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Stephen P. Schreckinger

Email steve@schreckingerlaw.com

Direct (347) 709-2985

Mobile (917) 751-2651

Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Stephen Schreckinger has more than twenty years of experience representing and counseling the design professional and construction community, and has been recognized as a SuperLawyer in his field since 2016. 

 

He has been a frequent guest lecturer at the Parsons School of Design on such topics as: the legal duty owed by architects, understanding an architect's contractual language, avoiding problems on construction projects and complying with professional practice regulations.

 

He serves as outside general counsel to a multitude of different sized firms, ranging from firms with an international practice to those strictly servicing New York City. His services include negotiating and drafting contracts of all kinds, including design and construction contracts, lender certification letters, software licensing agreements, commercial leases, copyright assignments, forbearance agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, copyright assignments, employment agreements, publishing agreements, public relations agreements, and termination agreements.

 

Mr. Schreckinger also provides counsel to design and construction entities on other business-related matters, such as:

  • handling and advising on investigations and inquiries brought by State Regulatory Boards

  • navigating difficult project issues post-contract, such as delayed delivery, discovery of mid-project errors and omissions, and impact costs being targeted against the Design Team;

  • establishing and recommending corporate structures to domestic and foreign design firms doing business in and outside New York;

  • providing risk management advice and guidelines for design firms;

  • responding to claims by the Business Software Alliance (“BSA”) and providing risk management advice;

  • responding to intellectual property infringement claims, including claims brought by patent “trolls”; 

  • advising on and monitoring claims handled by General Liability insurer’s counsel;

  • directing local counsel in international disputes;     

  • advising design firms on their participation in condominium offering plans;

  • participating in strategy discussions regarding project bids and acceptance; 

  • advising design firms on state registration, naming and other operational requirements; and,

  • handling claims, complaints, investigations and pre-occupancy surveys concerning the FHA, ADA and local accessibility codes and standards.

Mr. Schreckinger has also successfully litigated, arbitrated and mediated hundreds of construction related matters on behalf of design professionals in Federal and State trial and appellate courts in New York and New Jersey as well as before arbitration panels and various administrative tribunals. He is also a Certified Mediator with the State of New York.  

 

 

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Below is a sample of his representative matters:

 

  • Obtained dismissal of structural engineering firm in Federal Action claiming more than $250 Million in damages due to the collapse of WTC 7, which dismissal was affirmed by the Second Circuit;

  • Navigated successful resolutions for architects and nationwide developer in numerous actions brought by the Department of Justice and private litigants for accessibility violations of the FHA and ADA, including obtaining a pre-answer discontinuance without payment of any costs, penalties or other monetary contribution;    

  • Obtained defense verdict and recovery of fees for structural engineering firm in arbitration for design defects against Condominium Board;

  • Successfully resolved multi-million dollar claim against structural engineer brought by Dormitory Authority of the State of New York in Federal Court for delays, extras and defects in connection with the design and construction of innovative New York City campus;

  • Obtained pre-discovery dismissals and voluntary discontinuances on behalf of numerous architectural firms in multi-million dollar claims brought by New York City Condominium Boards for alleged design defects and misrepresentations made in Offering Plans;   

  • Obtained dismissal on behalf of engineer in multi-million dollar claim brought by property owner for failure to properly notify of environmental hazards during pre-sale environmental assessment;  

  • Obtained voluntary discontinuances, pre-discovery early resolutions and extended stays of appearance on behalf of design professionals in numerous multi-party multi-million dollar actions in order to avoid incurring potentially hundreds of thousand of dollars in discovery expenses;

  • Obtained summary judgment for numerous design professionals in complex personal injury matters;

  • Represented insurance companies to analyze large complex design and construction and design disputes;

  • Represented international architectural firm in multi-million dollar action for errors and omissions concerning a Nursing Home Project in a three month Federal Court trial; and,

  • Represented structural engineer in partial collapse of historic downtown building.

 

 

ADMISSIONS

  • ​STATE ADMISSIONS

    • New York

    • New Jersey

  • UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

    • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York  

    • United States District Court for the Eastern District if New York​

  • UNITED STATES COURTS OF APPEAL

    • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 

EDUCATION

Mr. Schreckinger earned his undergraduate degree at the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1992 and he received his Juris Doctorate from Touro College in 1995, where he graduated magna cume laude and was a Research Editor on the Law Review. 

 

He has also been a frequent guest lecturer at the Parsons School of Design on such topics as: the legal duty owed by architects, language of AIA agreements, avoidance of problems on construction projects and New York State’s Board of Education regulations.

Representative Matters
Admissions
Education
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