Leading Construction Lawyers Launch New Firm

TYSONS CORNER, VA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - March 20, 2014) - The founding attorneys of Varela, Lee, Metz & Guarino, LLP (VLMG) are proud to announce the opening of a new law firm focused on serving the specialized needs of clients in the construction and engineering industry. The new construction law firm features offices in Tysons Corner and San Francisco and opens with 17 attorneys, each of whom has deep experience serving clients in this unique legal field.

VLMG's lawyers have represented clients on an impressive array of civil, industrial, commercial, and government projects across the United States and around the world. The firm's attorneys offer a particularly in-depth understanding of heavy civil and infrastructure projects (including highways and bridges, tunnels, mass transit systems, water/wastewater, airports, ports, and professional sports stadiums) and the power sector (including fossil-fuel, hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear plants). Handling matters across this spectrum of project types has enabled the attorneys at VLMG to develop substantial expertise regarding federal, state, and local government contracts and procurement. The firm also maintains a significant and expanding international practice, with experience handling matters across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. VLMG's clients represent a diverse cross-section of the major players in the construction industry, and include contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, sureties, design professionals, and public agencies.

The majority of the firm's practice will focus on litigation and dispute resolution before federal and state courts and boards of contract appeals, as well as in domestic and international arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings. The firm's attorneys also regularly provide pre-construction advice through the drafting and review of contract documents, as well as provide counsel to clients during ongoing projects.

The four name partners in VLMG -- Paul Varela, Bennett Lee, Todd Metz, and Joseph Guarino -- boast a total of more than 80 years in practice devoted entirely to the construction and engineering industry and have been honored for their work in respected publications such as Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers. They are joined by eight additional partners -- Christopher Burke, Garrett Dillon, Brian Dugdale, Nicholas Merrell, Kirk Niemi, Michael Suga, Andrew Van Ornum, and David Wonderlick -- and five associates, all of whom have spent the vast majority of their careers in construction law. All of the attorneys joining VLMG at its founding are veterans of Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald, L.L.P., one of the country's oldest firms devoted primarily to the practice of construction law.

"The team we brought with us has incredible talent and capabilities," said Paul Varela, who with Todd Metz and Joseph Guarino heads up the Tysons Corner office. "We are thrilled for the opportunity this new venture represents: to provide the highest quality legal service to our clients with agility, value, and responsiveness."

"Clients in the construction industry value close working relationships with lawyers who understand their business. We will continue to nurture those relationships in a marketplace that has evolved to place more emphasis on a law firm's sophistication and creativity rather than pure size," added Bennett Lee, who will head the San Francisco office.

For additional information about VLMG, visit http://www.vlmglaw.com.

About Varela, Lee, Metz & Guarino, LLP (VLMG)
Varela, Lee, Metz & Guarino, LLP is a law firm representing clients spanning the breadth of the construction and engineering industry, including owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, sureties, and public agencies. VLMG's attorneys have handled litigation and arbitration across the United States and around the world involving a diverse spectrum of construction projects, including civil, industrial, power, commercial, and military/government projects, among many others. Learn more about VLMG at http://www.vlmglaw.com.