Construction Law and Architects´ Law

Construction Law regulates the legal relationship between those involved in the planning and execution of a construction project. In Germany, this area of the law is governed by the German Civil Code (BGB) and  standard terms and conditions (VOB/B) agreed upon by industry associations of employers and contractors. Besides the construction related litigation in ordinary courts and through arbitration, the importance of alternative dispute resolution methods such as adjudication and mediation is growing.

With projects and buildings growing bigger and more complex and with refurbishment of existing properties on the rise, responsabilites and liabilities of architects, engineers and project managers are growing, too. Besides the usual planning services, delivering projects on time and on budget becomes more and more important for the success of a project. House owners, developers and institutional investors alike are focussing on reliable cost estimation, professional scheduling and diligent construction supervision.

Carefully drafted, project-specific contracts are the necessary basis for a successful cooperation of all parties involved on a construction project. Issues that are likely to propel the parties into confrontations need to be addressed in the project agreements from the very beginning. These are, among others, the definition of scope and battery limits, interfaces, contractual responsibilities, variation mechanisms, limitations of liability as well as copyright-related questions.

Rechtsanwälte Sauerbier and Dr. Wolf offer inter alia the following services:

• drafting and negotiation of engineering, construction and architects‘ agreements
• claims management and legal advice throughout the project life-cycle, including on remuneration and defects related matters, securing evidence and advice on issues related to statutes of limitation
• advice on fees and liabilities of architects and engineers
• representation of owners, contractors, architects, engineers and other expert contractors in court.