Jacob McCrea's litigation practice involves a broad range of commercial disputes, with an emphasis on construction law. Jacob typically represents owners, developers, prime contractors, subcontractors and sureties on all types of construction claims before state courts, federal courts and arbitration panels. He also has experience in the drafting of construction contracts and the handling of claims for delays, design errors and omissions, contractual and common law indemnification, defective work and specifications, mechanics' liens, real estate disputes and payment and performance bond claims. Prior to joining Eckert Seamans, Jacob completed a two-year federal clerkship with the Honorable Terrence F. McVerry in Pittsburgh, PA..
Representative Matters
· Advises owners, contractors, subcontractors and sureties both prior to and during litigation;
· Represents clients in commercial contract litigation, insurance coverage litigation, shareholder disputes, architectural malpractice litigation, real estate disputes, eminent domain proceedings and mechanics' lien proceedings;
· Represented the plaintiffs in a two-week bench trial in federal court which resulted in a significant post-trial settlement in favor of the plaintiffs;
· Represented the plaintiff in a jury trial in state court over architectural malpractice which resulted in a substantial jury verdict;
· Obtained the dismissal, with prejudice, of a plaintiff's claim for alleged lost profits of $45 million dollars in a commercial contract lawsuit in federal court;
· Drafts, reviews and revises AIA and non-AIA construction contracts for owners, prime contractors and subcontractors;
· Assisted in the drafting and revision of the multi-billion dollar construction contracts for a new 695 megawatt power plant project.
Professional Affiliations
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations
Member of the Construction Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association
Articles/Speeches/Presentations
· "Owners' claims for subs' defective work: Handling statute of limitations issues," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Spring 2012.
· "Litigation history of a contractor as a factor in public procurement," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Fall 2011.
· "PA Supreme Court rejects township's attempt to exceed requirements of the Uniform Construction Code," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Spring 2011.
· "Turning square corners in government contracting," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Fall 2010.
· "Recent Developments in Construction Law," co-presented at Eckert Seamans' annual Continuing Legal Education program, August 2010.
· "Impending crackdown on misclassified independent contractors," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Spring 2010.
· "Bad faith claims against sureties," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Fall 2009.
· "Statutes of limitations on performance bond claims," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Spring 2009.
· "Potential liability of a general contractor to its unlicensed subcontractor," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Fall 2008.
· "Practice Pointers on Construction Bonds," Construction Law Magazine, co-authored with Scott Cessar, August 2008.
· "The Pennsylvania Supreme Court allows the Department of Education to waive the "multi-prime" requirements of the Separations Act and the School Code," Eckert Seamans' Construction Law Update, Winter 2008.
· "Developments in Construction Law," presented at Eckert Seamans' CLE program, August 2008.