Paramount Associates, LLC

Sometimes in spite of everyone’s best effort to reach a mutually agreed upon settlement the ADR process fails and the parties are forced to move onto the next step - formal litigation. Sometimes ADR methods are not offered as an option and the parties are contractually required to pursue litigation to resolve their differences. Either way, while regrettable, there is no reason to despair.  

Paramount Associates has both the knowledge and the experience to assist any party though the construction litigation maze. Through our litigation support services we can assist you in a number of different ways. Such as:

Discovery Assistance & Document Control

One of the first steps in the litigation process is to review all the documentation associated with the project. Often times this means wading through thousands of pages of written materials such as contracts, estimates, vendor bids, correspondence of project participants (owner, CM, architect, engineers, GC, subcontractors, sub-tiers etc), requests for information, submittals, schedules, project meeting minutes, personnel logs and diaries, etc. The list is endless. In addition, the records and files that are contained on computer not only on site, but also at the home office such as accounting, certified payroll, corporate financial statements, safety logs and e-mails etc., need to be retrieved and reviewed. This can be a daunting task.  

Many parties elect to copy 100% of their opponent’s files rather than take the time to sort through the materials compiled on location. This is a costly method and often an unnecessary one. Our staff can assist the client with early identification of key issues to the case and then focus the document review required to support those issues, saving both time and money.

Once the necessary documents have been identified and assembled, our staff can assist in organizing your “war room”. We will compile the documents into an easily retrievable system to better utilize them through any one of several methods such as, scanning retrieval, cataloging, issue book preparation or other type of arrangements. The ability to quickly and accurately retrieve important information again saves our clients both time and money.

Claims Analysis & Issue Generation

Schedule Analysis  

Damage Calculation

In order to win a case you have to be able to prove three things, namely “Impact”, “Causation” and “Damages”. Through detailed claims analysis & project schedule analysis, we will be able to identify the key issues that have adversely impacted the project resulting in a monetary loss to your firm as well as identify the parties responsible. Lawsuits are all about assigning blame. Lastly we will calculate the financial damage incurred as a result of those impacts. Any good attorney will tell you the courts prefer the monetary loss be tied to a specific impact or event. Paramount Associates is familiar with all the methods utilized today to prove damages and can assist you with that process or do it for you directly. 

Counterclaims – Affirmative & Defense

In today’s legal environment if you are associated with a claim then in all likelihood you will have to either defend against, or institute on your behalf, a counterclaim to the original suit. A counterclaim is normally a defendant’s assertion of monetary loss on the project, as a direct result of the Plaintiff’s actions. A counterclaim is instituted for many reasons.  Most often it is used, as a measure to potentially limit or offset the amount of monetary award the court may grant the Plaintiff in the suit should he win. Most counterclaims are compiled by an outside expert and detailed in an “Executive Summary or Expert Report”.

Paramount Associates is available to assist our clients in counterclaim development or defense of any counterclaim if necessary. 

Expert Reports & Executive Summaries

After our staff has analyzed your claim we will summarize our conclusions and opinions in a formal written document often referred to as an Executive Summary. This expert report ties the three major components of any claim “impact, causation & damages” into an easy to read, easy to understand format that even those not associated with the construction industry can comprehend and appreciate. 

Deposition Preparation & Support

As construction projects become more complex and the technology involved becomes more advanced, Paramount is available to assist legal staff in the finer nuances of the construction process. Paramount also assists the legal staff (if required) in formulating topics of inquiry and assist in the development of specific questions under the legal strategy devised by counsel. Our staff is also available to attend the deposition to offer further avenues of inquiry as the deposition unfolds.

Expert Testimony

Paramount Associates staff members have testified in deposition, arbitration hearings and jury trials. In addition we have been declared as exerts and provided testimony in both state and federal courts around the country. As Paramount Associates' staff base their expert opinion not only on the facts but also on real world, hands-on construction experience we can stand up to even the toughest cross-examination!