Construction Law

Construction Law

Construction Law is a practice area that deals with matters related to the actual building of structures. This practice area focuses on contracts, but also encompasses legal issues that arise in the fields of architecture and engineering. It is an amalgam of contract law, commercial law, administrative law, and torts.

More than ever Construction Law involves Immigration Law. The CNMI does not have near enough construction workers and a project will not succeed if the workers needed cannot be brought to the CNMI to build the project. The US Government has made it very difficult to obtain H2-B construction workers and the attorneys who practice Construction Law have to be able to deal with the immigration and work visa issues involved.

Construction Law in the CNMI also involves navigating an overly complicated permitting process and dealing with regulations that often do not make sense. The CNMI supposedly has “One Stop Permitting” for projects. It does not. Every CNMI agency seems to get involved and have their own special demands of large developers. The Federal Government can also get involved. The Endangered Species Act applies in the CNMI and developers often even have to take into account if their project will impact an endangered animal like the Read Warbler or Marianas Sparrow. Attorneys who practice Construction Law need to be familiar with these novel CNMI issues.

No construction project is perfect, and every project—large or small—can present significant legal issues. Construction law is far-reaching, encompassing a host of interrelated disciplines where advice may be necessary, including real property, drafting contracts for design and construction, and engaging in project-related dispute resolution and litigation. The attorneys at Dotts Law have the experience to assist developers and construction contractors with their projects in the CNMI.

Prudent businesses get their attorneys involved in a construction project before a site is acquired, or ground is broken, and the attorney’s involvement may last until well after the last moving trucks have pulled away.