Duane Morris partner Benton T. Wheatley has been recognized by Best Lawyers® as the “2024 Construction Lawyer of the Year” in Austin, Texas. The recognition is given to only one attorney for each practice area and city. Lawyers are selected based on high marks received during peer-review assessments conducted by Best Lawyers each year.
Mr. Wheatley practices in the area of construction law with a focus on construction, design and engineering disputes and transactions, fiduciary responsibilities in relation to private equity investment in the real estate development construction process, and on counseling REITs and private equity firms on rights and options as purchaser of recently completed construction projects with construction or design defects. Mr. Wheatley has practiced in a wide range of construction areas, including complex delay; impact; defective design; defective construction, differing site conditions claims, or fiduciary duties involving mediation, litigation or arbitration; and problem project workouts, including negotiating with sureties and owners. He also has experience with the drafting and negotiation of complex construction, design, counseling private equity firms on managing risk present in their passive limited partner investments, counseling developers and construction managers on policies and processes necessary to comply with fiduciary duties arising from passive limited partner investment in construction projects and engineering contracts and environmental issues concerning construction projects. In addition, while serving as assistant general counsel for a large international architectural/engineering firm, Mr. Wheatley worked on issues regarding project delivery in all fifty states, Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina.
