Chicago Experience, Not Just a Chicago Address
Workmanship opinions are stronger when they come from someone who knows how work is actually done where the project was built. Paul's career has been spent on Chicago construction: as a union carpenter with Carpenters Local 10, as a lead carpenter and foreman on commercial, retail and residential projects including work for Shriners Hospital, Marshall Field's and Jewel-Osco, as a superintendent on commercial and educational facility upgrades, as a construction supervisor for the City of Chicago Department of General Services, and for nearly two decades as a General Foreman at O'Hare International Airport.
That history covers Chicago's union trades, its building stock, its permit and inspection system, its weather and its occupied-building renovation work. Those local factors shape what reasonable workmanship looks like on a Chicago project.
What Paul Evaluates
- Workmanship on Chicago projects, compared with the contract documents, adopted code and manufacturer instructions
- Contractor practices and documented obligations on local projects
- Installed conditions under the Chicago Construction Codes in effect at the time of permit
- Renovation and tenant improvement work, including work in occupied buildings
- Repair scope and cost at Chicago market conditions
Chicago, Cook County and Illinois
Paul's primary service area is Chicago and Cook County. He also handles matters throughout Illinois, including the collar counties, and has testified at deposition and trial in a construction defect case in the Circuit Court of Will County. His testimony history also includes a deposition in a Circuit Court of Cook County matter and an AAA arbitration. See Cook County construction disputes and Illinois construction workmanship for jurisdictional considerations.
Who Retains Paul
Chicago attorneys representing owners, condominium and building owners, homeowners, general contractors, subcontractors and insurers retain Paul on both the plaintiff and defense side. Claims professionals use his evaluations to separate defective workmanship from other causes of loss. Property owners can call him directly for an initial conversation; where litigation is likely, he will recommend involving counsel.
Paul is not an engineer or architect, and he does not offer structural, engineering or design opinions. His opinions are those of a licensed general contractor and journeyman carpenter on how work was built, supervised, inspected and corrected.
A Focus on Workmanship and Execution
This site focuses on construction workmanship and contractor execution in the Chicago area. For broader construction defect topics, including water intrusion and building code questions across many building systems, Paul's Chicago construction defect resources cover those subjects. Either way, the starting point is a conflict check. You can also download Paul's CV or review his engagement fees.
Chicago Projects Paul Knows
Paul's working knowledge covers the full range of Chicago construction: neighborhood remodels and gut rehabs of two-flats, greystones and bungalows; downtown and neighborhood tenant improvements; retail, restaurant and healthcare renovation; and City of Chicago public facilities, including public safety buildings, offices and the terminals and concourses of O'Hare International Airport. In each setting, the work is shaped by the same local factors: older structures, a demanding climate, a permit and inspection system with its own codes, and trades that work within established jurisdictions.
That breadth lets Paul describe what a competent Chicago contractor or tradesperson would have done in the circumstances, which is often the question at the center of a local workmanship dispute.
Why Local Evidence Matters
Chicago projects generate local records that can decide a workmanship dispute: City of Chicago building permits and inspection results, contractor license information, condominium association records, landlord building standards and union trade practices on the job. Paul knows where these records come from and what they can and cannot show. A permit record can establish which code applied and when inspections occurred; it cannot by itself show that every item of work was installed correctly. Paul uses each record for what it actually shows.
Retained on Both Sides
Paul's Illinois matters have included retention for the plaintiff and for the defendant. His opinions follow the documents and the field conditions, and he tells counsel early when the evidence does not support a position, so that decisions can be made before significant cost is incurred.
