Photo of Joseph Barra

Joe has significant experience handling disputes and transactional matters involving the design and construction of office buildings, hospitals, shopping malls, highways, utilities, prisons, primary and secondary schools, universities, condominiums, wastewater facilities, water and scavenger waste treatment facilities, waste-to-energy facilities, landfill gas-to-energy facilities, gas-fired electrical power plants, hydroelectric dams, onshore and offshore natural gas pipelines, and electric substations. With skills gained in his first career as a civil engineer, he has represented clients in the construction industry for the past 20 years. Read his full bio here.

Below is an excerpt of the “Legal Column” published in the Summer 2021 issue of PE Magazine, the flagship publication of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).

Prior to COVID-19, the term “design to budget” was probably not a scary concept. After all, modern designers always consider the client’s budget when putting our Leroy

Published in the “Legal Beat” column of the Winter 2021 issue of PE, the flagship publication of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), this article focuses on COVID-19’s impact to the common law as it affects the design professional’s standard of care. Joe and Niel offer a primer on the design professional’s standard of

In a recent decision likely to have a significant impact upon the way private construction projects in Massachusetts are managed, the Superior Court recently construed the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Statute in the way the Statute (Statute) was meant to be enforced, but contrary to most current construction practice.

In Tocci Building Corp. v. IRIV Partners

Passed in 2010, the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Statute imposed specific requirements on owners, contractors and subcontractors of private projects over $3M with regard to submitting, processing and approving requests for payment and change orders.  A recent decision by the Massachusetts Superior Court entitled, Tocci v. IRIV Partners, LLC, et. al. has confirmed that