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Our Lawyers

Schnader’s Construction Industry Practice Group consists of attorneys in six offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Washington DC. Our construction attorneys bring decades of leadership and experience within the construction industry and include Fellows of the Construction Lawyers Society of America and Litigation Counsel of America, a registered architect, a registered professional engineer, a former construction project manager with architectural training, and a LEED Green Associate. Three of our attorneys are listed in The Best Lawyers in America for construction law and litigation and one is ranked by Chambers USA in construction law.

Our construction attorneys use their collective skills and expertise to help clients through all phases of the construction process, from pre-construction planning and contract negotiations through project close-out and resolution of claims and disputes. 

Our Clients

Our clients range from small family to Fortune 500 businesses, and include owners and developers, municipalities, lenders, REITS, sureties, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers and other professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (“AEC”) sector.

Our construction attorneys provide legal advice and counsel on every type of construction project, including retail, energy, transportation and other critical infrastructure, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, industrial, cultural, sports and educational institutions, manufacturing, restaurants and hospitality, condominium, high rise, mixed use, and other residential structures.

We Can Help

Schnader’s construction attorneys partner with clients to solve problems, mitigate risk and meet their business, legal, and strategic needs with our commitment to efficiency, value, and client service. Our areas of expertise include:

  • Change orders and extra work claims
  • Construction defects
  • Contract interpretation, including default and termination
  • Dispute resolution, including litigation, mediation, and arbitration
  • Delay, inefficiency, and lost productivity claims
  • Drafting and negotiation of construction, design professional, and related services agreements
  • Extended general conditions
  • Insurance requirements and coverage issues
  • Mechanic’s/construction liens
  • Payment and performance bonds
  • Property damage claims
  • Risk management issues.

Our experienced construction lawyers are supported by a full-service law firm with national resources in related areas such as real estate, labor and employment, insurance, product liability, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, and mergers and acquisitions. This approach allows us to provide cost-effective and high-quality service to our clients.  

Our Attorneys

Richard A. Barkasy

Richard A. Barkasy

215-751-2526

Philadelphia, PA Wilmington, DE

rbarkasy@schnader.com

 215-751-2526 Philadelphia, PA Wilmington, DE
Kevin S. Blanton

Kevin S. Blanton

215-751-2419

Philadelphia, PA

kblanton@schnader.com

 215-751-2419 Philadelphia, PA
Michael G. Bock

Michael G. Bock

412-577-5213

Pittsburgh, PA

mbock@schnader.com

 412-577-5213 Pittsburgh, PA
Krystal R. Bordoni-Cowley

Krystal R. Bordoni-Cowley

215-751-2578

Philadelphia, PA

kbordoni-cowley@schnader.com

 215-751-2578 Philadelphia, PA
Alexandra A. Fahringer

Alexandra A. Fahringer

215-751-2015

Philadelphia, PA

afahringer@schnader.com

 215-751-2015 Philadelphia, PA
Heather Janis Gaw

Heather Janis Gaw

212-973-8066

New York, NY

hgaw@schnader.com

 212-973-8066 New York, NY
Thomas F. Giordano

Thomas F. Giordano

212-973-8120

New York, NY

tgiordano@schnader.com

 212-973-8120 New York, NY
Theodore L. Hecht

Theodore L. Hecht

212-973-8160

New York, NY

thecht@schnader.com

 212-973-8160 New York, NY
Anne E. Kane

Anne E. Kane

215-751-2397

Philadelphia, PA

akane@schnader.com

 215-751-2397 Philadelphia, PA
Wilbur L. Kipnes

Wilbur L. Kipnes

215-751-2336

Philadelphia, PA

wkipnes@schnader.com

 215-751-2336 Philadelphia, PA
Cynthia A. Murray

Cynthia A. Murray

212-973-8077

New York, NY

cmurray@schnader.com

 212-973-8077 New York, NY
Layal Issa Ramirez

Layal Issa Ramirez

215-751-2498

Philadelphia, PA

lramirez@schnader.com

 215-751-2498 Philadelphia, PA
Deborah A. Rouse

Deborah A. Rouse

412-577-5227

Pittsburgh, PA

drouse@schnader.com

 412-577-5227 Pittsburgh, PA
Jonathan B. Skowron

Jonathan B. Skowron

412-577-5113

Pittsburgh, PA

jskowron@schnader.com

 412-577-5113 Pittsburgh, PA
Anthony Watkins

Anthony Watkins

215-751-2367

Philadelphia, PA

awatkins@schnader.com

 215-751-2367 Philadelphia, PA
Michael J. Wietrzychowski

Michael J. Wietrzychowski

856-482-5723

Cherry Hill, NJ Philadelphia, PA

mwietrzychowski@schnader.com

 856-482-5723 Cherry Hill, NJ Philadelphia, PA
Gordon S. Woodward

Gordon S. Woodward

202-419-4215

Washington, DC

gwoodward@schnader.com

 202-419-4215 Washington, DC

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The Higher Calling Of The Law Requires...

Inclusion. When Pennsylvania Attorney General William Schnader left politics and sought to return to private practice in Philadelphia, he discovered that no major Philadelphia law firms would hire his protégé, Bernard Segal, a Jewish attorney. In response, in 1935, William Schnader, Bernard Segal and Francis Lewis formed a new law firm, Schnader & Lewis -- the first religiously integrated law firm in Philadelphia.

Innovation. Because Schnader was religiously integrated from its founding, many local clients in the Philadelphia area would not retain the firm in the 1930s and 1940s. Accordingly, the firm sought to represent larger, national companies.

Vision. Firm founder William Schnader was president of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, which drafted and developed the Uniform Commercial Code. He successfully campaigned for the Code's adoption in 49 states.

The pursuit of freedom. At the request of President Truman, firm founder Earl Harrison, as Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, toured displaced persons camps at the end of World War II and recommended to the President that displaced persons in Europe be permitted to resettle in Palestine. His report was a major factor that led to American support for the establishment of Israel.

The pursuit of justice. Firm founder Earl Harrison testified on behalf of an African-American student denied entry to the University of Texas School of Law because of his race. The case challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine, as applied to state law schools and laid the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court eventually overturned the lower courts' decisions and ordered the University of Texas to admit qualified black applicants.

Courage. Firm founder Bernard Segal convinced the Philadelphia bar to defend nine accused Communists pro bono. The defendants were convicted but their cases were thrown out on appeal. As a result, the Justice Department abandoned Smith Act prosecutions across the country.

The pursuit of justice. When George Wallace threatened to block integration of the University of Alabama, Schnader’s Bernard Segal drafted a statement in opposition. He and Jerome Shestack called lawyers all over the country requesting their support. The statement was published in the Birmingham News with 53 prominent lawyer signatories and provided support for President Kennedy's Executive Order federalizing the Alabama National Guard.

The pursuit of justice. In the wake of George Wallace's efforts to impede the integration of the University of Alabama, and at the urging of Schnader’s Bernard Segal, President Kennedy convened 244 lawyers at the White House to ask them to move the battle for civil rights and racial equality to the courts. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was born and Jerome Shestack became its full-time executive director while continuing to practice at Schnader.

Inclusion. Firm founder Bernard Segal was chair of the ABA’s Committee on the Federal Judiciary. He advocated the appointment of federal judges of all genders and races.

Inclusion. Firm founder Bernard Segal was the first Jewish person to serve as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He encouraged the bar into public service and expanded its racial horizons.

Inclusion. Schnader was one of the first major Philadelphia firms to hire a female attorney.

Diversity. Schnader was a founding member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, which aims to increase the number of diverse attorneys in-house and in private practice.

Inclusion. The firm appointed Albert Dandridge as Chief Diversity Officer and charged him with increasing and developing our bench of diverse attorneys.

Service. The firm adopted Caton Village (now closed), a halfway house for women in Philadelphia, where we provided free legal clinics and social and educational activities for its residents.

Service. Schnader lawyers regularly represent undocumented children who were abused or abandoned by their parents. We help these children obtain guardians, stop removal proceedings, and begin the path to citizenship.

Service. As U.S. veterans waited an average of four years for a ruling on the denial of their disability benefits, Schnader attorneys led a campaign advocating for a solution to address the backlog.

The pursuit of justice. Schnader attorneys represented Guantanamo Bay detainees, advocating for fair treatment and due process against a byzantine legal landscape.

Service. With a nonprofit partner, Schnader attorneys and staff designed and taught a pilot life skills seminar for young adults aging out of the foster care system. The program included lessons on securing vital documents, opening a bank account, looking for jobs and going to an interview.

Service. Schnader attorneys help middle school students in Pittsburgh set up a youth court, prepare for mock trials and draft a bill of rights for their school. The students learn about Constitutional law, advocacy and restorative justice from participating in these programs.

Service. Bernard Segal, a founder of the firm, believed that Schnader's hallmark is its "dedication to the higher calling of the law," which he defined as "the lawyer's obligation to assume an active role in the pursuit of a just and ordered society, in helping to solve the emerging problems of social, economic and political importance, and to serve the public as his or her client, as she or he would serve a full-paying client."

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