For nearly 40 years the attorneys of Stites & Harbison have served as trusted advisors to hundreds of fabricated steel industry participants, across the United States and internationally, involved in every aspect of design, detailing, fabrication, and erection of structural steel. Over this period Stites & Harbison attorneys have also served as counselors to not less than a dozen national and international professional societies and trade organizations that deal with current and evolving issues effecting the industry including the American Institute of Steel Construction and the National Steel Bridge Alliance. This history of service includes contract formation, real-time challenges to contract performance, and, where necessary, post construction investigation, litigation and dispute resolution.

Our attorneys have consulted regularly with the American Institute of Steel Construction, the American Institute of Architects, the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee, the Associated General Contractors of America, the Associated Builders and Constructors of America, and ConsensusDocs^®, on formation of standard form construction documents – especially as applied to the fabricated structural steel industry. We are regularly recruited by industry trade associations and professional societies to develop position papers on construction issues, to serve on standards-setting committees, and to provide educational programs.

Some examples of the firm’s capabilities include:

Legal Services

• Fabricator, erector, detailer and designer contract formation and review, including modification of standard form contract provisions to fit the structural steel industry.
• Application and enforcement of the AISC Code of Standard Practice for Buildings and Bridges to industry contractual relationships.
• Application of Engineering Cannons of Professional Responsibility to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Application of antitrust law to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Application of state and local tax regulations to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Analysis of project delay, allocation of responsibility for delay, and calculation of under-absorption of fabrication shop overhead.
• Application of OSHA regulations to the fabricated structural steel industry and successful defense of OSHA citations.
• Application of intellectual property rights and liability to fabricated structural steel contracts and project performance.
• Application of building code requirements to primary structural framing systems.
• Application of international trade regulations and treaty obligations to procurement of fabricated structural steel.
• Analysis of fabricator, erector, designer and detailer insurance coverage issues
• Application of environmental and sustainability standards to design, fabrication, and erection of structural steel.

Technical Issues

• Investigation and defense of structural collapse(s).
• Interpretation of specifications related to Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel.
• Application of fabrication and erection tolerance requirements to real world construction projects.
• Application of Tech13 flatness and sweep requirements to primary steel framing systems.
• Analysis of incomplete structural designs and their consequences to fabrication operations.
• Application and evaluation of fracture critical and full penetration welding criteria to building structures.
• Interpretation and application of preheat and post heat welding requirements.
• Application of proprietary systems and patents to fabricated structural steel contracts.
• Weight calculation under the AISC Code of Standard Practice.
• Analysis of lamellar shear and material separation.
• Interpretation of requirements for column reinforcement at connection points.
• Application of specified coating systems for structural steel.
• Specification and performance of fireproofing systems for structural steel, including intumescent coatings and shop-applied systems.
• Delegation of connection design responsibility.
• Design-Build project delivery applied to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Construction Manager-at-Risk project delivery applied to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Design-Assist services applied in delivery of the primary structural framing system.
• Fast track scheduling applied to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Seismic design requirements and special inspections applied to the fabricated structural steel industry.
• Application of Building Information Modeling to real-world project requirements.
• Steel erector, building and bridge fabricator quality certification programs.

Project Experience

• The then-largest private, commercial construction project in the United States.
• The then-largest private, industrial construction project in the United States.
• The then-largest public construction project in the United States.
• One of the largest mining facilities in the Western Hemisphere.
• Major interstate highway bridge and interchange projects.
• Expansion and new construction of major sports stadiums and arenas.
• Renovation and new construction of healthcare facilities.
• Primary, secondary and University educational and research facilities.
• Power generation and distribution facilities.
• Chemical facilities.
• Manufacturing and distribution facilities.
• Military installations.
• Nuclear facilities.
• Prison and detention facilities.