You should have a good idea that there are all sorts of lawyers that can help out with specialist areas of law, whether it be criminal, traffic, personal injury or corporate. Construction law, on the other hand, is something that people very frequently overlook. As with any other profession, there is a chance for a construction-related dispute, and when there are potentially millions of dollars involved, it should be clear that there should be someone highly qualified available to tackle the dispute. What do construction lawyers do as part of their job, though? In this article, we take a look at what being a construction lawyer is all about.
The role of construction lawyers
If you’re on the lookout for building solicitors in Melbourne, there’s already a good chance that you’ve found yourself (usually unexpectedly) in some kind of building dispute. If not, you’ll like not have a clue what lawyers in this niche provide as part of their range of services. Basically, the job of a construction lawyer is to provide legal advice that directly relates to building and construction projects. As there are a wide variety of different roles that occupy the construction ladder, a construction lawyer is tasked with advising organisations at every level of the contracting chain, whether it be property owners, developers or occupiers, head contractors and construction managers, project managers, subcontractors and trade contractors or consultants and suppliers. Obviously, the needs and understandings of each of these levels in the chain can be very different, so construction lawyers are required to have a highly specialised understanding about every facet of construction contracts. They also have an excellent understanding of the issues that can develop within these contracts, and can provide assistance to different aspects of the contract, such as defects, delays, variations and payment issues.
How construction lawyers specialise
Depending on the needs of your organisation in relation to the dispute, the kind of construction lawyer you might want can vary. For instance, there are construction lawyers who occupy highly specialised areas of construction law, and these are often called upon if a particular project needs to be worked on in a certain way. Examples include lawyers offering specialised support with specific kinds of construction project (such as infrastructure projects, residential projects, strata projects, or commercial projects), lawyers who can offer contract-related advice, and lawyers who have an excellent understanding of construction disputes. It is also possible to find lawyers who have an understanding of all of these areas, but they may lack the knowledge required if you want to delve deeper into something specific. For general information, these lawyers are excellent to have on hand and can ensure quick advice is provided when necessary.
Do you need a construction lawyer?
It should be clear that a construction lawyer is instrumental in helping organisations work through issues that develop throughout a construction project. If you’ve found yourself in a position where a dispute is occurring within one of your own construction projects, regardless of the role in which you occupy, it’s best that you get in touch with a professional so they can advise you further. Consider how specialist you need your advice to be, and then once you work it out you can find the right lawyer for you.
