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Areas of practice

Education

  • J.D., Emory University School of Law
  • B.A., West Virginia University

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • Georgia

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Biography

Chad I. Michaelson is a trial lawyer with more than 19 years of experience resolving complex business disputes. He litigates cases in state and federal courts across the country, and before domestic and international arbitration tribunals. An active member of the firm’s Business Litigation and Construction Law & Litigation Groups, Chad also serves as a member of the firm’s Management Committee. In addition to his general construction practice, Chad stays current on the law of building code administration and enforcement, and he regularly represents building code officials in litigation and administrative proceedings. He also has an interest in green building and chairs the firm’s Sustainable Development Group.

Professional/Community Involvement

  • Allegheny County Bar Association Construction Law Section, Former Chair
  • Mt. Lebanon Board of Appeals, Member
  • Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, past President and current Director
  • Seton-LaSalle High School Mock Trial Program, Attorney Advisor

Additional Information

A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Chad currently lives in Mt. Lebanon with his wife, Kara, and their children, Jacob and Meadow.  In his free time, he enjoys coaching youth baseball and softball.

Representative Matters

  • Litigates a wide variety of breach of contract matters.
  • Helps companies prevent unfair competition, counsels closely-held companies in corporate governance disputes, handles insurance coverage matters, and resolves numerous real property and land use cases.
  • Helped a manufacturer recover several million dollars in damages caused by a component with hidden defects.
  • Counsels owners, contractors, and architects/engineers throughout the construction process, from contract negotiation to claim resolution.
  • Litigates delay, loss of productivity, and other highly technical construction claims on both public and private projects.
  • Obtained a $6 million award for a contractor that encountered differing site conditions on a highway project.
  • Handles a variety of disputes involving the ownership and development of oil and gas, with a particular focus on shale gas extraction.
  • Represented a brine well operator in emergency proceedings seeking to protect its subsurface facilities from nearby hydraulic stimulation operations.

Education

  • J.D., Emory University School of Law – with honors, 1999
    • Emory International Law Review
    • Recipient of the Moffett Litigation Award for trial advocacy skills
  • B.A. in Political Science and History, West Virginia University, 1996

Communications

  • “Mechanics’ Liens in Pennsylvania,” Faculty Member, Pennsylvania Bar Institute Seminar, June 2017.
  • “Pennsylvania Building Code Update,” Lorman Educational Seminar, September 23, 2016.
  • “Civil Liability of Building Code Officials,” Presenter, Pennsylvania Association of Building Code Officials Conference, September 20, 2016.
  • “Defending Negligent Inspection Lawsuits,” Presenter, Pennsylvania Association of Building Code Officials Conference, September 16, 2014.
  • “High Performance Building Codes,” Presenter, Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania Green Building Symposium, October 23, 2013.
  • “Drafting Green Construction Contracts,” Breaking Ground Magazine, September/October 2013.
  • “Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code,” Presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute Continuing Legal Education Seminar, June 19, 2013.
  • “Legal Pitfalls of Marketing Not-So-Green Buildings,” Presenter, NAIOP Pittsburgh Continuing Legal Education Seminar, April 17, 2012.
  • “Avoiding E-Discovery Pitfalls,” Construction Today, August 2011.
  • “The Intricacies of the Pennsylvania Construction Codes Act,” Breaking Ground Magazine, March/April 2011.
  • “The Americans With Disabilities Act: Building Code or Civil Rights Law?” Presenter, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott Seminar, August 12, 2010.

Awards/Honors

  • AV Preeminent® Rating from the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating Program
  • Included in The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Litigation – Construction
  • Selected to the 2015-2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® List