Team Photos & Biographies

Robert L. O'Halloran
Partner
(503) 412-3507 Direct
Contact Bob

Bob has over 24 years of expertise in construction, surety and public contract law, successfully representing the interests of contractors, subcontractors, public owners, private owners and sureties. He joined McEwen Gisvold as a partner in 2004. Bob has served his clients in the construction and procurement area by negotiating design-build and other forms of construction contracts, handling bid protests on public projects, construction liens, payment and performance bond claims, and other cases involving all types of disputes in the construction setting, whether in state or federal litigation, mediation or arbitration.

Representative Matters
Represented plaintiff framing subcontractor in dispute against defendant prime contractor on two separate condominium projects involving subcontractor's liens and claims in excess of $4 million and contractor's counterclaims in excess of $2 million

Represented plaintiff prime contractor against defendant private owner in dispute involving contractor's lien and claims in excess of $1.8 million and owner's counterclaims in excess of $700,000

Represented defendant public owner against plaintiff prime contractor in defending prime contractor's claims in excess of $2 million on wastewater treatment facility project

Represented private owner in negotiating contract documents with prime contractor for construction of $14 million parking structure

Represented prime contractor in negotiating contract documents with owner for construction of $8 million low-income apartment project

Represented subcontractor in connection with claims totaling over $4 million by and against prime contractor and by and against subcontractor's surety relating to subcontract termination

Represented surety in resolving performance bond claims by claimant school district based on prime contractor's defective work

Represented prime contractor on public project in connection with claims in excess of $1 million against school district, and school district's counterclaims in excess of $300,000

Education
Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, Juris Doctor (1982)
University of Oregon, Bachelor of Science (1979)

Admitted to Practice
Oregon State Courts
United States District Court, District of Oregon (1982)
United States Claims Court (1986)
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (1990)
United States Tax Court (1992)

Professional & Community Activities

Bob is actively involved in the construction industry as an associate member of the Associated General Contractors, the American Bar Association sections on Fidelity and Security Law, Torts and Insurance Practice sections, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry and the National Bond Claims Association. He volunteers within his community as a NE Metro Babe Ruth Baseball board member.

A noted author and speaker, Bob's publications and seminars include:

• Construction Litigation in Oregon: Contract Issues, Lorman Education Services Continuing Education, 2000
• Construction Law: Real Life Problems in Public Contracting, The Surety’s Role Beginning to End, Oregon Law Institute, 1997
• Bid Mistakes, Delays, Time and Costs, American Society of Professional Estimators, 1997
• Lien and Payment Bond Rights, Bid Mistakes, Delays and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction Financial Management Association, 1997
• Suits Against Owners, Differing Remedies for Public and Private Contracting, Law Seminars International, 1996
• Construction Damages, During Construction: The Contractor’s Perspective, Oregon Law Institute, 1994
• Understanding the Interplay Between Indemnity and the Additional Insured, co-author and co-presenter, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Tenth Annual Meeting, 1994
• Construction Law for Local Government Officials, Termination from the Surety’s Perspective, Oregon City Attorneys Association, 1993