Buck Beltzer – Beltzer Bangert & Gunnell LLP

Impact of Construction Defects on Multi-Family Home Construction. Colorado Real Estate Journal Multi-Family Development and Investment Conference. October 2014.

Choosing Between Judge, Jury and Arbitrator: What's the Real Difference? Webinar, ABA Forum on Construction Law. February 2014.

No Damages for Delay. American Bar Association Mid-Winter Conference, Naples, FL. January 2013.

The Evidence you Need to Engineer a Winning Case. Invited group. April 2012.

Proving and Defending Delay and Impact Claims. Invited group. April 2011.

Recent Trends in Limitation of Liability Clauses. ABA Forum on Construction Law, Division 3, Hot Topic Teleconference. September 2009.

AIA vs. ConsensusDocs Battle of the Forms. Invited group. February 2008.

Construction Impacts of 2007 Legislation. ACEC-Colorado. August 2007.

Buck is a professional engineer turned construction lawyer. He develops strategies to turn-around troubled projects, and if the dispute is unavoidable he steps in to help resolve it. Buck has won cases tried to juries, arbitration panels, and judges. These disputes have involved contract scope, schedule/delay, impacts, standard of care, and construction defects on commercial, infrastructure, and energy projects, both private and public. He’s represented parties to design-bid-build, CM/GC, target price, design-build, ESCO, incentive, and P3 delivery method agreements. He’s resolved complex, multi-party and multi-tier disputes where significant damages were at risk.

Buck is involved in a number of industry associations. He contributes locally to the DBIA as a board member and to other local and national industry associations, such as the Colorado Contractors Association and Associated General Contractors of Colorado as a contributing member. He has served in various capacities and in division and committee-level leadership positions in the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction law.

He has been recognized by various legal publications as a top lawyer. Best Lawyers named him Colorado’s Lawyer of the Year for the practice areas of Construction Law and Litigation - Construction in 2020.

Buck is licensed to practice law in Colorado and Nevada, and has represented clients via pro hac vice admission in Wyoming, Washington, Nevada, Kansas, Montana, California, South Dakota, Minnesota, and South Carolina.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Buck worked as a civil engineer in Colorado and North Carolina, specializing in transportation infrastructure and major interchange projects. His team designed several high-profile projects, like the University Boulevard interchange portion of Denver's design-build TREX project and the roadway and ramp improvements for the Piedmont Triad International Airport's FedEx handling facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is licensed as a professional engineer in Colorado.

Buck holds a Bachelors of Civil Engineering from Auburn University and a Juris Doctorate from University of Denver, where he graduated Order of the Coif, was awarded several American Jurisprudence awards, co-founded the Construction Law Society, and was an Associate Editor of the Law Review.

Lead counsel for top-10 ENR Contractor in $20 million payment and differing site condition claim on commercial building against a local government. The claim resolved favorably in mediation.
Lead counsel for top-ten ENR Contractor alleging $3 million in delay and disruption damages against design-build architect. The claim resolved favorably in mediation.
Defended the lead engineer of a $500 million design-build project against payment claims asserted by a sub-consultant on a target price agreement. Prevailed in arbitration, including an award of $1.5 million in legal fees for the client.
Represented the lead engineer in prosecuting $15 million in indemnity claims relating to design defects on a $1 billion public-private-partnership rail project. The claims resolved favorably in mediation.
Defended a top-100 ENR Contractor seeking $1.5 million in delay and supplementation claims against a terminated drywall subcontractor seeking $500k in contract balance. Prevailed in arbitration, including an award of legal fees for the client.
Lead counsel for top-10 ENR Contractor in dispute over $3.5 million for extra work, time-related overhead, and subcontractor pass-through claims on a commercial building.
Represented a design-build contractor in a four-week arbitration in pursuit of a $13 million differing site conditions claim and in defense of a $25 million termination claim against a municipal water company on a sediment dredging and pumping project. The hearing officer denied approximately 99% of the municipal water company's claims.
Defended a top-10 ENR engineering firm in a $2 million contract, standard of care, and overbilling dispute brought by a local water district. The jury awarded approximately 3% of the District’s claim and handed down a complete defense verdict for the firm on the over-billing claim.
Defended a design-builder against $8.5 million in extra work claims brought by a subcontractor. After a two-week jury trial in Federal Court, the jury awarded only $150 thousand in damages.
Defended a mining project owner in a $5 million dispute brought by a utilities contractor for claims relating to extra work. The matter was heard in a five-day hearing before a three-person arbitration panel, which ordered the mining project owner to pay an amount less than could have been achieved in pre-hearing settlement.
Represented a top-20 ENR engineering consultant in a $1 million contract dispute with a design-build contractor over an incentive clause payment. The project, a four-lane highway in the mountains, contained significant cuts and fills, which formed the basis for the incentive clause calculation. The matter resolved favorably before trial.
Represented a commercial-building owner bringing $2 million construction defect claims against a design-build contractor. The case was resolved for an amount sufficient to fund repairs.
Represented a metals mine owner in a $45 million errors and omissions claim against a chemical process and handling engineer. The matter was resolved favorably for a confidential amount with the help of a special master.
Negotiated $200 million agreement for the construction of a mixed-use (hotel, condo, resort) building.
Assisted general contractor in negotiating a Master Construction Agreement with an entertainment-industry owner.
Assisted general contractor with Colorado- specific issues related to potential condo conversion in a high-rise apartment tower in downtown Denver.
Drafted construction and schedule terms for build/lease-back of an office building.
Drafted and negotiated an engineering services agreement for the design of an integrated health care, treatment, and child services facility.

Buck S. Beltzer, P.E., Esq.

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