DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

Property owners understand there is a lot of financial risk in design and construction projects.  While that risk can be managed in many ways, it is the contract that dictates who pays when problems occur.  During my first fifteen years as a lawyer, I drafted and negotiated contracts exclusively for a national company engaged in design and construction work.  At Small Batch Law I take that experience and put it to use for property owners, including landlords, and tenants.  Below is a summary of how I help owners with their design and construction projects.

CONTRACT EVALUATION

Small Batch Law recommends contract terms to reduce your financial risk.

If you do not understand the terms of the contract offered by your architect or contractor, you are likely taking on more financial risk than you realize.  There are many ways to allocate financial risks in architecture and construction contracts.  Some benefit owners, others benefit architects and contractors.  A well drafted contract will significantly reduce an owner’s financial exposure by allocating risk to the responsible parties and ensuring payment is backed by an insurance policy.

CONTRACT FORMS

Small Batch Law prepares contracts to reduce your financial risk.

You can substantially reduce your financial risk by using your own contract forms instead of the forms offered by your architect or contractor. Using your form enables you to control what issues are addressed and how financial risks are allocated between the parties. It also allows you to have consistent terms across all of your project contracts. This is very important. Often project problems involve more than one team member. Holding everyone to the same contract standard makes it easier for the owner to resolve those problems without excess expense.

DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION DEFECTS

Small Batch Law reduces your financial risk from design and construction defects.

Just because your architect or contractor has an insurance policy does not mean there will be coverage to pay for a problem on your project. Both the terms of the insurance policy and the terms of your contract will dictate whether or not your architect or contractor’s insurance policy will pay for a particular problem. Including the right contract terms is the first step in confirming insurance coverage will be available for project defects. 

LANDLORDS & TENANTS

Small Batch Law reduces your financial risk during the build out of leased space.

Landlords and tenants who are required to build out leased space face a unique risk. They can be held financial responsible for the failures of their architects and contractors without recourse against those same architects and contractors. This problem arises when the terms of the architectural and construction agreements are not aligned with the lease. Incorporating the terms of your lease into your project contracts reduces this risk by enabling you to hold your architects and contractors to the requirements of your lease.   

CONTACT US

Small Batch Law, LLC
PO Box 620377, Middleton, WI 53562
608.575.9930 •

Hours:  9a-4p Monday-Thursday; 9a-Noon Friday

GETTING STARTED

When you contact Small Batch Law, I will need your name, contact info and business name, the names of other owners in your business, the identities of other parties involved, a brief description of your project and any deadlines.  This information will help me determine if I can assist you.  You should avoid sending me any private, sensitive or confidential information because our initial exchange does not create an attorney-client relationship between us.  If I can assist, I will send you an engagement letter describing what services I will provide and the associated fee. Our work together after this point will be as attorney and client.