JOHN JOZWICK

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GENERAL OVERVIEW

Key Skills & Experience:

John Jozwick is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) North America. In his leadership role, John also manages the advisory services area of RLB North America, providing project consulting services, claim analysis, expert opinion, construction defect forensics, dispute avoidance, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a mediator, umpire, and arbitrator.
With over forty years of experience in the construction industry, John provides advisory services to owners, contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, sureties, lenders, insurance carriers, and attorneys relating to construction projects, disputes, dispute avoidance, and dispute resolution. His experience in the construction industry has been broad and extensive. He has experience as a Project Engineer, Owner’s Construction Representative, Attorney, Consultant and Expert Witness, and ADR Provider. During his career, John has been involved in a wide variety of construction projects and disputes including bridges, roads, transit, utilities / infrastructure, civil, residential, multi-family, office, hotel, casino, commercial, mixed use, industrial, educational, courts, hospitals, marine facilities, ship repair, and shipbuilding.

Being responsible for RLB’s North America advisory services, John oversees the investigation and expert opinions in areas that include: claims for additional compensation / requests for equitable adjustments; schedule / delay claims; loss of efficiency / cumulative disruption analyses; identifying scope and costs to complete / repair a project; breaches of contract / terminations; performance and payment bond claims; and construction defects / forensic investigations. He has provided expert testimony at trial, mediation, arbitration, and administrative hearings relating to these areas of advisory services.

This background has given John a unique and balanced perspective. He has hands-on project experience and has experience as an owner’s representative to representing contractors and subcontractors. John has represented both plaintiffs and defendants as an attorney and as an expert. As a trained and experienced professional in ADR processes, John provides services as a mediator, umpire, and arbitrator of construction disputes. Most importantly, John is an advocate of dispute avoidance processes. He is trained and experienced as a Dispute Resolution Board (DRB) Member and Project Neutral. He has qualified as a DRB panel member for Department of Transportation projects in Washington, California, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Further, John has provided Project Neutral services for vertical, industrial, and horizontal construction projects exceeding Two Billion Dollars ($2B).

Years of Experience:

Academic Qualifications:

Professional Licenses / Certifications:

Professional Memberships:

Detail of Professional Experience

 

2002 – Present Senior Vice President And General Counsel

Rider Levett Bucknall Ltd

Phoenix, AZ

See description above. 

 

1985 – 2001      Attorney

Represented construction clients on projects including general, commercial, industrial, residential, marine, civil, and ship repair /shipbuilding construction, both public and private projects.  Clients have included owners, primes, subcontractors and sureties. Dispute experience included claim preparation and defense, and the prosecution of construction claims through litigation, arbitration, or mediation.  Disputes have included: bid protests, design defects, defective construction claims, constructive change claims, changed site conditions, acceleration and loss of efficiency claims, delay claims, terminations for default and convenience, guarantee and warranty claims, breaches of contract, collections and payment disputes, disruption claims, suspensions of work, bond claims, and payment disputes.

 

Practice included working at contractor facilities and on-site at construction projects assisting in project management, contract administration, reserving rights to delay and additional compensation, schedule and delay analysis, and preparing documentation for claims.

Beginning in 1994, practice included acting as an ADR Provider, hearing and resolving construction related disputes. 

In addition, for over five years was responsible for overseeing the preparation of opinion reports and claims relating to additional compensation or delay claims by in-house claim consultants working within the law firms.  Prepared, analyzed, and oversaw numerous claims for additional compensation and schedule impact, including analysis of entitlement issues, cost analysis, and schedule analysis.

Firms of employment include:

 

1994 - 2001      John T Jozwick, P.L.L.C. Greenwood Village, CO and Paradise Valley, AZ                   

1992 - 1993      Schiffrin Hopkins & Olson Seattle, WA

1989 - 1992      Bryan Schiffrin & Mcmonagle Seattle, WA

1988 - 1989      John T Jozwick, P.L.L.C. Federal Way, WA

1985 - 1987      Taylor Bryan & Hintze Seattle, WA

 

1981 - 1985     Owner’s Construction Representative

                        US Department of the Navy, Military Sealift Command Tacoma, WA

 

Projects included the design and construction of the T-AGOS 1 Ocean Surveillance Class (USNS Stalwart), and various repair projects.  The positions of Engineer and CONREP with the Department of the Navy provided hands-on experience with public / government contracts, design, project management, contract administration, scheduling, inspections, estimates, bids, change orders, and disputes on ship repair and shipbuilding projects.

 

 1978 - 1980   Project Engineer

                       US Department of the Navy, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, San Diego San Diego, CA

 

Projects included the construction of the Destroyer Tender AD-41 Class (USS Yellowstone), and the design and construction of the T-ARC 7 (USNS Zeus).  Experience with inspecting work to conform with plans and specifications, field engineering, scheduling, and contract administration.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Experience:

 

Arbitration: 

Arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) since 1994 being on the AAA Commercial Panel, Construction Panel, Large Complex Construction Panel, and Consumer Panel.  Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb).  Arbitrator with the CPR Institute Construction Panel.  Arbitrator with Construction Dispute Resolution Services (CDRS).  Experienced as a sole arbitrator, panel arbitrator, and as chair of panel arbitrations.  Additionally, retained as a party appointed arbitrator in private arbitration matters and retained as the neutral third chair arbitrator for construction disputes. 

 

Mediation / Umpire:

Mediator with the American Arbitration Association (AAA).  Mediator with the CPR Institute Construction Panel.  Mediator with Construction Dispute Resolution Services (CDRS).  Experienced mediator, umpire, and arbitrator of construction disputes.

 

Dispute Review Board (DRB) / Project Neutral:

Trained and experienced in claims avoidance programs to minimize disputes during a project. Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF) member. Dispute Resolution Board (DRB) panel member for State of Washington Department of Transportation projects. Qualified CalTrans DRB and DAB panel member. Qualified for WisDOT’s Statewide Standing Roster of Prequalified DRB Members. Qualified as State of Nevada DRT panelist. Dispute Resolution Board / Project Neutral experience includes vertical construction project for a children’s hospital campus expansion project, mixed use development, assisted living housing facility, and an industrial expansion project. Value of projects providing Project Neutral services exceeds Two Billion Dollars ($2B).

 

Other ADR Professional Affiliations:

Chair of State Bar of Arizona ADR Section 2013 – 2014.  Vice Chair and Chair Elect, State Bar of Arizona Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section 2012 - 2013.

Examples of Construction Disputes Heard / Resolved:

Continuing Education and Training - Alternative Dispute Resolution:

 

Continuing Education and Training - Construction Training and Education:

Publications and Speaking Engagements:

Publications

Speaking Engagements: