Construction and real estate attorney Wally Zimolong has one piece of advice to anybody in the business: "An overwhelming amount of these disputes could have been avoided if the contractor, designer, or architect had reached out to me first and had me review the contract, terms, and conditions that they were agreeing to."

In 18 years of practice in construction contract law, Zimolong represented contractors, developers, and professional designers. Disputed amounts range from $2,000 all the way up to several million dollars, but one common thread unifying all these cases is this: It really all comes down to a matter of contract.

"I often tell clients that the time and expense that goes into a dispute don’t necessarily have anything to do with the amount in controversy. It has to do with the facts in the case, and really, it underscores the expense that goes into litigating a case involving just a dispute over a construction contract."

This is part 1 of a 5-part series on how to make sure your contracts are protecting your firm’s interests. We will discuss:

- Laying out scope and payment terms so you can get paid faster

- Avoiding disputes with change orders

- Perfecting your claims so you can recover losses

- Preventing litigation in court that could drain your assets