R. Harper Heckman

Best Lawyers in America

• Construction Law (2008-Present)
• Litigation-Construction (2011-Present)
• 2017 Lawyer of the Year Construction Law, Greensboro
• 2013 Lawyer of the Year, Litigation-Construction, Greensboro

Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite,”

• Construction Law (2005-Present)
• Legal Elite “Hall-Of-Fame” Inductee as North Carolina category winner for Construction Law (2016)

North Carolina Super Lawyers® – Construction Law (2006-Present)

International Who’s Who of Construction Lawyers (2013-Present)

Harper Heckman practices in the Greensboro, NC office of Maynard Nexsen PC, where he leads the firm’s Construction Practice Group. He is a 1988 graduate of The University of North Carolina and a 1991 graduate, with honors, of the University of North Carolina School of Law. Mr. Heckman is a former chair of both the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law and the Construction Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. While he has tried cases in both state and federal courts and has argued before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals, he also devotes a significant portion of his practice to counseling clients on transactional issues.  In addition to his practice, Mr. Heckman is a certified Superior Court Mediator, a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Large and Complex Construction Panel of Neutrals, and an adjunct Professor of Construction Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Mr. Heckman has been named a Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite since 2005, a North Carolina Super Lawyer since 2006, and a Best Lawyers in America since 2008. In 2016, he was inducted into the North Carolina Legal Elite “Hall-of-Fame” as the State’s category winner for Construction Law (2016). Harper and his wife, Kimberly, are parents to three daughters, ages 14, 21 and 24. In his spare time, Harper is an avid fan of all Tar Heel athletics

American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law (1991-Present)

• Forum Chair (2015-2016)
• Contract Documents Division Chair
• Publications Committee Chair
• North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section (1991-Present)

• Construction Law Section Chair (2003-2004)
• Specialization Study Committee Co-Chair
• Lien Law Rewrite Committee

AAA-Large Complex Construction Panel of Neutrals (2009-Present)

North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission, Certified Mediator (2009-Present)

Construction Professionals Network of North Carolina (2003-Present)

North Carolina Judicial Invitational Golf Classic (2008-Present)

Recent Developments in North Carolina Construction Law, University of North Carolina School of Law – Festival of Legal Learning (annually, 2006-2017)

Arbitration in the Construction Industry, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, Annual Meeting, 2016

10 Commandments for Ethical Neutral Behavior in ADR Proceedings Involving Sureties, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, Midwinter Meeting, 2014

The Case for the Responsible Use of Reverse Online Auctions in the Construction Sector, ABA Forum on Construction Law, Annual Meeting, 2013

Everyday Ethics in Construction Litigation – “Hypotheticals” in Real Life, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, Annual Meeting, 2012

The Anatomy of a Construction Trial, Construction Financial Manager’s Association, Carolina’s Construction Conference, 2012

What Every Real Estate Attorney Should Know About Construction Lien Law, North Carolina Bar Association, Real Property Section, Practical Skills Course, 2011

Construction Lien and Bond Law Basics for the Trial Judge, North Carolina Superior Court Judges Conference, 2010

North Carolina Lien Law:  Beyond the Basics II, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, Midwinter Meeting, 2010

Successful Settlement Strategies, Construction Dispute Resolution, Thomas Reuters/Aspatore, 2009

Contractor Selection, Construction Law Textbook, ABA Forum on Construction Law, 2009

Comparing the AIA and ConsensusDOCS in a Real World Setting, AGC National Convention, 2009

Construction Contract Issues, Professional Engineers of North Carolina, 2008

Key Provisions of the AIA B101 Owner-Architect Agreement: The Hot Button Issues and How They Have Changed, ABA Forum on Construction Law, Mid-Winter Meeting, 2008

What’s Up DOCS? Your First Look at the New Consensus Documents, ABA Forum on Construction Law, Teleconference, 2007

Drafting the Perfect One-Year Warranty, The Construction Lawyer, Summer, 2007

North Carolina Construction Contracts for Professional Engineers, Halfmoon Seminars, 2005

State-by-State Analysis of Legal Issues Affecting Architects, Engineers, Contractors and Others (Co-Author, North Carolina Chapter), Aspen, 2005

Time is Money: An Analysis of Liquidated Damages Clauses, The Construction Lawyer, Fall, 2004

Contingent Payment Clauses, The Construction Business Handbook, Aspen, 2004

North Carolina Lien Law:  Beyond the Basics, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, Annual Meeting, 2002

North Carolina Lien and Bond Law, Construction Manager’s Financial Association, Carolinas Construction Conference, 2002

North Carolina Construction Law, North Carolina Professional Plumbers Association, 2001

Selecting a Construction Contractor With An Eye on Safety, Environmental, Health & Safety Conference, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, 2000

Bad Faith Claims Against Sureties, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, April Meeting, 2000

Bad Faith Claims Against Sureties in North Carolina, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, The Change Order, June/July, 1999

A Primer on North Carolina Performance Bonds, Campbell Law Observer (Co-Author), January, 1999

State-By-State Guide to Architect, Engineer and Contractor Licensing (Co-Author, North Carolina Chapter), Aspen 1999

A Primer on North Carolina Mechanic’s Liens and Payment Bond Claims, (Co-Author) Campbell Law Observer, April, 1998

Mechanic’s Liens and Payment Bond Claims in North Carolina, North Carolina Utility Contractors Association, Annual Meeting, 1998

The Right of a Prime Contractor on a Public Project to Recover from the Surety for an Insolvent Co-Prime, North Carolina Bar Association, Construction Law Section, The Change Order, June, 1997

State-By-State Survey of the Economic Loss Doctrine in Construction Litigation (Co-Author, North Carolina Chapter), ABA Litigation Section, 1996

North Carolina State Courts – August 23, 1991

U.S.D.C., Middle District of NC – September 13, 1991

U.S.D.C., Western District of NC – July 3, 1996

U.S. Court of Appeals – Fourth Circuit – August 30, 1997

U.S.D.C., Eastern District of NC – May 1, 1998

UNC School of Law Alumni Association, Board of Directors and Advancement Committee -2013-2016

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Building Committee – 2016-2017

The Children’s Home, Winston-Salem, NC, Board of Trustees -2008-2014

Greensboro Children’s Museum, Board of Directors -2007-2013