Vernon Howerton helps businesses avoid and resolve commercial disputes through negotiation, alternative dispute resolution and litigation, with an emphasis on construction and government contract law. He has more than 25 years of experience helping construction owners, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers enforce and defend their rights in disputes arising from public and private heavy civil, industrial, telecom and commercial project contracts, including claims related to changed work, extra work, differing site conditions, defective specifications, suspensions, delays and construction defects. Vernon has tried multiple suits to verdict or award and is member of the American Arbitration Association’s national roster of construction neutrals. He also presents and defends various bid protests related to federal, state and local government contracts and defends OSHA citations for workplace safety violations.
Vernon protects his clients outside the adversarial setting as well. He has significant experience negotiating and documenting construction contracts and advising clients on the risks associated with various transactions. He also represents small, disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned businesses in certification disputes and helps government contractors and vendors overturn the denial of DBE, MBE and WBE participation credits.
Clients also trust Vernon to solve problems that go beyond construction law and impact the other areas of their businesses. Whether he personally handles every aspect of the case or oversees another experienced lawyer at the firm, Vernon can help clients resolve any issue they may encounter, including employment disputes, tax controversies, personal injury claims and much more.