Three words that best describe Mary Jane Augustine are experience, expertise and sustainability-both in her career and her specialized practice. Ms. Augustine is a veteran construction law practitioner who has worked for more than 35 years in the sector. She has been recognized by Chambers USA every year since 2008 as a construction "Leader in the Field." A full-service construction transactional lawyer, Ms. Augustine provides strategic advice and assists clients in structuring the design and construction portions of complex building projects. Her clients include project owners, developers, contractors, construction managers, design professionals and end-users.
As the former Managing Partner of McCarter's New York Office and previous Practice Group Leader for the firm's Construction Group, Ms. Augustine has acquired a great deal of business and practice knowledge over the years to be recognized as a leading and influential voice among her peers. She brings that breadth of experience to her clients at every step of the process. Ms. Augustine explains alternative project delivery methods and contractual configurations, and how they might be used on a particular project. She also guides her clients through the decision-making process as they determine which contracting strategies will be most advantageous for their projects. Ms. Augustine then drafts and negotiates design, construction and related contracts reflecting those strategic decisions that both protect the client's rights and provide a clear roadmap for management of the project.
Ms. Augustine's in-depth knowledge of construction law is supplemented by a thorough understanding of the design and construction process which she has developed over the course of her career through involvement with different sectors of the construction industry. She has been a contracts consultant with an international project management firm, and in-house counsel for a "signature" architectural firm, in addition to an attorney in private practice.
As construction technology and the needs of her clients have evolved, so has Ms. Augustine's practice. Observing the movement of the construction industry toward Green Building, Ms. Augustine began to study sustainability as it intersects with design and construction in 2005. She is a now a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP), knowledgeable in both the legal and technical aspects of Green Building. Putting that knowledge into practice, she was actively involved with the 132,000 sf renovation in 2009 of McCarter's main office in Newark, New Jersey, which achieved Silver and Gold LEED Certifications. Ms. Augustine speaks and writes frequently on Green Building topics, and has done graduate work in sustainability at Harvard.
Since 2006, Ms. Augustine has represented the owner of New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, which is home to the New York Football Giants and the New York Jets, in the design and construction aspects of their project. She was the drafter and lead negotiator for both original Stadium Design/Build Contract and all contracts for owner-furnished systems, as well as numerous post-completion projects.
Ms. Augustine has provided contracting guidance on a wide variety of other notable projects, both domestic and international. Projects in which she played a significant role from a contracts perspective include:
· Renovation of New York's Grand Central Station
· Design of more than 25 museums, including New York's Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
· Gazprom Tower in St. Petersburg, Russia
· Sports facilities, including the MetLife Stadium
· High rise office buildings in mid-town Manhattan including The New York Times Headquarters Building and 300 Madison Avenue
· Environmental, infrastructure and industrial projects, including site remediation, port improvements, and electric transmission lines and substations
· Hospitals, hotels and restaurants
· Tenant buildouts of office space
· Theaters, large scale condominium projects, and numerous institutional, mixed-use, commercial and entertainment projects
In addition to the Chambers USA recognition, Ms. Augustine has been a New York Super Lawyer since 2007, and was also listed in Practical Law Company, Construction and Projects 2010/2011.
Memberships & Affiliations
New Jersey Bar Association
New York Bar Association
American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry
American Arbitration Association National Panel of Construction Arbitrators
LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP)
News
03/22/12, Chambers USA 2012 Awards "Leading Lawyer" Rankings to 51 McCarter Lawyers
06/10/11, Chambers USA 2011 Awards "Leading Lawyer" Rankings to 42 McCarter Lawyers
01/03/11, Mary Jane Augustine was interviewed in the article from Legal Bisnow titled, "Out of Dodge With Rodge."
05/25/10, New York Times Profiles Career of Mary Jane Augustine
04/06/10, McCarter & English Appoints First Woman As Office Managing Partner In New York
03/26/10, 33 McCarter & English Lawyers Included in 2010 Chambers USA
07/30/09, Mary Jane Augustine interviewed by Practising Law Institute regarding Green Buildings article
07/15/09, Mary Jane Augustine profiled in Real Estate Weekly
05/21/09, Four McCarter & English Attorneys Recognized As Leed Accredited Professionals
03/13/09, Chambers USA 2009 Profiles 25 McCarter Lawyers
08/20/08, Mary Jane Augustine quoted on nj.com in the article entitled "State's law firms going green for Earth and clients"
06/13/08, Chambers USA 2008 Ranks McCarter in Top Tiers for 14 Practice Categories
09/24/07, Seven McCarter Lawyers named 2007 New York Super Lawyers
Speaking
11/08/11, Contract Strategies for Green Buildings New York Law School's Forum on Sustainable Real Estate Development
Mary Jane Augustine
Speaker
04/14/11, The "New (Green Building) Normal" : Project Owner Strategies for Greening, Design, and Construction Contracts
Mary Jane Augustine and Brian A. Morgan
Co-author, The Green Real Estate Summit 2011, Practising Law Institute
03/01/10, Project Owner Strategies for "Greening" Design and Construction Contracts
Mary Jane Augustine and Brian A. Morgan
Author, The Green Real Estate Summit 2010, (2009, Course Handbook revised 2010) Practising Law Institute
03/20/09, Project Owner Strategies For "Greening" Design And Construction Contracts
Mary Jane Augustine and Brian A. Morgan
Author, The Green Real Estate Summit 2009, Practising Law Institute
Events
03/05/08, The New AIA A-201: How It Has Changed, and What You Can Do About It - Boston Office
02/13/08, The New AIA A-201: How It Has Changed, and What You Can Do About It - Hartford Office
02/06/08, The New AIA And ConsensusDOCS: Analysis And Comparison Seminar - New York City
06/07/07, Climate Change: Issues For Business and Industry -- Philadelphia Seminar
05/10/07, Climate Change: Issues For Business and Industry -- New York Seminar
Publications
04/14/11, The "New (Green Building) Normal" : Project Owner Strategies for Greening, Design, and Construction Contracts
Mary Jane Augustine and Brian A. Morgan
Co-author, The Green Real Estate Summit 2011, Practising Law Institute
05/08/10, The 30-Minute Interview/Mary Jane Augustine
Mary Jane Augustine
Featured Attorney, The New York Times
03/01/10, Project Owner Strategies for "Greening" Design and Construction Contracts
Mary Jane Augustine and Brian A. Morgan
Author, The Green Real Estate Summit 2010, (2009, Course Handbook revised 2010) Practising Law Institute
07/15/09, Construction Counsellor Builds Memorable Career
Mary Jane Augustine
Real Estate Weekly
03/20/09, Project Owner Strategies For "Greening" Design And Construction Contracts
Mary Jane Augustine and Brian A. Morgan
Author, The Green Real Estate Summit 2009, Practising Law Institute
11/11/08, Why Commit To Green Projects? Incentives make it worth the effort
Mary Jane Augustine, Francis A. Kirk and Brian P. Rice, Steve Gonzalez
New York Law Journal
06/01/08, Consequences of Ownership of Licensing of the Project Drawings-If You Pay For It, Do You Own It?
Mary Jane Augustine
Co-Author with Christopher Dunn, The Construction Lawyer, Summer 2008
(Also at Newark, New Jersey Office)