Stephen A. Venzie
- Wilmington
- svenzie@cohenseglias.com
- 302.462.3616
- Served as special construction counsel for a large commercial insurance owner in a dispute involving seven other parties related to the construction and servicing of the building’s HVAC system after the HVAC system deteriorated quickly. After utilizing an expert and his report and advocating for the client in a mediation, obtained a successful settlement on behalf of the owner.
- Represented a manufacturer of a proprietary wall panel system in the defense and prosecution of claims involving two of the world’s largest metal processors and distributors on a U.S. Army project.
- Successfully defended a large general contractor against bid protests appealed to the New Jersey Appellate Division for multi-million-dollar airport and courthouse projects.
- Defended a local township against an unduly burdensome public records act request and successfully settled the dispute on appeal to the administrative law judge.
- Counseled a local fire department through the default termination of its general contractor on a new fire station project, including invoking the performance bond, overseeing the surety’s completion of the project, and obtaining a successful settlement on behalf of the fire department.
As an experienced construction litigator, Stephen counsels public and private owners, engineers, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, suppliers, and sureties through all stages of public, private, and federal projects. He represents clients on projects such as commercial and retail buildings, casinos, libraries, schools and universities, student housing, restaurants, condominiums, courthouses, airports, rail lines, hospitals, roads, sewers, wastewater treatment plants, fire stations, process piping plants, and military-owned facilities.
Clients rely on Stephen to assist them through the various disputes that can occur on a construction project. He considers both the client’s short-term and long-term goals during a project related dispute and helps the client develop strategies that puts them in a position to overcome the immediate problem but also be prepared to prosecute or defend any post-completion dispute. Stephen also helps clients minimize or avoid project disputes by drafting, negotiating, and reviewing a wide variety of contracts, purchase orders, and service agreements. He has experience counseling clients on many types of project-related disputes including, bidding, design errors and omissions, specification and construction discrepancies and defects, non-conforming materials, schedule delay, inefficiency and acceleration claims, unforeseen and differing site conditions, scope changes, defaults and terminations, and payment claims.
When a dispute is not resolved during the course of the project, Stephen represents clients in the prosecution and defense of claims in all phases of post-completion litigation in both federal and state court. He also represents clients in alternative dispute resolution proceedings including pre-litigation case assessment and counseling, the filing and prosecution of payment and performance bond claims, Miller Act claims and mechanics’ lien claims, mediations, arbitrations, trials, and appeals.
In addition to his construction litigation practice, Stephen counsels clients through ancillary commercial disputes and issues such as shareholder redemption and operating agreement disputes, non-compete clauses, employee wage disputes, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) levies, and corporate formation and dissolution.
Before joining Cohen Seglias, Stephen served as a Vice President of a well-respected, boutique law firm specializing in construction law and litigation in the tri-state area. Stephen led the opening of the firm’s Delaware office and served as the managing attorney for the firm’s Delaware office and New Jersey practice.
- Villanova University School of Law, J.D.
- University of Wisconsin – Madison, B.S.
- Delaware
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, District of Delaware
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- Associated Builders and Contractors Delaware Chapter (ABC)
- Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA) – Founding Fellow (2017 – 2018)
- Delaware Contractors Association (DCA) – Co-Chair of the Young Executives Committee (2010 – 2012)
- Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA)
- Green Building United (GBA)
- Rustin Walk Community Association – Secretary, Board Member
- LEED® Green Associate™, United States Green Building Council, Green Business Certification Institute, Inc.
- Super Lawyers’ Delaware Rising Stars List, Construction Litigation: 2016
- Super Lawyers’ Pennsylvania Rising Stars List, Construction Litigation: 2013 – 2017