Architects & Engineers Attorney in Los Angeles, California

Chances are that everyone will need the help of an attorney at some point in their life, and the particular legal issue you’re facing will inform what kind of lawyer you’ll want to work with. Individuals in the design and construction profession—such as engineers or architects—will likely find themselves in need of a construction law attorney at multiple points throughout their careers. Specifically, a lawyer who’s well-versed in your field can help you draft and review contracts which can drastically reduce the likelihood of future litigation. 

Your business deserves strong legal guidance behind it. If you’re in or around the Los Angeles, California area including Riverside, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, our team at Builders Law Group, Inc can help with any and all of your construction law needs. Reach out to us today to get started.  

Laws Affecting Architects and Engineers  

It’s important to understand the specific regulations affecting architects and engineers so you and your attorney can work together proactively to ensure you remain on the right side of the law. For example, Civil Code Section 8700 is required for large projects (typically greater than $1 million). This regulation states that the client must provide payment bonds or collateral to any subcontractor the general contract engages in business with for the project. 

Another regulation has to do when subcontractors can and should be paid, even when the general contractor has not been paid by the client. A third essential California law to understand is that anytime an engineer or architect makes an agreement to perform work, they must use a written contract prior to beginning their services. These contracts must be detailed and include several required elements, all of which your attorney can ensure are incorporated. 

Contract Drafting 

There may be no more important step to take than having a professional attorney help you and your business draft a comprehensive and legally-binding contract. Our firm provides both the legal review of contracts already in place as well as drafting construction contracts from scratch based on your specific needs. Your contract is also required to include certain information as prescribed by state law. This includes a thorough description of the work to be completed, a description of how and when compensation for the work will be paid, detailed contact information for both the customer and contractor including the contractor’s current license number, a description of the how any additionally needed work will be handled, and lastly, the steps each party must take if they choose to terminated the contract.

It’s important that this work be done by a lawyer intimately familiar with construction law since there are several potential legal issues that will need to be addressed such as insurance requirements, contractor markups, and contingencies. Your attorney will also have a comprehensive knowledge of possible litigation that can arise from poorly written contracts and can help you avoid these ahead of time. 

Facing Liability Claims  

The two most common types of litigation that design companies face are professional negligence and construction defects. Many professional negligence claims can be preempted by a solid contract, but some may be unavoidable. For example, you may have a client who accuses you of a breach of contract, deceptive business practices, delays, or being in violation of a local ordinance. Other claims may come in the form of construction defects and this would pertain to complaints about the actual work that was completed that requires a repair or replacement to be fully functional. These claims can be related to relatively minor issues that would only require a small repair, but others may stipulate that the entire project needs to be completed again.  

Understandably, you’ll want to address any claims immediately with your lawyer to protect your business’s best interests. This will be true regardless of whether the claim is substantiated or not.   

Work With Skilled and Trusted Legal Counsel  

Due to the inherently complex and costly type of work that design professionals engage in, they are exposed to far more risk than other lines of work. California has various laws in place intended to protect both the contractor and the customer and while these are mostly beneficial, they still require a professional who’s able to interpret them and craft effective contract language that mitigates potential problems down the line. Additionally, when you team up with a construction law firm, you’ll gain a trusted partner who you can turn to for legal concerns large and small no matter when they come up.