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James E. Edwards Jr.

Shareholder

James E. Edwards Jr. is a shareholder in the Firm's Baltimore office and focuses his practice in the areas of construction law and civil litigation, as well as serving as a neutral in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Professional Biography


Mr. Edwards has extensive experience in design and construction contract preparation and public and private construction claims resolution. He has also handled procurement matters before various governmental agencies and boards of contract appeals, including bid protests and claims. Mr. Edwards has represented owners, contractors, and subcontractors in claims involving defective design and construction, delay and impact, disputed changes, bid protest, contract termination, and contract interpretation, as well as handling related mechanic's lien and bond claims.

His experience in mediation and arbitration in construction-related and other dispute resolution is vast. Mr. Edwards has served as an advocate for clients in numerous alternative dispute resolution proceedings. He also has successfully completed both the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Dispute Resolution's Arbitration Training Institute and the 40-hour program, Essential Skills for the New Mediator, presented by the American Arbitration Association and served as a neutral in both arbitration and mediation proceedings.

As an experienced trial lawyer, Mr. Edwards also represents both individual and corporate fiduciaries and beneficiaries in fiduciary litigation arising from estate and trust administration as well as businesses and individuals in corporate, personal and employment-related litigation in federal and state courts in Maryland and in the mid-Atlantic region.

Mr. Edwards is active in many professional organizations and takes a lead role in numerous community activities. He is on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the President's Advisory Council for the Greater Baltimore Committee and is a member of the Equal Justice Council, which provides support for Maryland Legal Aid. Mr. Edwards also chaired the Building Committee for the construction of a $1.6 million Worship Center for St. Francis de Sales Church in Abingdon, Maryland, served on the State of Maryland Task Force on Common Ownership Communities, and is a graduate of the Harford Leadership Academy sponsored by the Harford County Chamber of Commerce.

  • Represented the subcontractor in a five-day arbitration proceeding in the successful defense of a claim by the contractor to recover damages for alleged foundation water infiltration, recovering the entire balance due under the subcontract, including the value of unapproved change orders, attorneys' fees, and costs.

  • Successful defense of a national prime contractor in a claim by a roofing subcontractor on a large airport expansion involving the subcontractor's attempt to recover the cost incurred pursuant to a warranty to remove the failed roof.

  • Representation of a large regional general contractor in a multiparty dispute regarding alleged delays and defective design and construction of a multiuse project in North Carolina.

  • Successful multiday arbitration proceeding representing a real estate developer in a dispute with a contractor regarding payment and change orders on a mid-size commercial construction project.

  • Multiple engagements by a large regional general contractor to negotiate various forms of construction contracts with owners, and subcontract agreements with subcontractors, for significant mixed-use commercial and residential projects.

  • Successful handling of the arbitration proceeding on behalf of trust beneficiaries against their trustees seeking declaratory relief regarding the application of provisions in a complex Trust Agreement.

  • Successful defense of a national elevator company of claims by the owner of a high-rise hotel regarding the performance of the elevator equipment.

Professional Memberships

  • Member – American Bar Association
    • Section on Litigation
    • Forum Committee on the Construction Industry
    • Section on Public Contract Law
  • Member – Baltimore City Bar Association
  • Member – Harford County Bar Association
  • Member – Maryland State Bar Association
  • Member – Construction Financial Management Association

Community Services

Honoraries

  • Listed in Chambers USA as a leading Construction lawyer in Maryland (2023, 2024)
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for International, Commercial and Government Arbitration (2011), Construction Law, and Litigation - Construction (2014 – 2025)
  • Named the Best Lawyers® 2019 and 2017 Litigation – Construction "Lawyer of the Year" in Baltimore
  • Listed in Maryland Super Lawyers, Construction Litigation (2007 – 2013, 2015 – 2024); Construction and Real Estate (2014); listed as one of the top 100 lawyers in Baltimore (2018) 
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Listed in BTI Consulting Group's Client Service All-Stars for Law Firms (2023)
  • Listed in The Daily Record's Power 30 Law (2021)
  • Author – "The Practical Applications of Maryland Discovery Rules," Civil Discovery Practice in Maryland [Ober|Kaler]
  • Author – "ADR Options, Employment Discrimination Litigation: Developments and Strategies," ABA Tort and Insurance Practice Section [Ober|Kaler]
  • Speaker – Various seminars related to electronic discovery
  • Speaker – "Contracting Considerations for Contractors and Consultants," Build College, BLocal (2016)
  • Speaker – "Fiduciary Litigation: Contesting and Defending Wills, Trusts, and Inter Vivos Transfers," Maryland State Bar Association (2015 and 2016)
  • Speaker – "Avoiding Estate-Related Disputes," presentation for fiduciaries and Certified Public Accountants (2013)
  • Speaker – "Fiduciary Litigation: Aging Boomers and Their Parents Drive an Upswing in Disputes," Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants
  • Speaker and Co-author – "Residential Construction Disputes," MICPEL
  • Speaker and Author – "Rights and Remedies Against State Insurance Guaranty Funds," Lorman Business Center, Inc.
  • Speaker – "Appropriate Dispute Resolution: Effective Business Conflict Management," co-sponsored by Ober|Kaler and the American Arbitration Association
  • Speaker and Author – "Mechanic's Lien Law in Maryland," Lorman Business Center, Inc.
  • Instructor – Nine-Day Intensive Trial Advocacy Program, Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers

Industries

Education

  • University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1982, with honors
    • Maryland Law Review, 1980 – 1982
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, B.A., 1978

Admissions

  • Maryland, 1982
  • Court of Appeals of Maryland
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
  • U.S. Supreme Court

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