John J. McDonnell | Attorney

John J. McDonnell has more than 28 years of combined experience in the engineering/construction field and construction law field.  He has been a practicing attorney for 15 years in matters involving construction claims, civil litigation, administrative law, real estate development, and environmental permitting for construction projects.  Prior to being admitted to the Bar, John has also been a project manager and resident engineer on major highway and bridge construction projects.  John also serves on the Board of Directors for the Design Build Institute of America New England Region and has significant Design-Build project experience.

At Cetrulo and Capone, John practices in the areas of surety and construction law, representing surety companies, general contractors, and subcontractors, and represents design professionals in insurance defense matters.  He has civil litigation experience in state courts involving construction claims, design professional liability, and real estate permitting matters.  John also has experience in the area of land use law, zoning, and the public meeting process.  His past project permitting experience ranges from permitting for multi-family and single family residential dwellings to the permitting for large scale Design/Build projects.  In addition to being a practicing attorney, John is also a licensed professional engineer, professional land surveyor and licensed construction supervisor.

Prior to joining Cetrulo & Capone, John worked at a large Boston law firm in its professional practices group where he represented architects, engineers, and land surveyors in insurance defense matters.  In that capacity, he handled complex civil matters through the litigation process, managed defense counsel working on complex construction claims, and defended multi-million dollar claims asserted by contractors and owners against design professionals through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes.  He has also resolved numerous claims through mediation and successful summary judgment motions.

From 2003 through early 2005, John served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) where he heard and decided complex construction and design claims brought by contractors and consultants against MHD.

John has worked as an attorney on major civil engineering infrastructure projects from the earliest stages through substantial completion.  From 1999 to 2003, John was the legal counsel and project manager for the Commonwealth's Executive Office of Transportation where he worked with a team of engineers and attorneys to develop contract documents, secure various project permits, and then oversees all aspects of the Route 3 North Design/Build project, a 21 mile highway and bridge reconstruction project, from its earliest stages through substantial completion.  Several of John's design professional insurance defense matters involved large Design/Build construction projects where, in working with the design professional to defend claims, he was able to apply his past experience gained on two major infrastructure projects, the Route 3 North Design/Build Project and the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.

With his legal and construction experience, professional registrations, and advanced degree in Civil Engineering, John brings to Cetrulo & Capone a unique legal/engineering perspective to matters involving large construction projects and construction claims.  His unique experience enables him to handle and favorably resolve complex, technical claims and litigation matters.  At Cetrulo & Capone John will also apply his project management and construction claim resolution skills in working with surety companies to manage projects to completion and resolve claims against the surety.

Experience

• Developed the mediation strategy to defend a design consultant against a $25 million dollar design-build contractor claim on a multi-million dollar NYCTA project in New York City.
• Successfully defended an engineering firm against a multi-million dollar cost recovery claim brought by a public owner in Massachusetts against the design professional.
• Conducted evidentiary hearings on claims filed by design professionals and construction contractors against the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) concerning disputes over contract performance.
• Provided legal and professional advice to MHD engineers and administrators on all aspects of the $385 million Route 3 North design-build project which involved the highway widening and reconstruction from Burlington to New Hampshire.
• Provided legal advice to MHD engineers and construction staff regarding claims filed by contractors on the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.

Professional Licenses

• Professional Engineer, Massachusetts License No. 41157
• Professional Engineer, New Hampshire License No. 7841
• Professional Land Surveyor, Massachusetts License No. 33601
• Construction Supervisor, Massachusetts License No. 77370