Construction is a high-risk business. Cassels Brock can provide a buffer against that risk with its seasoned legal team, guiding clients through all phases of construction, from procurement to contract to completion.
Cassels Brock is home to one of Canada’s pre-eminent construction law practices. Members of our group have been listed in Best Lawyers in Canada and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory of lawyers in Canada in the "Consistently Recommended" category for the past several years. Our substantial experience in dealing with construction issues and our relationships with members of the bench and bar involved in the adjudication of construction disputes allow us to provide cost-effective services and practical solutions.
Our Construction Law Group works closely with our Land Development Group and has represented all of the "players" in the construction industry including contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, developers, owners (both private and public), design professionals, insurance and bonding companies, lenders (both private and institutional), and environmental professionals.
Many of our clients are referred to us by other clients and, in this way, we have attracted both Canadian and foreign clients from every facet of the construction industry. Others retain us because they have heard of us through our extensive professional activities, including our construction industry seminars; our bar association activities; our membership in the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers; and our articles and books on construction-related topics.
We have the specialized services to meet the legal needs of the players in the industry, before, during, and after construction. Here are a few examples of the types of services we offer:
The lawyers in our Construction Law Group have extensive experience drafting tender and RFP documents and the various forms of agreements with consultants, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. In developing and negotiating contracts, we have represented the interests of owners, contractors, lenders, consultants, suppliers, and subcontractors giving us an in-depth understanding of their differing perspectives. We know the risks they are prepared to assume as a matter of course and those risks to which they attach a premium to be compensated for assuming the risk.
- Advice During Design and Construction
One of the key roles the Construction Law Group plays is to act as a resource for clients during the design and construction of a project. We routinely deal, for example, with questions on the interpretation of contracts, lien and payment issues, disputes, and questions relating to compliance with contractual requirements. The central aim is to avoid disputes or, if that cannot be done, to contain the dispute so that it does not become exacerbated beyond its proper proportions and is resolved as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
- Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Each member of our Construction Law Group has extensive experience litigating, mediating, and arbitrating construction disputes and claims. We have the depth of expertise and resources to handle large construction claims, which invariably involve voluminous documentation.
Our lawyers have provided construction law advice in prominent and unique transactions, cases, and projects. Recent examples include:
- The Leslie Dan Pharmacy Building at the University of Toronto
- The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts at Brock University
- The Markham Stouffville Hospital
- The Roy McMurtry Greater Toronto Area Youth Center
- The Ricoh Coliseum at Exhibition Place in Toronto
- Filmport - the Megastudio in Toronto's Port Lands
- The Niagara Health & Biosciences Research Complex at Brock University
- The Terrence Donnelly Center for Cellular & Biomolecular Research at the University of Toronto
- Touchstone on Lake Muskoka
- The development of Toronto's West Don Lands on behalf of Ontario Realty Corporation
- The Landings Resort Development in St. Lucia
