Overview

Davis Rothwell is known among the legal community for our diverse and well-respected construction law practice. Our lawyers actively defend contractors, developers, property managers, directors and officers, design professionals, product manufacturers and distributors, and all of the subcontractor trades (including siders, framers, masons, and roofers) against claims of defective residential and commercial construction.

Time is critical in the construction industry, and we understand that disputes and legal claims can result in costly delays for our clients. Whether we are working to resolve a complex breach of contract case or representing a client facing a multimillion dollar construction defect claim, our attorneys strive to secure the best results for our clients in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Experience

Construction litigation cases represent 33 percent* of the firm’s total caseload. (Percentages based on files from the last five years.)

We are regularly retained to defend our clients pre-lawsuit, in binding arbitration, and throughout the state and federal courts of Oregon and Washington. Our representation does not end at the trial court level as our lawyers regularly argue construction disputes before the state and federal appellate courts in Oregon, Washington, and the Ninth Circuit.

Successes

Our attorneys were at the forefront of construction defect litigation in the Northwest that started in the mid-1990s. We have tried or arbitrated construction claims that have ranged from $50,000 to $40 million – with trials and arbitrations lasting a week to twelve weeks. We have been at the headwaters of the development of case law – including statute of limitations, statute of repose, and additional insured claims.

Davis Rothwell represented a developer in a $30 million claim involving the design, construction development, and maintenance of a 16-building, 45-tenant outdoor shopping center. The project involved 3 general contractors, 2 architects, and 60 subcontractors. At the other end of the spectrum we have represented a gutter subcontractor on a single-family residence claim, and we have handled over 1,000 other claims in between.

Our experience includes commercial projects, industrial projects, government projects, and the full spectrum of single-family, multi-family, and subdivision claims.