recurring legal needs often pair this work with outside general counsel, so contracts and business strategy are read by the same person.
Based in Williamson County? The firm’s home office is in Franklin, TN.
Common questions about construction law
What is a change order, and why does it matter?+
A change order is written approval for a change in scope, price, or schedule after a contract is signed. Whoever wrote the change order procedure controls who pays when the unexpected happens, which is why the clause deserves a careful read before the first shovel goes in the ground.
What is retainage?+
Retainage is the percentage of each payment withheld until the work is substantially complete, typically 5 to 10 percent. The contract should say exactly when it gets released and what triggers early release, because vague retainage terms are a common source of cash flow trouble on a job.
Do I need a lawyer to review a construction contract before I sign it?+
Standard-form construction contracts are written to protect the party that drew them up. A careful review before signing catches the scope gaps, payment terms, and change order language that turn into real money once the project is underway, and it is far cheaper than fixing the same issue mid-project.
The deeper mechanics live in the Construction Contracts guides.
Ready to get a contract right before you sign it?
Tell us where the project stands and we will tell you, plainly, what the contract needs.