Peter W. Hahn | People | Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

Summary

Peter represents commercial contractors and project owners through each stage of a construction project, from procurement to dispute resolution after completion. His experience and extensive construction industry knowledge allow him to advise public and private clients through disputes and liability avoidance, from drafting and negotiating construction contracts to post-project issues, such as construction defect claims.

In addition to advising clients on the challenges that arise in commercial and public construction projects, Peter is adept at guiding clients through potential schedule and cost risks such as change orders and directives, differing site conditions, delay and acceleration claims, project safety concerns, problems with coordination of work, construction defect claims, state and federal prevailing wage law, mechanics’ liens, appropriate project delivery methods, payment and delivery performance bond claims, and publicly bid projects.

Peter is a member of the Board of Directors of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio, one of only a few lawyers to have served on the Board of this 130+ year-old trade association. He is also a member of the Associated General Contractors of Central Ohio, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Central Ohio, the Columbus Bar Association’s Construction Law Committee, and the Ohio State Bar Association’s Construction Law Committee. He also has leadership roles in the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law. Peter’s active involvement in these organizations provides him with a thorough understanding of the ever-changing developments, legislation, and regulations within the construction industry. His proficiency in the field allows him to offer clients unique insight, perspective, and guidance.

Peter earned his J.D. from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The College of Wooster.

Awards

  • Honoree, Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation-Construction (Lawyer of the Year 2020, 2024)

  • Honoree, Ohio Super Lawyers, Construction Litigation (2022-2024)

  • Honoree, U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers, Construction (2017-2024)

  • Rated AV® Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell

  • Top Lawyers, Columbus CEO Magazine

Education

  • Washington University School of Law (1998)
  • The College of Wooster (1995)

    B.A., Psychology

Admissions

  • State - Ohio
  • State - Kentucky
  • Federal - U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • Federal - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • Federal - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • Federal - U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • Federal - U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Speeches and Publications

  • Speaker, “Artificial Intelligence in Construction: Change is Good. So is Being Cautious,” Ohio Construction Conference, presented by the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio (Columbus, OH), (March 2024)
  • Speaker, “The State of Implementation of Incentive Measures in Procurements in the Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Acts (Including Public-Private Partnership Risks),” ABA Section on Public Contract Law, 2023 Public Procurement Symposium (New Orleans, LA), (Nov. 2023)
  • Author, “Onerous Terms in a Construction Contract: Which Are Void and Which Are Enforceable?,” Columbus Bar Lawyers Quarterly (Summer 2023)
  • Speaker, “Price Escalation – Protect Yourself from the Unpredictable,” Builders Exchange of Central Ohio (BX) Law & Finance Group (Columbus, OH), (June 2023)
  • Speaker, “The Future of Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) in Infrastructure,” ABA Forum on Construction Law Annual Meeting (Vancouver, BC), (April 2023)
  • Speaker, “AIA & Other Documents: Contract Changes and Expectations,” Builders Exchange of Central Ohio (BX) (Columbus, OH), (Aug. 2022)
  • Speaker, “The Most Heavily Negotiated Terms in Construction Contracts from the Perspective of the Owner, Contractor and Subcontractor,” Construction SuperConference (Orlando, FL), (Dec. 2021)
  • Speaker, “Mandated: Can They Really Do This? Here’s What You Need to Know,” Builders Exchange of Central Ohio (BX) (Columbus, OH), (Nov. 2021)
  • Speaker, “Construction Project Documents,” HalfMoon Education Webinar – Focus on Project Documents and Contract Disputes (Nov. 2021)
  • Editor, “The AIA Construction Management Contracts: A Concise Analysis of the 2019 Revisions,” ABA Forum on Construction Law (2020)
  • Speaker, “Managing Your Company in a Pandemic Crisis,” Builders Exchange of Central Ohio (BX) (Columbus, OH), (May 2020)
  • Speaker, “Public Projects – What’s Happening Now? What’s Ahead For New Projects?,” ABA Forum on Construction Law – Leadership Roundtable Series on Impacts of COVID-19 Webinar (May 2020)
  • Speaker, “Writing Outside the Lines: The Most Commonly Modified Terms of the Owner Agreements,” ABA Forum on Construction Law Fall Meeting (Boston, MA), (October 2017)
  • Editor, “The 2017 A201 Deskbook,” ABA Forum on Construction Law (2017)
  • Author, “State and Local Construction Projects: An Attorney’s Handbook” (Chapters 2 and 16), ABA Forum on Construction Law (2017)
  • Speaker, “Getting Paid on Public Projects,” ABA Forum on Construction Law Webinar (2015)
  • Author, “When Are Public Procurement Documents ‘Public Records’?”, Government Construction Newsletter (published by Division 13 of the ABA Forum on Construction), Vol. 1, Issue 4 (Dec. 2015)
  • Author, “Private Rights of Action for Procurement Violations,” The Construction Lawyer, 35 Constr. Law 17 (2015)
  • Author, “Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Pay-if-Paid Provisions,” Lexology (2014)
  • Author, “Prevailing Wage Laws: What Are They and How Are They Changing?”, Lexology (2011)
  • Author, “Ohio’s Budget Contains Key Changes to Public Construction,” Lexology (2011)

Professional Affiliations

  • Builders Exchange of Central Ohio

    Member, Board of Directors

  • Associated General Contractors of Central Ohio
  • Associated Builders and Contractors of Central Ohio
  • Ohio State Bar Association

    Construction Law Committee, Former Chair

  • Columbus Bar Association

    Construction Law Committee, Former Chair

  • American Bar Association

    Forum on Construction Law, Chair, Division 13: Government Construction

  • American Bar Association Section of Public Contract Law
  • Construction Lawyers Society of America

    Fellow

Community Involvement

  • Upper Arlington Public Library

    Board of Trustees, President (2022-2024)