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ABOUT
William DeVan began his legal career in 1993 as a general commercial litigator in Richmond, Virginia. Six months into his practice, he arbitrated his first case, involving a dispute over sitework on the Eastern Shore, and became hooked on all aspects of construction law. In 2001, he joined Thelen, LLP. Shortly thereafter, Chambers USA ranked Thelen's construction practice as the preminent construction practice in the country. He founded Constructionlex in 2011 with a vision to create a new kind of law firm-one that was focused on adding value by building legal solutions.
William has extensive trial experience on cases ranging from collections work-including mechanic's liens, bond claims, and bankruptcy issues-to large international disputes over delays and disruptions. He incorporates lessons learned from these experiences into construction contracts drafted for clients that vary from locally-based equipment rental firms to Fortune 500 developers. He believes that the purpose of every construction contract is to anticipate the problems that may arise on a Project and to help his clients resolve those problems as efficiently as possible.
William's practice includes all aspects of government contracting as well. He has worked on a bid protest for a Virginia prison, electrical claims on an Army base, and termination and cost claims on a hospital project at NIH.
He has lectured extensively on construction related topics, including seminars on the 2007 revisions to the AIA form contracts, mandatory disclosure requirements under the FAR, how to win construction claims, and how to perfect mechanic's liens and bond claims. He is a former Governor of the Virginia State Bar Construction Section. Outside of his construction practice, he also has been honored by the National Fair Housing Association for his work in obtaining the largest jury verdict in Virginia History and the largest civil rights verdict in U.S. History.
Reported Cases of Note include:
- Food Lion, Inc. v. S. L. Nusbaum, Inc., 202 F.3d 223 (4th Cir. 2000);
- Spence-Parker v. Maryland Ins. Group, 937 F. Supp. 551 (E.D. Va. 1998)
- Harrison & Bates, Inc. v. Featherstone Assocs., L.P., 484 S.E.2d 883 (Va. 1997)
Other cases of note include:
- Arbitration of a $20 million subcontractor claim against a general contractor on a major league ballpark.
- UNCITRAL Rules Arbitration of $80 million delay claims on behalf of Italian EPC contractor on a Pakistani combined-cycle power plant.
- Representation of a prime contractor in litigation with neighboring property owners over property damage claims due to sheeting and shoring.
- Representation of a prime contractor in a mediation of claims arising from multiple plumbing defects in a conference facility.
- Representation of the owner in mediation of defective masonry and mold remediation claims.
- Arbitration on behalf of prime contractor on owner's roof truss and concrete defect claims.
- Defense of bankruptcy preference action against subcontractor in case of first impression in Virginia.
- Salvage rights to the RMS Titanic.
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