Jonathan R. Wright

PARTNER | MCLEAN, VA
(703) 749-1000

Jonathan represents owners, prime contractors, and subcontractors, and sureties on construction projects throughout the nation, and particularly, in the mid-Atlantic region.  His experience includes – a wide-range of construction projects such as data centers, buildings, waste water treatment plants, highways, roads, bridges, dredging projects, schools, and municipal water pumping stations.

Jonathan has successfully guided his clients through challenging legal issues involving default terminations, design defects, payment disputes, indemnification, differing site conditions, delay claims, and inefficiency / lost productivity claims.  In addition to his court admissions, Jonathan has experience in various types of dispute resolution including arbitration, mediation, negotiation, and claim preparation.

Memberships & Affiliations

  • Board of Governors, Virginia State Bar Construction and Public Contracts Section
  • General Counsel, National Utility Contractors Association of the District of Columbia
  • Virginia Bar Association
  • Maryland Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Speaking Engagements & Publications

  • Speaker: “Tripping Obligees that Try to End-Run the Surety’s Performance Rights,” 34th Annual Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, September 23, 2023.
  • Speaker: “Federal Government Contracting During COVID-19,” Virginia State Bar Construction and Public Contracts Section, September 16, 2020.
  • Speaker:  “Standardizing Visual Construction Progress Documentation,” Construction Management Association of America, September 24, 2019.
  • Speaker: “Increasing Profits by Recognizing Legal Risks or How to Avoid Hiring a Lawyer Unless Absolutely Necessary,” Architectural Precast Association, September 23, 2018.
  • Author: “New Maryland Law Exposes General Contractors to Unpaid Liability for Unpaid Subcontractor Wages,” Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald Newsletter, Summer 2018.
  • Author :“How Solid is the Penal Sum of Your Bond in Virginia?,” Virginia State Bar Construction Law and Public Contracts Section Newsletter Spring 2018 (Issue. No. 72).
  • Speaker: “Project Management Fundamentals, Leadership Seminar, Best Legal Practices to Keep Jobs Profitable,” National Utility Contractors Association of Pennsylvania, February 9, 2017.
  • Speaker: “From the Trenches: How to Make a Profit and Protect Your Bottom Line,” National Utility Contractors Association of the District of Columbia, September 13, 2017.

Representative Projects

  • 2023-Present: Represent national tunneling and drilling contractor and its subsidiaries on federal and state projects involving roadway construction, rockfall mitigation, and marine dredging and construction.
  • 2022-2023: Successfully defended national engineering firm in multi-party litigation involving a DHS/ICE Administration Facility in El Paso, Texas and resolved the case on favorable terms before commencement of discovery.
  • 2021-2022: Litigated significant Miller Act bond claim against surety and prime contractor on behalf of the key performing subcontractor on a project at the Naval Submarine Base in Kings Bay, Georgia and obtained favorable settlement and resolution of claims.
  • 2020-Present: Represented major D.C. Metro road and bridge contactor in claims pursuit, dispute resolution board hearings, and other matters involving the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
  • 2020-Present: Advise leading data center owner / developer with matters involving construction issues, design issues, and other project-related matters.
  • 2020-2021: Obtained favorable settlement through aggressive litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contact Appeals on behalf of a design-build joint venture involving roadwork on a military base in Virginia.
  • 2018-2019: Obtained arbitration award in the amount of $4,624,596.11 (92% recovery) plus $1,617,704 in attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses on behalf of national surety and prime contractor while also completely defeating the concrete subcontractor’s $2,527,232.98 claim in connection with a $52 million project in Miami, Florida.
  • 2015-2018: Represented wastewater treatment plant prime contractor in actions in Maryland and Pennsylvania on projects in the range of $9 million and litigated actions involving payment disputes, faulty construction plans and specifications, and failure to achieve performance specifications.
  • 2018: Represented modern art museum owner on $235 million project in disputes with prime contractor and subcontractor claims exceeding $11 million.
  • 2017: Obtained preliminary injunction prohibiting erection of cellular antenna array on condominium development in Ocean City, Maryland and negotiated favorable settlement for client.
  • 2017: Successfully defended a national defense contractor facility owner from over $700,000 in potential subcontractor mechanics’ lien claims arising from the bankruptcy of a general contractor and avoided potential double payment to subcontractors.
  • 2017: Litigated mechanics’ lien action exceeding $200,000 on behalf of prime contractor in Fairfax County, Virginia and recovered nearly 90% of outstanding claim.
  • 2017: Obtained full payment on behalf of material supplier through filing of mechanic’s lien in Fairfax County, Virginia.
  • 2017: Represented national surety company in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia in effort to disgorge interim compensation payments to trustee and to re-allocate payments to surety on pro-rata basis.
  • 2017: Obtained 100% judgment in favor of home remodeling company at trial in Maryland state court from lawsuit by project owner alleging breach of contract for non-conforming work
  • 2015-2017: Represented wastewater treatment plant prime contractor in actions in Maryland and Pennsylvania on projects in the range of $9 million and litigated actions involving payment disputes, faulty construction plans and specifications, and failure to achieve performance specifications.
  • 2015-2017: Litigated state-court action and subsequent non-dischargeability action in bankruptcy court against recipient of business loan and obtained favorable settlement for client that includes a consent non-dischargeability judgment in the event of default on settlement terms.
  • 2016: Obtained 90% exoneration at trial for underground contractor defendant against payment suit from subcontractor in Harford County, Maryland.
  • 2016: Counseled international contractor regarding the use of project labor agreements on public-private-partnership project involving construction of Virginia toll roads.
  • 2015-2016: Examined witnesses, conducted and defended depositions, and planned strategy as second chair in arbitration concerning scope of work valued at over $7.5 million between earthwork subcontractor, surety, and general contractor involving construction of high school in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Areas of Practice

  • Construction
  • Surety

Education

  • Washington & Lee University School of Law, J.D., 2009
  • Washington & Lee University, B.A., Politics and European History, 2003

Bar Admissions

  • New York
  • Virginia
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts for the Western District of Virginia
  • U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Maryland
  • U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims