Michael Wagner > Seyfarth Shaw LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Seyfarth Shaw LLP Offices

975 F STREET, NW
WASHINGTON DC 20004
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
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Michael Wagner

Work Department
Construction
Position
Associate
Career
Michael Wagner represents owners, developers, design professionals, general contractors, and subcontractors in complex construction, design, and surety-related disputes on both public and private projects throughout the United States and abroad.
Mike offers a unique perspective to the practice of construction and government contracts law. Prior to becoming an attorney, he worked for a general contractor, where he was involved in preconstruction and project and risk management for multiple commercial and government construction projects, with a focus on heavy-civil, highways, utilities, and other public infrastructure work. He also gained substantive experience working for an electrical subcontractor. As a result, Mike has hands-on experience and an intimate knowledge of the industry and the challenges that clients face. He understands the law and speaks the language of construction, so when a client calls, he can hit the ground running.
Mike has participated in all aspects of a construction project—from project conception, design, contract negotiation, and preconstruction—through the stages of project delivery, construction, close-out, and operation. As a result, he has substantial experience in both transactional work and claims and disputes.
Mike regularly drafts and negotiates construction and design contracts on behalf of owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in order to allocate and mitigate risks and avoid disputes and the associated expense. He has drafted customized agreements for clients and also has experience working with form agreements, such as the AIA, DBIA, and ConsensusDocs. Mike’s transactional work spans multiple different project delivery methods, including design-bid-build, design-build, EPC, and public-private partnerships (P3).
When disputes arise, Mike knows how to resolve them. He maintains a diverse practice as a litigator, having represented clients in state and federal courts, before the US Court of Federal Claims and Boards of Contract Appeals, and in multiple alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including mediation and arbitration.
As part of his practice, Mike also assists government contractors with compliance and counseling and in the preparation and handling of Requests for Equitable Adjustment (“REAs”) and claims on government construction projects (local, state, and federal).
Memberships
American Bar Association (Construction Law and Litigation sections); Washington Building Congress; Associated Builders and Contractors, Metro Washington Chapter; Associated Builders and Contractors, Chesapeake Shores Chapter; National Utility Contractors Association, DC Chapter
Education
JD, University of Baltimore School of Law; BS, Mount St. Mary’s University
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
(Leading associates)Seyfarth Shaw LLP houses a team of ‘excellent advisors’, handling the full range of contentious construction matters. Michael McKeeman and Alison Ashford jointly co-chair the team from San Francisco and New York respectively, representing owners and contractors in various disputes, and stakeholders in major infrastructure projects. Founding partner Bennett Greenberg is based in Washington DC and provides long-term counsel on contractual matters and disputes for major construction corporations. Seattle-based Meghan Douris and Ashley Sherwood specialize in heavy civil infrastructure cases and represent clients in private and public construction disputes respectively. Large-scale infrastructure claims are another key area of expertise for the team. Also operating from Seattle, Ryan Dumm focuses on residential and rehabilitation construction projects, while senior associate Michael Wagner acts for owners and developers in design and risk management-related disputes from Washington DC. Jason Smith in Washington DC is a key name for complex construction disputes.
Lawyer Rankings
- Construction (including construction litigation) United States > Real estate
- Leading associates United States > Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- Labor and employment > Immigration
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Labor and employment > Immigration
- Labor and employment > Immigration
- Labor and employment > Immigration
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Labor and employment > ERISA litigation
- Government > Government contracts
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Tax > Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, and charities)
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Industry focus > Cannabis
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious