Fullerton & Knowles | Attorneys - Virginia, Maryland
Table of Contents for Construction Law Survival Manual - Fullerton & Knowles, Virginia

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Mechanic's Liens & Bond Rights in Bankruptcy Preference Cases

Can a paid construction supplier or subcontractor be worse off under the Bankruptcy Code than if unpaid?   If a construction material supplier could enforce mechanic's lien or bond rights to successfully obtain payment after a bankruptcy petition, could receipt of the same payment prepetition be an avoidable preference?   The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina is faced with these questions in at least two cases at this moment. Click here to track the progress of this case, see the court orders entered and the legal briefs and arguments filed by all parties in the Angell v. United Rentals case.

 

Construction Law Referral Network

Below is a network of Mechanic's Liens, Payment Bonds and Construction Law attorneys available to help material suppliers, subcontractors, general contractors, owners, design professionals and other members of the real estate and construction industries in other parts of the country:

 

DELAWARE

Seitz, Van Ogtrop & Green, P.A.

222 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1500

P.O. Box 68

Wilmington, DE 19899

www.SVGLaw.com

 

Primary Contact:

Kevin A. Guerke

302-888-7607

KGuerke@SVGLaw.com

 

 

FLORIDA

Mateer & Harbert, P.A.

225 East Robinson Street, Suite 600

Orlando, FL 32801

www.MateerHarbert.com

 

Primary Contact:

Jon E. Kane

407-225-9044

JKane@MateerHarbert.com

 

 

Schwartz & Englander, P.A.

1900 Glades Road, Suite 102

Boca Raton, FL 33431

www.LienLaw.us

 

Primary Contact:

Elias C. Schwartz

561-450-8501

Schwartz@ECSLaw.com

 

 

GEORGIA

Austin & Sparks, P.C.

2974 Lookout Place, NE

Atlanta, GA 30305

www.AustinSparks.com

 

Primary Contact:

John T. Sparks

404-869-0100

JSparks@AustinSparks.com

 

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Bodoff & Associates, P.C.

225 Friend Street

Boston, MA 02114

www.BodoffLaw.com

 

Primary Contact:

Ryan D. Sullivan

617-742-7300

RSullivan@BodoffLaw.com

 

 

NEW JERSEY
Bart J. Klein, Attorney at Law

2066 Millburn Avenue

Maplewood, NJ 07040

www.BartJKleinLaw.com

 

Primary Contact:

Bart J. Klein

973-763-6060

Bart@BartJKleinLaw.com

 

 

NEW YORK

Law Firm of Elias C. Schwartz

343 Great Neck Road

Great Neck, NY 11021

www.ConstructionLawNY.com

 

Primary Contact:

Elias C. Schwartz

516-487-0175

Schwartz@ECSLaw.com

 

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Vann & Sheridan, L.L.P.

1720 Hillsborough Street, Suite 200

Raleigh, NC 27605

www.VannAttorneys.com

 

Primary Contact:

James R. Vann

919-510-8585

JRVann@VannAttorneys.com

 

 

RHODE ISLAND

Moses & Afonso, Ltd.

170 Westminster Street, Suite 201

Providence, RI 02903

www.MosesAfonso.com

 

Primary Contact:

Richard J. Welch

401-453-3600

RWelch@MosesAfonso.com

 

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Smith & Koontz, P.A.

7455 Cross Country Road

North Charleston, SC 29418

www.SCNLaw.com

 

Primary Contact:

Steve Smith

843-760-0220

SSmith@SCNLaw.com

 

 

TEXAS

Looper, Reed & McGraw

1300 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 2000

Houston, TX 77056

www.LRMLaw.com

 

Primary Contact:

Ben Aderholt

713-986-7140

BAderholt@LRMLaw.com

 

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Johnstone, Gabhart & Prim, L.L.P.

P.O. Box 313

Charleston, WV 25321

www.WVLaw.net

 

Primary Contact:

Mary K. Prim

304-343-7100

MPrim@WVLaw.net

 

Fullerton & Knowles



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2008 Edition of the Construction Law Survival Manual

Click here for more information

NACM’s 114th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition

Conduit and “Pay When Paid” Clauses on Construction Projects

May 19, 2010
8:30 – 10 am
Rio Hotel – Las Vegas, NV

Construction material suppliers are now often asked to sign a “subcontract” or asked to sign a “purchase order” with many of the same terms found in a labor and material subcontract. It is getting more difficult to require customers on construction projects to sign standard credit agreements. This requires a new skill set.

What do all these terms mean? You are often bound to the terms of the general contract that you have never seen. Understand “Conduit” or “Pass Through” Provisions. What is the difference between a “Pay when Paid” and a “Pay if Paid” Clause? How will this affect the timing of payment or whether you get paid at all? You must know how to use Change Orders and Claims Procedures if you hope to protect yourself from delay and liquidated damage claims or receive additional compensation for delay, design defects or design changes on a project.

http://creditcongress.nacm.org/

Panelist for Executive Exchange Session: Building and Construction

May 17, 2010
2 – 5 pm
Rio Hotel – Las Vegas, NV

Mechanic’s Lien and Payment Bond Rights in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and D.C.

Landscape Contractors Association
April 20, 2010
10 am – 1 pm
National 4-H Center - Chevy Chase, MD

What is a Mechanic’s Lien? Why are Mechanic’s Lien security rights so important in the collection of Construction industry accounts?

This course will discuss pre-filing requirements before work is performed, notice requirements after work is complete and the enforcement of mechanic’s lien rights. When is work “complete” to establish your filing deadline? How can your company “track” mechanic’s lien rights to make sure you do not miss deadlines? How can you trace your materials to show that they were incorporated into the property and how can you allocate your materials between multiple properties. Remote Contractors must know which states have a “defense of payment,” requiring the owner or general contractor to pay for a project only once. Will your lien survive a bankruptcy or a sale of the property? The “priority” of your lien compared to other claimants or the construction lender can often determine whether you get paid. Finally, we will discuss common problems with Mechanic’s Lien waivers and how to avoid inadvertently signing away your security rights.

The payment bond session begins with an overview of the federal Miller Act, state Little Miller Acts and Private Bond terms. Learn how to verify the existence of a payment bond and the financial strength of the surety before you grant credit. Learn how to make an effective bond claim, while recognizing and avoiding pitfalls. What will motivate a surety company to promptly pay claims in full? How can you avoid frustrating delays?

NACM's Audio Teleconference Series

March 15, 2010
3 – 4 pm

Joint Check Agreements

There is no such thing as a "standard" joint check agreement. These documents vary widely in their wording and the protection they offer a material supplier on a construction project. A credit manager must be able to evaluate the security offered and suggest changes that will better protect company assets. The most common joint check agreements state only that a general contractor will write any check jointly. This only helps if a check is ever written and offers no protection if the customer defaults on the project. Some agreements provide no recourse against a general contractor and even contain a waiver of your lien and bond rights. What if the customer disappears, goes out of business or refuses to endorse a check? What if there is a disagreement about the amount owed the material supplier? Learn how to add solutions to these problems and provide actual security in a joint check agreement.

Event Details and Registration

2010 Construction Law Survival Seminars

9 am – 4 pm

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
United Rentals Headquarters - Charlotte, NC

Friday, February 5, 2010
Norfolk Marriott - Norfolk, VA

Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sheraton College Park - Beltsville, MD

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Fair Lakes Hyatt - Fairfax, VA

Click here for more information

Click here for Registration Form


Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Holiday Inn East - Harrisburg, PA
8am to 12 noon

4 hour version on Reading Writing &
Revising Construction Contracts and
Credit Management for Contractors and Suppliers for $69

Retrieve Registration Form