Michael Metz-Topodas Brings Significant Experience Advising Construction Industry Clients to Saul Ewing

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Michael Metz-Topodas brings significant experience to his new role as a partner in Saul Ewing’s Construction Practice, including representing clients in construction-related litigation and disputes and counseling them on construction law matters. He resides in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Mr. Metz-Topodas represents general contractors, subcontractors, owners, designers, and suppliers on private, public, and federal projects. He handles construction disputes involving delay and inefficiency claims, design and construction defects, unforeseen site conditions, project scope disputes, bid protests, and payment claims, including mechanics liens, bond claims, and Miller Act claims. He also focuses on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory compliance and citation defense for construction and industrial clients.

Some of Mr. Metz-Topodas’s notable representations include:

  • A site contractor facing multiple OSHA citations for silica-related violations, including repeat occurrences, even though an investigation revealed the citations lacked full factual and legal basis. Obtained a favorable settlement that reclassified most violations and reduced their penalties.
  • A paving contractor seeking payment for unpaid work performed in response to an unjustified order to remove and replace from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. After  he drove the litigation before the Board of Claims, he eventually negotiated a resolution that compensated the contractor and ensured final payment.
  • A self-storage company with two separate project disputes against the general contractor and architect, one involving construction delays and unapproved change order work and the other pertaining to defective work leading to building envelope water infiltration. Achieved a favorable settlement and recovery for both matters in state court litigation.

“We are thrilled to welcome Michael to Saul Ewing,” said Cathleen M. Devlin, chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department. “Michael provides clients with real-time counseling on issues that arise during construction projects to mitigate the risk of litigation, and is equally at home moving disputes into the courtroom, before regulatory agencies, and into alternative dispute resolution forums. No matter the venue, the depth and breadth of Michael’s experience position him as a go-to for clients and an extremely effective advocate for them throughout the life cycle of construction projects.”

Mr. Metz-Topodas earned his J.D. from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law and his B.A. from Swarthmore College. Before attending law school, Michael taught history and political science in private and public schools both abroad in Switzerland and Korea and here in the United States, including Strath Haven High School, in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

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