Steve Hedges

Steven D. Hedges concentrates in the areas of Construction law and Business Litigation.

Specifically, Mr. Hedges' professional practice focuses upon litigation, arbitration, contract preparation and general counsel, with particular focus upon and experience in commercial litigation and the representation of contractors, construction owners, manufacturers, architects and engineers, and business and industrial plant owners.

A large portion of Mr. Hedges' litigation practice involves design and construction matters and disputes including all types of professional errors and omissions issues. Many of his cases involve insurance questions.  Because of his 27 years of construction litigation experience, he is often retained to provide counsel and advice on legal and general business matters to contractors, owners, and others involved in the construction industry.

Mr. Hedges earned a Bachelor of Architecture, magna cum laude, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He received his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law, where he served on the editorial staff of the Wake Forest Law Review.

• Named among North Carolina's "Legal Elite" in Construction Law by Business North Carolina
• Construction Professionals Network of North Carolina - CPN Institute Governing Committee
• Carolinas AGC -Supplier/Service Company Advisory Board Member
• American Arbitration Association Panel Mediator and Arbitration Neutral
• North Carolina Superior Court Certified Mediator
• Certified Mediator
• American Bar Association - Forum Committee on the Construction Industry
• Virginia State Bar - Construction and Litigation Law Sections
• North Carolina State Bar - Construction and Litigation Law Sections
• County Attorney - Guilford County, North Carolina

Successfully recovered, through mediation, $28 million withheld from contractor client constructing HVDC power distribution project.   

Trial in equity to establish existence of 70 year old discontinued state road for purposes of achieving access to timber lands.  Trial required showing that opponents' expert witnesses were not qualified and failed to abide by accepted standards of practice.

Successful prosecution against the project design team of several million dollars of extra cost, delay and damages claims by the owner and two prime contractors arising from the construction of a high rise hotel located in Alaska. Case was resolved during extensive mediation, by payment of policy limits under a project design errors and omissions policy, as well as substantial payments under the individual designers' practice E & O policies.

Successful litigation to collect lost profits and damages from an international licensee for breach of a medical device manufacturing, distribution and sales license agreement.

Successful prosecution of a general contractor's $1.4 million payment, extra work and delay claims arising from construction of a retirement village delayed one year in completion. This case required showing that the architect's design was defective and late. It also involved successful defense of a large number of defective work claims.

Development of risk-limiting business entities, contracts, documents and business practices to minimize liability for third party defective work claims arising from coastal condominium construction.

John S. Clark Company, Inc. v. Travelers Indemnity Company of Illinois, 359 F.Supp.2d 429 (M.D.N.C. 2004)

RPR & Associates v. O'Brien/Atkins Associates, P.A. et al., 921 F. Supp. 1457 (M.D.N.C. 1995)

Federal Insurance Co. v. Starr Electric Company, 410 S.E.2d. 684 (Virginia 1991)

Crown Oil and Wax Company of Delaware, Inc., et al. v. Glen Construction Company of Virginia, Inc., 578 A.2d 1184 (Maryland 1990)

Garcia, et al. v. Pittsylvania County Service Authority, 845 F.2d 465 (4th Circuit 1988)

Burke-Parsons-Bowlby Corporation v. E.D. Etnyre & Co., et al., 585 F.Supp. 620 (W.D. Va. 1984)

• Construction Law Alert - Spring 2009
  This alert addresses new developments by engineers, and other design professionals, to limit their liability for negligence. This is a topic that concerns everyone who provides or uses design services. It is also a topic on which the states cannot agree. Our purpose is not to publish the definitive word on anything, but, rather to open a discussion.

• North Carolina Highway Claims Seminar, February 27, 2009, Concord, North Carolina
• Co-Author, "Back From the Brink: Can we solve problems or just read contracts?"  Construction Superconference, San Francisco, California, December 2007.
• Co-Author, Panelist and Presenter, “It’s About Time:  The Project Schedule – management tool or ground rules for the blame game?” Construction Superconference, San Francisco, California, December 2006.
• Co-Author, Panelist and Presenter, “Design-Build, Same Old Bonnet, or New Hat,” Construction Superconference, San Francisco, California, December 2005.
• Co-Author, Panelist and Presenter, “Getting the Designer Out of the Ivory Tower,” Construction Superconference, San Francisco, California, December 2004.
• “Construction Contracting For Public Entities in North Carolina.”  Lorman Education Seminar, Greensboro, North Carolina, August 2004.
• “North Carolina Law For Design Professionals.” Lorman Education Seminar, Greensboro, North Carolina, February 2003.
• “North Carolina Construction Law:  A Blueprint for Success in the Construction Process,” Lorman Education Services, April 2000.
• Panelist and Presenter, The Construction Executive Conference, Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina  2000 -- 2007. 
• "Just Who Designed My Building Anyway," Business Life, March, 2000
• "An Architectural Critique of AIA Standard Form Agreements,", AIA North Carolina Summer Conference, Asheville, NC, August, 1995
• Construction Law Deskbook, Editor, North Carolina Bar Association Foundation, Inc., 1994
• "Consulting Engineer Not 'Liable Party' under CERCLA,", ACC News, (Airport Consultants Counsel Newsletter), January, 1994