William E. Franczek

Martindale-Hubbell^® AV Preeminent^® Peer Review Rating

Virginia Business, “Legal Elite” (2005-present)

Chambers USA, “Senior Statesman and Eminent Practitioner” and Ranked Virginia Construction Lawyer (2015-present); Band 1 – Highest Recognition in Construction Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Listed in Best Lawyers in America^®: Arbitration (2006-present); Construction Law (2006-present); Litigation – Construction (2011-present); Mediation (2011-present)

Best Lawyers in America^{® “}Lawyer of the Year”: Litigation – Construction, Norfolk (2012, 2016- present); Construction Law, Norfolk (2015)

Thomson Reuters, “Virginia Super Lawyers” – Construction Litigation (2006 -present)

CoVaBiz Magazine, “Top Lawyers of Coastal Virginia” (2017 – present)

Virginia Lawyers Weekly – Hall of Fame, Class of 2022

After graduation from Syracuse University, I became a Construction Engineer with Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation from 1973-82.

I worked nine years in heavy construction, working on three nuclear power plant construction sites. My duties included interpretation of construction plans and specifications, supervision of trades and subcontractors, and administration of a staff of 10 to 15 field and office engineers.

Upon graduation from law school, I began work with Vandeventer Black LLP, specializing in public contracts and construction law. I have significant experience representing contractors, owners and design professionals in disputes involving the federal government, including representation of clients before boards of contract appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and General Accountability Office.  In 2022, my firm merged with Wood Rogers PLC to form Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black PLC, with offices in Norfolk, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Richmond, Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks of NC and Hamburg, Germany.

I now work principally in the ADR field, where I have been an Arbitrator for the AAA since 1986 and mediator since 1997. I have represented numerous clients in AAA arbitration proceedings and conducted over 250 national and international arbitrations and mediations. I have also represented contractors in structured negotiations with the Army Corps of Engineers, private mediations with subcontractors, and before the NCDOT.  I am currently on the TxDOT list to serve on Dispute Resolution Boards in Texas for ten (10) projects, and am serving as the Chair for the DRB on a large metro rail project in northern Virginia, as well as several other DRB’s.

Bill Franczek is a partner with Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black and is located 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.

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.

American Bar Association – Forum on Construction Law, Division 13 Government Construction, Chair (2014-16); Governing Committee (2016-19)

American Arbitration Association – Construction Mega Project Panel (2015-Present); International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), International Arbitrator; National Construction Panel for Arbitration & Mediation

Fellow, American College of Construction Lawyers (2017)

Fellow, College of Commercial Arbitrators (2016 – present)

Member, London Court of International Arbitration (2016- present)

Member, Dispute Resolution Board Foundation

Virginia Bar Association – Board of Governors (2008 – 2011)

Builders & Contractors Exchange of Virginia,  President 2017

Associated General Contractors of VA., General Counsel and Board Member (2007 – present)

Hampton Roads Design-Build Institute of America – Legal Counsel (2007-2016)

Co-Editor: Federal Government Construction Contracts (3d ed. 2017)

Co-Author, Chapter 14 – Termination for Default, Federal Government Construction Contracts (3d ed.  2017)

Co-Author, Chapter 14 – Claim Issues, State and Local Government Construction Law (2017)

It’s Getting Better All the Time: Best Practices in Presenting Delay Claims, Presentation to the ABA Forum on Construction Law (October 2016)

Member of the Webinar Faculty for Tech Tools: Understanding the Scheduling Experts’ Technology, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry (June 2014)

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Presentation to the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance

Co-Author, Clearing the Smoke: Forensic Schedule Analysis Method Selection for Construction Attorneys, The Construction Lawyer, Fall 2013

Working with Damages Consultants: Ten Steps to Success, Presentation to the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, 2013 Midwinter Meeting – Naples, FL

Handling the Resolution of Subcontractor Claims in ADR with the Owner, Presentation to the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, September 2010 Fall Meeting – Miami, FL

Preventing disputes in Vertical Construction Projects, Presentation to the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, April 2010 Annual Meeting – Austin TX

Are You Choosing the Right Design Subcontract for Your Design-Build Project?, Presentation to the Design Build Institute of America, Hampton Roads Chapter (April 2010)

Top Ten Contract Clauses Sure to Cause You Problems, Presentation to the Professional Construction Estimators Association of America (April 2010)

State Courts of Virginia and New York

U.S.D.C. for Eastern and Western District of VA

U.S. D.C. for the Southern District of NY

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Disctrict

ABA Forum on Construction Law:  1983 – present.  Division 1 Steering Committee, 2005-2012; Programs Chairman for D1.  First chair of the newly created Division 13, Government Construction: March 2014 – June 2016.  Served on ABA Forum Governing Committee, June 2016 – 2019; served as Chair of Division Chairs 2019 – 2021.

Virginia Bar Association: 1983 – present.  State Board of Governors 2004-2006; past member and officer of Executive C0uncil  and Public Contracts Section.

Virginia State Bar:  1983 – present.  Member of Construction and Public Contracts Section.

Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar  Association:  1983 – present.  Construction Law Section.

AGC of VA:  1987 –  2020.  Served in various capacities at both state and local levels.  Served as legal counsel to AGC of VA State Board of Directors from approximately 2000-2020.

Design Build Institute of America – Hampton Roads Chapter.  Founding member of local chapter, named the “most successful Chapter  in the Country” by DBIA National.  Authored Bylaws, Legal Counsel to local board from 2008 – 2016.

Hampton Roads Builders and Contractors Exchange: 2005 – 2017 Board Member and President, 2017.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Board of Advisors –  School of Building Construction:  2004- 2008.  Chair of Student Affairs Committee.

Tidewater Children’s Foundation:  1988 – 2004.  Board of Directors and Past-President of  the Charitable Organization.