Mr. Asmar counsels clients in construction, government contracts and real estate transactional law. He represents owners (private and public), developers, utility providers, general contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, sureties, and suppliers and has been involved in a wide variety of large, complex projects, including commercial and governmental office buildings, embassies, public school systems, rail and light rail, hospitals, airports, large-scale residential buildings, condominiums, water treatment facilities, major utility relocation work, roads, highways and bridges.
Mr. Asmar advises his clients on acquisitions, dispositions, leases (including government leases), bid solicitation, awards, pre-construction services and project delivery. He prepares fully integrated project delivery documentation for the design and construction processes. He advises on the advantages and risks of various project delivery methods including construction management, P3, and design build. His practice includes oversight and advice relating to all contract administration issues, claims development and defenses (including design defects, delay, and labor impacts), mechanic’s lien and bond claims and defenses, and government contracts.
Mr. Asmar’s alternative dispute resolution and litigation practice includes construction, government contracts, real estate transactions, suretyship and insurance. Mr. Asmar has been lead counsel in multiple complex design, construction, insurance, and surety-related disputes in federal and state courts, state and Federal Boards of Contract Appeals, and in arbitrations and mediations.
Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Asmar, a native Washingtonian, was a mechanical contractor in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He graduated from the University of Vermont and received his law degree from the Columbus School of Law, the Catholic University of America. Mr. Asmar is a member of the state bars of Maryland and the District of Columbia. He is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Federal Claims, the Federal Boards of Contract Appeals, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Federal, and Fourth Circuits.
Mr. Asmar serves on the Executive Committee and board of Directors for the District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) and was formerly Chair of DCBIA’s Construction and Development Committee. He is former Chairman of the Board for the Washington Building Congress (2011). He is a Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers (2018). He is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry and the MD State Bar Association’s Construction Law Section. Mr. Asmar holds a Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent AV rating of 5.0 (for 20 years), is listed in Chambers and Partners Leading Lawyers as one of the top construction lawyers in the District of Columbia (2008-2021), and is a Washington, DC Super Lawyer in the fields of construction litigation, government contracts and government/cities municipalities (2008-2020). He has been ranked in Who’s Who Legal: Construction and Best Lawyers since 2016. He is also a Charter Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA). He has prepared numerous articles on construction law and lectured for Federal Publications, Inc. and various design and construction related associations.
