Steven M. Charney

Steven M. Charney is the Chairman of the firm and the Managing Partner of the firm’s New York office. He represents the country’s leading contractors, construction managers and developers, and has done so in connection with many of our most highly innovative, vital and ambitious projects nationwide. Peckar & Abramson is known to be the largest firm in the country focusing near exclusively on representation of the construction industry, with offices across the country.

Mr. Charney’s background in both law and construction afford him a unique ability to counsel contractors and developers in such critical areas as risk management and dispute resolution. He is widely sought after as a lecturer on a range of transformative industry issues, delving, for instance, into the complexities of default insurance or the developments in relevant local, state and federal policy.

In addition to an extensive list of successful engagements and results achieved on behalf of his clients as a construction litigator and in drafting and negotiating complex agreements, Mr. Charney also plays a key role in addressing some of the most significant topics facing the construction community. He initiated a study by the Associated General Contractors of America of issues related to mold and the construction industry and served as vice-chairman of the task force that drafted the industry’s first guide to addressing this issue. Mr. Charney was also instrumental in successfully promoting federal legislation that granted $1 billion to provide insurance for the contractors who participated in the World Trade Center recovery efforts.

Chambers USA, Who’s Who in International Construction Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and New York Magazine are just a few of the publications in which Mr. Charney is regularly recognized as a leader in his field. He is also a fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers.

Mr. Charney’s Master’s degree from the School of Civil Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Construction Management program) and law degree from Seton Hall University were both earned as an evening student. He earned those degrees while working full time for the nation’s largest general building contractor and construction manager in a variety of roles, ranging from superintendent to cost and scheduling engineer to claims and litigation manager. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Syracuse University, with a minor in construction technologies.

Practice Areas

• Construction
• Construction Contract Review Program
• Dispute Resolution

Education

• Syracuse University, B.S.
• School of Civil Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology, M.S.
• Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D.

Admissions

• New York
• New Jersey

Professional Associations

• American College of Construction Lawyers
• New York State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• New York City Bar Association
• Associated General Contractors of America (Contract Documents and Risk
• Management Committees)

Awards and Recognition

• Chambers USA
• Who’s Who Legal
• The Legal 500: United States
• Best Lawyers in America
• New York Super Lawyers
• New Jersey Super Lawyers

Associated General Contractors

Mr. Charney lectures nationally regarding matters related to construction contracting, and frequently presents private lectures and training to the nation’s leading contractors. Chambers USA, Who’s Who in International Construction Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and New York Magazine are just a few of the publications in which Mr. Charney is regularly recognized as a leader in his field.

Steve Charney served as the co-chair of the ConsensusDOCS and the AGC committees for the development and drafting of the first and only standard form agreement for “green” construction. This landmark document is the first to recognize the need for someone to lead “green” building issues and addresses, in detail, a process for parties to follow in developing a “green” project, as well as the structure for dealing with the liability issues associated with “green” construction. This contract document, ConsensusDOCS 310, was published on November 10, 2009.

Speeches, Panel Discussions, and Seminars:

• Conducted a workshop entitled “Navigating the False Claims Act Minefield” at the 27th IRMI Construction Risk Conference, in Orlando, Florida, October 2007
• Speaker, “Strategies for Minimizing Your Contractual Risk and Achieving Your Business Goals” at the 2nd Annual Corporate Counsel Construction Forum, and also conducted a workshop entitled “Thinking Out of the Box: Avoiding Litigation.”, Washington, DC, October 2007
• Speaker, “An Ounce of Prevention: The False Claims Act, the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and Other Compelling Reasons for Implementing a Corporate Compliance Program.”, AGC Surety Bonding and Risk Management Meeting, Longboat Key, Florida, February 2007
• Speaker, on Risk Management and the A/E/C Industry at the Executive Leadership Forum: Leadership in the Face of Change, Scottsdale, Arizona, February 2007
• Speaker, “What Every Contractor Should Know About the False Claims Act”, IRMI Construction Risk Conference, Las Vegas, October 2008
• Speaker, “Top Legal Risks and Management Techniques in Connection with Green/Sustainable Construction”, AGC’s 90th Annual Convention/Constructor Expo, San Diego, CA, March 2009
• Speaker entitled “Drafting and Negotiating Tomorrow’s Construction Contracts Today”, Practicing Legal Institute in NY, May 7, 2009
• Speaker, “Filling Your “Green” Toolbox” and Introduction of ConsensusDOCS 310 contract document before its publication on November 10, 2009 and other strategies for identifying and managing the risks involved with “green” construction, IRMI Construction Risk Conference, Washington, DC, November 2009
• Speaker, Re: Green Addendum & Managing Risk Associated with Green Construction, AGC Emerging Leaders Conference, Nashville, TN, November 2009
• Speaker, Webinar, sponsored by ConsensusDOCS, entitled “Introducing the ConsensusDocs 310: From Beginning to the Industry’s First Green Building Addendum”
• Speaker, “The New ConsensusDOCS Green Building Addendum”, Construction Superconference San Francisco, December 2009
• Speaker, Re: ConsensusDOCS Green Building Addendum, North San Diego, California, ACCL, February 2009
• Speaker, “Top Legal Risks and Management Techniques in Connection with Green/Sustainable Construction”, AGC’s 90th Annual Convention/Construction Expo on March 4-7th in San Diego, California, March 2010