Christopher Solop

Practice Areas

Christopher Solop leads the firm’s Construction Litigation and Government Contracts sections. Chris has extensive experience representing owners, prime contractors, and subcontractors in all areas of construction and government contracts, including pre- and post-award protests, equitable adjustments, claim preparation, and litigation. Chris’s practice also includes mediation, arbitration, and litigation of complex commercial construction claims.

Chris's experience in construction law and litigation spans more than forty (40) years. Representing both public and private clients in the construction industry, Chris has been an advocate for their interests from contract review, bidding, contract performance, and through claim resolution. He has pursued successful bid protests before federal, state, and local authorities. His construction claims and litigation experience include both "above" and "below ground" construction of commercial and residential projects; utility installation and horizontal directional drilling; levee construction and rehabilitation; dock construction; dredging; military family housing construction; highway and infrastructure construction. Claim issues have involved defective plans and specifications; insurance coverage and defense; scheduling, acceleration, and delays; constructive changes; variations in estimated quantities; site access; differing site conditions; terminations for default and convenience; and loss of efficiency claims. Chris has also litigated numerous payment and performance bond claims associated with contract disputes. His experience in this area includes negotiating tender and takeover agreements with sureties where the contractor has defaulted on its performance obligations and defending against surety claims under General Indemnity Agreements.

Chris's experience also includes representing large and small construction and service contractors on all aspects of federal and state acquisition issues, including Section 8(a) issues; regulations governing the U.S. Small Business Administration’s HUBZone, Mentor-Protégé and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business procurement program and other programs. He has prepared numerous joint venture and teaming agreements that have been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration to the advantage of large and small companies under various small-business assistance programs.

Chris is a certified arbitrator for construction, commercial and consumer disputes with the American Arbitration Association.

Professional Memberships

Construction Lawyers Society of America - Barrister, Order of Equitas, Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute

General Counsel for Mississippi Chapter of Associated General Contractors

Former Member of the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation

Arbitrator for American Arbitration Association (Construction Panel)

Certified Mediator (Mississippi Supreme Court)

The Mississippi Bar

Capital Area Bar Association

American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section

Publications

Co-authored Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, Chapter 19, Construction Law

Author, Bond Claims, Contractor Claims and Subcontractor Issues (2017)

Author, Litigation: Allegations, Defenses, and Proving Your Case (2015)

Seminar: MS Procurement Law (2017)

Seminar: MS Construction Lien Law (2017)

Seminar: Construction Mediation and Arbitration (2017)

Seminar: Construction Law Seminar (2011)

Seminar: AIA Contracts in Mississippi (2004)

Co-authored The Contractor's Deskbook (1996)

Co-authored Mississippi Construction Law: What To Do When...? National Business Institute (1988 and 1992)

Co-authored Fifty State Public Construction Contracting (Mississippi chapter), Wiley Law Publications (1996)

Co-authored Mississippi Construction Law (1993)

Education

Awards