Levi Barrett

Practice Areas

Construction & Infrastructure

Construction Contracts & Risk Management

Government Contracts

Career

Levi W. Barrett is a Partner in Peckar & Abramson’s New Jersey and New York offices, where he serves as co-managing partner of the New Jersey office and chair of the firm’s Construction Contracts & Risk Management practice. His primary focus is on construction law, counseling clients on all aspects of public and private construction contracts.

Working closely with contractors, construction managers, owners, and developers, Levi structures and negotiates contract documents for construction projects nationwide. Leading a team of lawyers, he oversees the preparation, negotiation, and review of hundreds of construction contracts annually. The team counsels clients on issues related to risk mitigation planning and risk assessment in connection with both public infrastructure and private construction projects.

Levi guides and advises foreign contractors on operating in the United States and assists domestic contractors and service providers in managing business operations and risks abroad. Levi is also regularly engaged to provide due diligence services to clients in the process of acquiring construction companies.

In addition to his transactional practice, Levi has extensive experience representing general contractors and subcontractors in complex disputes involving construction inefficiencies, delays, differing site conditions, constructive changes, extra work, and default claims.

Recognized as a thought leader in his field, Levi frequently presents and writes on contract negotiations and emerging issues relative to project delivery methods, such as design-build and delegated design. He teaches a master’s course in construction law annually at the University of Stuttgart and serves as a guest lecturer at Columbia University’s College of Engineering and at Syracuse University.

Levi has received many accolades including recognition by Chambers USA in construction law. He is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the State of New Jersey, and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Levi received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from San Francisco State University and his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law.

Professional Memberships

New York City Bar (Construction Law Committee)

Associated General Contractors of America (Construction Leadership Council Steering Committee Member, 2019-2021)

Publications

•“Expert Q&A: Responding to the Impacts of Trump Administration Tariffs on Construction Materials,” Practical Law Real Estate, March 2025 (Co-Author)

•“The Art of Dealing with Tariffs,” AGC WebEd, February 2025 (Presenter)

•“Ask the Authors: Tariffs and the Art of the Price Escalation “Deal”,” P&A Webinar, January 2025 (Presenter)

•“Tariffs and the Art of the Price Escalation “Deal”,” P&A Client Alert, January 2025 (Co-Author)

•“The Collaboration Conundrum – A Better Model for Achieving Design-Build Success” 2024 Construction Super Conference, December 2024 (Presenter)

•“Building a Solid Foundation: Strategies for Operational Risk Management,” Construction Financial Management Association NJ Dinner Meeting, May 2024 (Presenter)

•“Design-Build – All About Alignment” A Third Thursday Interview with Levi W. Barrett, Construction Super Conference, May 2024 (Presenter)

•"New York Revises Retainage Requirements for Private Construction Contracts: Overview of the “5% Retainage Law”,” P&A Client Alert, January 2024 (Co-Author)

•“The Enforceability of “Pay-if-Paid” Provisions Affirmed in New Jersey,” P&A Client Alert, December 2022 (Co-Author)

• “Project Delivery Methods: A Bird’s Eye View,” ConsensusDocs, October 2021 (Co-Author)

• “Selecting the Right Delivery Method for the Job,” Construction Dive, August 2021 (Co-Author)

• “How Will Today’s Pandemic Impact Tomorrow’s Construction Contracts?,” ConsensusDocs Newsletter, October 2020 (co-author)

• "Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Guidance For Contractors," P&A Client Alert, March 2020 (Author)

• “Last Call… On October 31 the AIA Retires the A201-2007 General Conditions – What Does This Mean to You?” – Associated General Contractors of America’s Law in Brief, Volume 4, Issue 4, July 2018 (Author)

• “More Sticks and Bricks – A Practical Guide to Construction Systems and Technology”– American Bar Association Construction Law, July 2018 (Co-Editor)

• “Consent Agreements: A Trap for the Unwary” – Associated General Contractors of America’s Law in Brief, Volume 3, Issue 5, October 2017 (Author

• “Old Dog, New Tricks: What You Need to Know About the 2017 AIA A201 General Conditions” – Associated General Contractors of America’s ConsensusDocs Construction Law Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2017 (Co-Author)

• The 2017 AIA A201 Deskbook, Chapter 3 – ABA Publishing – October 2017 (Co-Author)