Leading Construction Lawyers International Alliance

About

OUR MISSION

The Leading Construction Lawyers (LCL) International Alliance was created to serve the construction and infrastructure industry’s need for multinational excellence in construction legal services, support and insight into projects and markets, and guidance on critical business concerns.

The Alliance is committed to collaboration among the most preeminent and select law firms and practitioners around the globe that are dedicated to the construction and infrastructure sector, and possess the richest understanding and experience in Construction and Infrastructure Law, coupled with an exceptional ability and interest in:

  • Sharing knowledge and insight in service of the construction and infrastructure industry, project stakeholders and alliance members
  • Providing extraordinary value to clients through a shared focus on:
    • Achieving desired results for stakeholders and the industry we serve across the globe
    • Providing efficient and cost-effective legal services
    • Avoiding disputes as well as dispute resolution
    • Creating a nexus between cultures and across borders, particularly for clients entering new markets
    • Bridging civil and common law systems
    • Drawing from capabilities that extend from project inception through completion and beyond, in connection with the most complex projects

5 Pillars of the LCL International Alliance

The Leading Construction Lawyers (LCL) International Alliance was formed in 2020 in order to provide a uniquely developed perspective and elevated level of insight and service to the global construction and infrastructure community. Following several years of collaboration on various projects, LCL’s original member firms recognized the need for a collective team of recognized lawyers with a wide array of experience, creativity and thought leadership, and practical business knowledge – an Alliance that could fortify a growing industry with ever-expanding needs.

Five distinct pillars unite LCL Alliance members:

ACADEMIC
LEADERSHIP

Lawyers within each member firm serve as Adjunct Professors, Advisors and Directors to Universities and Colleges in multiple jurisdictions. It is this commitment to excellence in construction law that provides the foundation of LCL’s position as advisors to the Industry.

  • Founding Advisor, Syracuse University Infrastructure Institute (U.S.)
  • Founder and Lecturers (three), “International Construction: Practice and Law” Masters Course at the University of Stuttgart (Germany)
  • Lecturers (four) at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas (France)
  • Adjunct Professor for Columbia University, College of Engineering and College of Law (U.S.)
  • Lecturer, Université de Poitiers (France)
  • Lecturer, International Construction Law program, Peking University Law School (China)
  • Lecturer, Ecole National des Ponts et Chaussées, FIDIC Contracts and Dispute Boards (France)
  • Adjunct Professor, School of Construction Management, Department of Engineering Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology (U.S.)
  • Adjunct Professor, Construction Contracts and Disputes, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Northwestern University (U.S.)
  • Adjunct Professor, Terry W. Stiles School of Real Estate Development, College of Business and Entrepreneurship Nova Southeastern University (U.S.)
  • Lecturer, Civil Law module of the top-ranked international construction law Master’s program at King’s College, London (United Kingdom)
  • Construction Advisory Council Member, Texas A&M (U.S.)
  • Lecturer, Dispute Resolution, Master’s in Public Procurement Management for Sustainable Development, International Training Centre of ILO, Turin & University of Turin (Italy)
  • Industry Advisory Board, University of Houston (U.S.)

LEGAL
ACUMEN

Due to their exceptional standing and highly regarded reputations, Alliance firms are now, and have for many years, been engaged in some of the most high-profile construction and infrastructure projects around the world. Our member firms are recognized around the globe for their knowledge and experience in litigation and dispute resolution procedures, drafting and negotiation of construction contracts, and related practices such as white collar defense, cyber security and data privacy, employment and labor, real estate, environmental and land use, corporate and M&A, and commercial litigation.

LCL Alliance lawyers are highly sought after for their experience in mediation, arbitration, and litigation of all types of construction disputes, in forums around the world, such as AAA, ICC, ICDR, DIAC, and UNCITRAL. Our expertise spans the full construction lifecycle, including contract drafting and negotiations, formation of joint ventures, transactional and project support services, and risk management. A number of Alliance lawyers have and are currently serving in the critical role of project counsel on major construction and infrastructure projects. This level of commitment to the legal and business concerns of contractors, owners, specialty contractors and others provides the Alliance with a highly focused and comprehensive view of the industry.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
SHARED PERSPECTIVE

While Alliance members are uniquely qualified as a result of their deep legal knowledge and academic insights, it is the nexus of those qualifications with the practice of law in the construction and infrastructure sector – and the practical, on the ground application of these unique capabilities – that distinguishes the LCL Alliance. The ability to harness these strengths, work cohesively across offices, and draw upon our experience on every type of public and private infrastructure project – across six continents – provides an unrivaled level of understanding and appreciation for the challenges, needs, and issues facing both industry and business. Where different legal systems come into play, our international members leverage their wealth of knowledge and come together to deliver the highest level of insight, only possible through this unique collaboration.

In no other industry does practical understanding matter more than construction. Because of our deep understanding of the development and construction process, LCL Alliance members are able to provide advice beginning well before the outset of the project and through project completion, then in avoiding and resolving disputes during construction and after it comes to a close.

INDUSTRY
PRESENCE

LCL Alliance firms are deeply engaged with industry members and construction and infrastructure focused organizations. Member firm lawyers serve as General Counsel, board members, and in other advisory capacities to leading industry groups.

  • General Counsel, Associated General Contractors of America (regional appointments, U.S.)
  • Member, Legal Committee, Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics (FNTP, France)
  • Immediate Past President, Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF, International)
  • General Counsel, Building Trades Employers Association New York (U.S.)
  • Member, Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA, Switzerland)
  • General Counsel, New York Construction Alliance (U.S.)
  • FIDIC: President’s List of Adjudicators, Accredited Trainer, Affiliate Member
  • Member, ICC France

LEGAL INDUSTRY
RECOGNITION

Alliance member firms and individual lawyers have been recognized by numerous national and global publications and organizations for their dedication to and legal knowledge of the construction and infrastructure industry around the world. Among our honors:

  • Chambers USA: Band 1 in Construction Law for 18 years
  • Best Lawyers France, “Firm of the Year” Construction
  • FOCUS-SPEZIAL “Germany’s Top Lawyers” top law firm, Construction Law
  • Construction Executive (U.S.): First among Construction Executive’s “The Top 50 Construction Law Firms”
  • Handelsblatt and Best Lawyers, Recommended Law Firm (Germany)
  • The Legal 500 U.S.: Tier 1, Construction (Including Construction Litigation)
  • JUVE, Recommended Law Firm, Construction Law (Germany)
  • The Legal 500 Paris: Tier 1, Construction
  • American College of Construction Lawyers
  • The Legal 500 Germany: Tier 2, Construction Law (Including Dispute Settlement)
  • Lawyer Monthly: Lawyer of the Year, Contracts Law, France
  • Additional rankings by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe and Who’s Who of International Construction Lawyers