Hiring a Fort Lauderdale Surety Bond Attorney

In the construction industry and all things pertaining to it, surety bonds play a vital role. Performance and payment bonds, two types of contract bonds, financially assure that contractors, subcontractors, laborers, and the people who supply materials, will receive payment for the materials and labor they provide for a project, and that the project is completed according to the stipulations of the contract. A Fort Lauderdale surety bond attorney can assist you with any of the matters below:

• Performance bonds: a performance bond is a promise by a surety to a bond obligee (typically, the general contractor or owner) that a project will be completed if the bond principal (typically, the general contractor or subcontractor) does not fulfill the terms of a contract. The bond protects the obligee against losses resulting from the principal’s failure to meet the obligations stated in the contract.
• Payment bonds: A payment bond assures downstream subcontractors, materialmen, or laborers that they will be paid for a valid claim when the general contractor or subcontractor fails to pay them. The bond also protects the project owner by ensuring that liens do not attach to the property by replacing the bond for the property.
• Commercial bonds: commercial bonds come in many shapes and forms. The firm handles fidelity bonds, which protect a business against losses it may incur if its employees or independent contractors and consultants retained by the business are deceptive and intentionally perpetrate illicit acts. The firm has also handled commercial surety bonds including licensing and permit bonds, which provide assurances to the obligee (in this case, a government entity) that the principal (a contractor or company) is adequately licensed to work on a project and will uphold the laws or local rules for the specified license or permit, concerning a specific area of expertise such as electrical, plumbing, or air conditioning.

The law firm of Jonathan P. Cohen, P.A. has a successful history, practicing surety law, construction law and business law in the state of Florida. Our attorneys have substantial surety litigation experience, zealously representing sureties in disputes arising from claims filed under payment and performance bonds in negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal litigation.

Our law firm has several attorneys, each with extensive experience in surety bond law, with each managing numerous legal disputes from pre-litigation negotiations to post-judgment collection activities in state court, federal court, and in arbitration. While representing our surety clients and consulting with them regarding their situations, we focus on protecting our clients’ rights, as we assist them in many areas associated with surety issues including the following:

• Bankruptcy
• Secured transactions
• Collections/salvage

We advise our clients to implement the most secure and diligent business practices to prevent susceptibility to liability relating to issues typical to a bonded construction project. However, when circumstances become complex and some issues can’t be avoided, we can pinpoint the dilemma and propose solutions that are also efficient to resolving complicated performance and payment bond conflicts. As our clients’ representatives, we often participate on their behalf in negotiations involving general contractors, subcontractors, project owners, and creditors, that concern sensitive issues associated with the construction or bonding process.

We expertly manage delicate situations involving:

• Project defaults
• Project terminations
• Completion of projects
• Contractor negligence
• Construction defects
• Contractual interpretation
• Design/engineering claims
• Financing arrangements
• First or third party insurance disagreements

We, as the attorneys of Jonathan P. Cohen, P.A., work with our clients and counsel them concerning loss avoidance and moderation strategies when circumstances arise regarding the contractor’s ability to complete their project. Our Fort Lauderdale surety bond attorney has substantial experience dealing with contractors who are unable or refuse to perform their bonded obligations, for a myriad of situations, in situations such as the following:

• Issues with the owner or obligee
• Issues concerning design or engineering
• Unforeseen or changed conditions
• Performance issues with a subcontractor
• Contractor’s financial difficulties

Fort Lauderdale Surety Bond Attorney Jonathan P. Cohen

Each of us at Jonathan P. Cohen, P.A, has surety law experience in Florida, and we provide professional and expert representation to every client taking  the utmost care to protect our clients’ rights. If you are in need of our legal services, write us at our contact page or call us at: (954) 462-8850 to schedule a consultation.