Bill Franczek is a partner with Vandeventer Black and is in the Firm’s Norfolk office. Bill was formerly a civil engineer working in construction, and his practice focuses on construction law, public contract law, and alternative dispute resolution. His extensive background in the construction field includes commercial building projects, highway projects, power plants, pulp and paper mills, rail projects, petrochemical facilities, airports, and marine terminals.
Regionally, nationally and internationally, Bill handles claim preparation, negotiation, and litigation/arbitration on behalf of construction industry clients. His experience includes privately-owned projects; federal, state and local public projects; and hybrid developments such as public-private partnership projects. His clients span across the construction industry and include owners and developers of large projects, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, and suppliers. Bill has also served in leadership roles in many construction trade associations, including the ABA Forum on Construction Law, The Associated General Contractors of Virginia, Builders and Contractors Exchange of Hampton Roads Virginia, The Associated Builders and Contractors of Virginia, and the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Design Build Institute of America.
Bill is regarded as an expert in mediation, arbitration and conflict management. He is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s National and International Construction Panel for arbitrators and mediators as well as its Mega Project Panel List, from which he has served across the nation as a neutral in all types of construction disputes. Bill is also a Fellow in the College of Commercial Arbitrators and has served on over 200 ADR matters both privately and for the AAA. He is also currently a member of several Dispute Resolution Boards across the country.
Bill was recently inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Construction Lawyers, a national organization of lawyers who have demonstrated skill, experience and high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice of construction law, and who are dedicated to excellence in the specialized practice of construction law.
Representative Matters
- Successful representation of general contractor in $10 million claim against the Army Corps of Engineers for design defects in power plant steam turbine generator system.
- Successfully represented general contractor in highway construction claim and litigation against NC Department of Transportation involving rock excavation, differing site conditions, and delay claims in excess of $20 million.
- Successfully represented general contractor in $5.5 million deficient design claim against Army Corps of Engineers.
- Successfully represented contractor in termination for convenience claim before Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.
- Successfully overturned board decision at the Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit on piping construction claim involving defective specifications.
- Arbitrator in over 150 cases ranging in size from $10K to over $60M.
- Mediator in over 60 cases; principally construction related.