The week of March 5-11, 2023 marks the 25th annual Women in Construction Week, which celebrates and promotes the role of women in the construction industry. Seyfarth is proud to co-sponsor a networking event on March 9th. The event is hosted by Women in Construction, Inc. and National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). More details about the event are available here.
Seyfarth takes great pride in the women of our Chambers and Legal 500 ranked Construction group, many of whom chair or co-chair sub-practices. These include transactional, litigation, international dispute resolution, and public procurement.
Transactional Construction
Our firm routinely represents both developer and contractor clients on a wide variety of industrial, commercial, retail, residential, infrastructure, entertainment, hospitality, and energy projects. Between Alison Ashford (current chair of Construction), Sara Beiro Farabow (former chair of Construction), Wendy Wendrowski, and 11 other women, we offer deep experience and sophisticated transactional advice, drafting, and negotiation on a variety of projects across the country.
Construction Disputes and Litigation
We offer a powerful team of litigators, who are prepared to advocate zealously for our clients. Seyfarth's women comprise a formidable practice of advocates on the East Coast (Rebecca Woods and Elizabeth Harraka), the West Coast (Meghan Douris, Ashley Sherwood, and Loni Hinton),and everywhere in between (Suzanna Bonham and Kay Hazelwood).
International Construction & Dispute Resolution
Headed by Sara Beiro Farabow, our International Dispute Resolution Group is devoted to counseling clients on international arbitration and other cross-border dispute resolution proceedings. Building upon our top-ranked construction, product liability, intellectual property, trade secrets, employment, international corporate, and complex commercial practices, Seyfarth's international dispute resolution and arbitration group represents clients across the globe in cross-border disputes.
Seyfarth is a proud signatory of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge. This Pledge seeks to increase, on an equal opportunity basis, the number of women appointed as arbitrators in order to achieve a fair representation as soon as practically possible, with the ultimate goal of full parity.
Government Contracts in the Construction Industry
Between Amy Hoang, Stephanie
Magnell, Erica Bakies, Sarah
Burgart, and others, we offer some of the finest advisors
and counselors in the country.Whether it is advising on complex
regulatory issues, pursuing bid protests, or prosecuting and
defending claims on state and federal construction projects, there
are virtually no client needs we cannot meet.
Seyfarth's Women Leaders in Construction
Alison Ashford is the co-chair of Seyfarth's Construction group and Seyfarth's Infrastructure & Project Finance team. From a public project perspective, Alison has represented clients in the procurement of projects, including via public-private partnership; in the sectors of economic infrastructure (rail, aviation, transportation, waste water, and desalination projects); and in social infrastructure (education, housing, and health projects).
Sara Beiro Farabow is the leader of Seyfarth's International Dispute Resolution group and former co-chair of the Construction practice group. Her practice is devoted to counseling clients on international arbitration and other cross-border dispute resolution proceedings, as well as complex domestic and international procurement issues, contract administration, claims, insurance, cross-border transactions, risk management, and project finance.
Rebecca Woods chairs the Seyfarth Atlanta Litigation group and co-chairs the Commercial Litigation practice group. She "majors" in three overlapping areas: real estate (joint ventures, residential and commercial leases, boundary lines, development agreements, and purchase and sale agreements), construction (design and construction defects, including in commercial and manufacturing settings), and insurance (advice and counseling regarding CGL, professional liability, errors and omissions, representations and warranties, D&O, and property coverage).
Meghan Douris assists clients through the unique legal complexities in the construction industry, particularly the challenges associated with constructing heavy civil infrastructure and high-rise buildings. She also helps organizations understand and secure government contracts in the construction and service industries, including a focus on AbilityOne providers.
Ashley Sherwood represents general contractors, subcontractors, and developers of all sizes on complex private and public construction projects at the state and federal level, as well as internationally.
Suzanna Bonham partners with clients to develop practical approaches and strategies to meet their corporate goals and needs. Commercial clients in health care, energy, construction, real estate, transportation, and many other industries trust Suzanna with high-stakes litigation.
Wendy Wendrowski prepares, negotiates, and assists with the implementation of construction contracts and other related agreements for entities involved with or impacted by construction projects. She also advises clients about potential claim matters and other disputes arising during the construction process, so they may be effectively resolved, prosecuted, or defended.
Kay Hazelwood advises companies and individuals in a constantly expanding and diverse range of industries including health care, energy, insurance, and construction.
Amy Hoang is co-chair of Seyfarth's Government Contracts practice group, and is renowned in the market for her exceptional ability to represent contractors in bid protests and internal investigations, as well as provide compliance counsel. She advises her clients on federal procurement matters, with a focus on bid protests at the US Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims, corporate ethics and compliance, internal investigations, and required disclosures under the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule.
Stephanie Magnell specializes in representing government contractors in bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Court of Federal Claims (COFC), and state courts, where a nuanced framing of the bid protest is essential.
Future Women in Construction Leaders
Loni Hinton is a "dirt to done" construction attorney who helps her clients find cost-effective legal solutions that mitigate risk and avoid expensive, time-consuming litigation.
Elizabeth Harraka brings a passion for nuance to construction matters involving litigation and alternative dispute resolution.
Erica Bakies advises clients on complicated compliance issues, such as classified contract requirements under the National Industrial Security Program, supply chain risk management, access restricted information like Controlled Unclassified Information, cybersecurity requirements, and SBA small business requirements and disputes.
Sarah Burgart focuses on US national security matters, bringing together her government contracts and international trade work.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
