Josh Leavitt

Practice Areas

Josh serves as co-chair of the Construction practice at Much, where he advises clients on a range of construction law matters, including disputes, contracts, licensing, mergers and acquisitions, and industry risk.

With 35+ years of experience, Josh has handled all manner of construction law matters for U.S. domestic and overseas clients, including owners, contractors, architects, engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, developers and commercial landlords and tenants.

On the disputes side, Josh leads litigation and alternative dispute resolution involving the full spectrum of construction claims, such as delays and disruption, defects, change orders, and insurance coverage. He has presented and cross-examined numerous expert witnesses, including structural, mechanical, soil, instrumentation, control system, process, and chemical engineers; material scientists; roofing, HVAC, and other building system consultants; standard of care, estimating, scheduling, and damages experts; and developer, construction, and lending experts.

On the transactions side, Josh counsels clients on delivery system selection, contracts, and risk management. He drafts, negotiates, and advises clients on a wide range of construction, design, and EPC project agreements. Josh has a niche practice leading due diligence efforts in acquisitions and reorganizations involving construction and engineering firms. These clients call on him to identify, assess, and address risks of troubled projects for both sell-side and buy-side engagements.

Professional Memberships

Josh serves on the Board of Advisors of Jupiter Intelligence, the leading provider of predictive data and analytics for climate risk and resilience. He is a past president of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys, and he is an elected Fellow of the prestigious American College of Construction Lawyers.

Publications

Josh lectures and writes on construction and design law topics, including delay and disruption claims, construction damages, liability of design professionals and contractors, electronic discovery, mediation and arbitration strategies, ADR clauses, construction defects, and claims prevention techniques. He is a thought leader on advanced and emerging delivery system choices, construction law issues on global infrastructure and P3 projects, insurance coverage, green building and sustainability, 3D printing, and other technology and due diligence in industry acquisitions.

Josh has been a frequent panelist for Practicing Law Institute's (PLI) national construction law symposium in New York. He has served annually since 2007 as a panelist for PLI's Commercial Real Estate Institute and more recently as the event's national co-chair. In 2021, he co-founded PLI's annual infrastructure program.

Education