Overview
Located in Jacksonville and St. Petersburg, Bachara Construction Law Group represents clients throughout Florida in every type of construction matter, ranging from payment disputes and bid protests to delay claims, claims of defective design or construction, and questions of insurance coverage. BCLG lawyers also regularly negotiate and draft contracts on behalf of their clients.
With decades of combined experience in construction law and litigation, the Bachara team offers both the expertise of board-certified construction lawyers and the valuable insight of a founder who worked in the construction industry prior to attending law school. Managing partner Chip Bachara is a licensed general contractor with a degree in Building Construction and experience managing large commercial construction projects.
Bachara and Hugh Higgins are both Board-Certified Construction Lawyers who carry Martindale-Hubbell's "AV" rating and Preeminent Lawyer status. They have been recognized multiple times by Florida Super Lawyers, and Bachara has been recognized multiple times by Best Lawyers in America. In 2025, Bachara was named Best Lawyers’ Jacksonville “Lawyer of the Year” for construction litigation for the sixth time.
Thanks to the team's collective depth of knowledge, larger practices regularly refer their most complicated construction matters to BCLG, which also partners with other firms and public entities on large cases. As a result, the firm has been involved in nearly every major construction dispute in Northeast Florida – and others in South Florida and Georgia – since its founding in 2007.
BCLG has been repeatedly designated a Best Lawyers Tier 1 Construction Law Firm. In addition, they were honored as one of only eight construction law practices featured in Chambers & Partners’ inaugural Florida Regional Spotlight in 2024, and one of nine in 2025. With a reputation for timely and effective resolution of complex construction matters and a full range of complementary skills and expertise, Bachara Construction Law Group is qualified to represent clients in every aspect of construction law.
Rankings
Regional
Jacksonville
Firm Leadership
Select Clients
Rankings
Regional
Jacksonville
Practice Areas
- Construction Law
- Litigation - Construction
Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
Awards
Offices & Contacts
Significant Matters
Berkman Plaza II Litigation & Implosion
Bachara Construction Law Group was heavily involved in the litigation resulting from the collapse of the parking garage for Jacksonville’s Berkman Plaza II for several years immediately after the incident. More than ten years after the litigation concluded, a new developer and the City of Jacksonville became embroiled in a legal battle over issues relating to the demolition of the building. BCLG was again called upon to provide representation — this time working on behalf of the implosion subcontractor – in an effort to diffuse tensions so that the building could be imploded with minimal exposure on the contractors to the litigation that was being threatened. The successful conclusion of that engagement resulted in the demolition of the building on Sunday March 6, 2022 – 5,203 days after the collapse of the parking garage.
Trial by Jury of St. Johns County Construction Dispute
In St. Johns County, Florida, a BCLG trial team successfully represented a contractor client in court in a complex construction dispute. After a three-day trial and three hours of deliberations, the jury returned favorable verdicts on each of the 22 counts presented. Defeating all claims against a contractor and recovering all claims and amounts sought by the contractor against the owner is rare, and our team’s extensive knowledge of construction law and careful attention to the facts, combined with extensive research and jury selection expertise, paid off.
Demolition Bid Protest for Courthouse
BCLG successfully represented Environmental Holdings Group (EHG) in a bid protest hearing regarding a contract for the asbestos and mold abatement, demolition, and implosion of the old Duval County Courthouse and City Hall Annex. EHG’s award for the $8M contract was challenged by the second-lowest bidder, which raised some challenging arguments. Following a lengthy hearing before the panel, we were able to defeat each argument and the panel voted unanimously in favor of our client being awarded the bid.
JAXPORT Paving Dispute
In 2016, BCLG settled a high-profile dispute on behalf of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) over defective pavement design at the Dames Point Marine Terminal, negotiating a $10.25M settlement from a contractor and two engineering firms after nearly two and a half years of litigation. Prior to settlement, the Bachara-led legal team conducted more than 100 days of depositions, analyzed more than 1.2 million documents and prepared 2,300 exhibits for trial. Due to the technical complexity of the subject matter, experts for the case were retained from as far away as the U.K., and the mediator who assisted with the settlement was from San Francisco. As a result of BCLG’s efforts, JAXPORT recovered a significant portion of its damage and avoided the heavy expense of a long and complicated trial.
Design/Build Contractor Defense
Defended a design/build contractor against claims by a hospital that their HVAC system was under-designed. Following a three-week bench trial, the federal court determined that the contractor had in fact provided an adequate and proper design, and had neither breached the contract nor fallen below the standard of care for engineering design.
Oceanfront Resort Owner
Represented an oceanfront resort owner against a contractor for the defective installation of concrete roof tiles. Following two days of hearings, the arbitrator determined that the roof was incorrectly installed and the contractor was responsible for $2.18 million in damages. For a link to the arbitrator’s award, click here.
Environmental & Infrastructure Contractor Defense
Defended a nationally-recognized environmental and infrastructure contractor in a construction defect claim involving a complicated drainage system installed at an environmental waste disposal site.
State University Conflict Resolution
Successfully resolved a state university’s claims against a general contractor, surety and architecture firm for construction and design defects related to design and construction of a building envelope system.
Healthcare Facility Conflict Resolution
Successfully resolved a design professional’s claim related to the design of a fire retardant system in a health care facility, as well as related delay claims brought by the contractor.
Contractor’s DOT Bid Protest
Successfully resolved a contractor’s bid protest involving a Department of Transportation environmental services contract brought in the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings.
Road Contractor Bid
Defended the apparent lowest bid of a road contractor for approximately $12.5 million worth of road construction and repairs. The disappointed second-lowest bidder filed a protest asserting that the calculation of the bids was “incorrectly analyzed” and if analyzed “correctly,” would have resulted in the contract being awarded to them. Following public hearings before a hearing officer and the county commission, our client was awarded the project despite vigorous opposition and significant efforts by the second-lowest bidder to sway votes in its favor through political influence.