Jackson S. Nichols
- Washington, DC
- jnichols@cohenseglias.com
- 202.587.4756
Construction
- Represented a heavy civil construction contractor in asserting claims before the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals for delay and disruption that occurred during the construction of a bridge replacement on a state highway in Maryland.
- Defended an owner against claims asserted by a general contractor for a project involving the construction of a school in the District of Columbia.
- Represented an ornamental and miscellaneous metals subcontractor in bringing claims for breach of contract and enforcing mechanics’ liens for work performed on a large commercial high-rise fit-out in the District of Columbia. Obtained a verdict in favor of the client after a four-week jury trial.
- Defended owner against claims asserted by mechanical subcontractor in connection with the construction of a brewery in Virginia.
- Represented a general contractor in filing and enforcing mechanics’ liens for work performed for a Virginia restaurant construction project.
- Represented a steel subcontractor in filing and enforcing a mechanics’ lien for work performed for the renovation and green retrofit of a large commercial building in the District of Columbia.
- Defended a Maryland residential home builder against a construction defects claim brought by homebuyers.
Commercial Litigation
- Represented a financing firm as first chair trial counsel in a collection action on a business loan to a Wall Street investment fund manager. After a bench trial before the Fairfax County Circuit Court (Va.), Jackson obtained a $694,000 judgment for the client and successfully defended the verdict against an attempted appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court.
- Asserted claims for unfair trade practices and theft of intellectual property on behalf of a Pennsylvania scientist involving his development of novel techniques for the detection of infection associated with prosthetics. After successfully defeating dispositive motions filed by the adverse parties, Jackson obtained a large monetary settlement for his client.
- Asserted claims on behalf of the relator in a False Claims Act case against a large regional hospital in Georgia. Following an investigation and litigation in which the government intervened, Jackson obtained a favorable settlement resulting in a $9.89 million recovery on behalf of the U.S. government, with $2.29 million of the award going to the client relator. At the time, the settlement was the largest civil healthcare fraud recovery recorded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
- Represented a state licensing board as trial counsel in a five-week administrative trial in an antitrust lawsuit before the Federal Trade Commission. Jackson also represented the state board in the appeal of that decision to the 4th Circuit. The matter eventually was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States in NC Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC and resulted in new law concerning when market participants have immunity from antitrust law under the state action doctrine.
- Defended a national online technology company in connection with antitrust/unfair competition claims asserted by a state licensing board concerning the unauthorized practice of law.
- Represented an international corporation in the litigation of a Takings claim against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which resulted in a favorable monetary settlement on behalf of the client.
- Represented various 524(g) trusts in resolving claims to insurance assets for amounts ranging from $30 million to $1 billion in connection with mass tort liability.
- Conducted investigation and strategic analysis of insurance assets valued in excess of $30 million for a 524(g) bankruptcy trust.
In his construction practice, Jackson advises general contractors, subcontractors, sureties, owners, and other construction industry businesses in navigating disputes that arise during projects. Representative matters include highway construction, bridges, school construction, large commercial fit-outs, and residential and retail construction projects. He regularly prosecutes and defends claims involving mechanics’ liens, bond claims, Miller Act claims and arbitration disputes, among others.
As a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group, he helps clients develop solutions for their business disputes including unfair trade practices claims, ownership disputes, business torts, and antitrust and administrative law claims. Jackson represents clients in every stage of litigation, including motion practice, discovery, pre-trial preparation and trial practice and appeals, and advocates for clients in state and federal court, federal administrative proceedings and alternative dispute resolution.
Jackson is an active member of both the Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro Washington and the Washington Building Congress and has served on multiple committees for those organizations. He regularly presents seminars and webinars and writes about emerging legal issues within the construction industry. Jackson is also an editor and active contributor to the firm’s Construction Law Now blog.
Before joining Cohen Seglias, Jackson worked as an attorney for various firms in the DC metro area and clerked for the District of Columbia Superior Court with the Hon. Judge Judith N. Macaluso on the Civil II Trial Calendar.
- Duke University School of Law, J.D.
- Duke University Graduate School, M.A.
- Duke University Undergraduate School, B.A.
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Virginia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
- American Bar Association (ABA) – Forum on Construction Law
- Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro Washington (ABC) – Membership Committee, ABC.XYZ Committee
- American Subcontractors Association – Metro Washington (ASAMW)
- Associated General Contractors of Metro DC (AGC)
- Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association (MDCHCA)
- Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association: Mid- Atlantic (SMACNA)
- Washington Building Congress (WBC)
- William B. Bryant Inn of Court