Denis G. Ducran
Denis Ducran is a partner in Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office. A board certified construction lawyer and registered architect, Denis specializes in construction industry transactions, risk management and dispute resolution.
Denis G. Ducran
Partner
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+1 713.568.1500
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+1 713.568.1490
“P&A offers its construction clients the best in risk assessment and dispute resolution. I will continue to work closely with contractors and other construction industry members to minimize exposure to financial and legal risk, as well as efficient resolution of disputes.”
Bio
Denis works side-by-side with contractors and others involved in the construction industry to provide practical counsel regarding risk management, contract preparation and negotiations, litigation, arbitration and mediation. His extensive industry experience began with practicing architecture as a registered architect in Houston before starting his legal career. Denis is among a limited group of attorneys in the country who hold dual licenses in both law and architecture. His architectural background combined with his six year tenure as Vice President and General Counsel of an ENR 400 general contractor offers clients a unique and fundamental understanding of the risks involved in construction.
Denis serves as an executive officer on the Industry Advisory Board at the University of Houston’s Department of Construction Management, where he has taught CNST 4302 Construction Law and Ethics in both Fall and Spring semesters since 2010. He remains closely involved with the construction industry, having served on the Education Committee for the Associated General Contractors Houston Chapter since 2017. He is frequently called upon to speak publicly and lead presentations on a variety of construction law topics around the country.
Denis was one of the first attorneys in Texas to become Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In 2021, he completed FIDIC Certified Course Module 2: Claims and Disputes Resolution. Denis has been recognized by Best Lawyers for his contributions in Construction Law from 2020 to 2022.
Practice
Highlights
Admissions
State of Texas
Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western U. S. District Courts of Texas
Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, Registered Architect
Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Board Certified – Construction Law
Memberships
Construction Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, Governing Council, June 2014 – June 2017, Member
The College of the State Bar of Texas, Member
Houston Bar Association, Construction Law Section, Member
The American Institute of Architects, Architect Member
Education and Courses
The University of Houston, Bachelor of Architecture, cum laude
South Texas College of Law, J.D.
FIDIC Module 2: Claims and Disputes Resolution
Awards and Recognitions
Best Lawyers, 2020 - 2022
Publications & Presentations
Associated General Contractors (AGC) Houston Seminar; Presenter, “Texas Construction Law Basics,” April 2021
Toner Home Matters and Peckar & Abramson Joint Seminar; Presenter, “Texas Mold’em: Responding to a Mold Claim and Tips for Avoiding or Minimizing Them,” February 2021
Associated General Contractors (AGC) Project Manager Development Program (PMDP); Speaker, October 2020
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Peckar & Abramson Joint Seminar; Presenter, “Construction 101: Session 2 - An Overview of Texas Construction Law,” September 2020
TEXO and Peckar & Abramson Joint Seminar; Presenter, “Construction Law for Contractors,” September 2020.
AGC Houston Webinar, "Delay Claims - Force Majeure or Merely a Pandemic," May 2020
Annual CLE for Board-Certified Construction Lawyers, Houston, Texas; Presenter, "Lonergan: The Demise and the Revival", December 2019
Associated General Contractors (AGC) Houston Project Manager Development Program (PMDP) Module: Risk Management, Houston, Texas; Speaker, November 2019
HalfMoon Education Construction Law Seminar, Houston, Texas; Presenter, "Making Changes and Resolving Disputes During the Construction Process”, June 2019
Future of the Construction Industry, Houston, Texas; Moderator, "86th Texas Legislative Session Update", June 2019
AGC Houston Jobsite Innovation Forum, Panelist, "Data Collection – A Work in Progress", March 2019
The 2017 Annual Conference on ADR, Houston, Texas; Panelist, “Arbitration User’s Panel – A View from the Inside”, May 2017
30th Annual Construction Law Conference; San Antonio, Texas; Moderator, “More Insights from In-House”, March 2017
Houston Bar Association Construction Law Section; Houston Texas; Panelist, “Construction Contract 3 Ways - The Owner, General Contractor and Subcontractor Perspectives”, January 2017
The Basic Course in Texas Construction Law; Houston, Texas; Presenter, “Public Procurement in Texas”, December 2016
29th Annual Construction Law Conference; San Antonio, Texas; Moderator, “In House Perspectives: What keeps us awake at night”, March 2016
American Bar Association, TIPS Section Conference; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Panelist, “Bridging the Settlement Gap Between Insurers and Insureds”, May 2015
28th Annual Construction Law Conference; San Antonio, Texas; Co-Presenter, “Architect, Contractor and Program Manager: Three’s a Crowd?”, March 2015
ALFA International Conference, Asheville, North Carolina; Panelist, “Project Claims, Defaults and Damages: Making Lemonade out of Lemons”, July 2014
“How to Grow Responsibly” American Builders Quarterly, July 2014
“Criminal Contempt Charges Against Immigration Counseling Service Underline a Big Problem in Texas” Texas Lawyer, September 2010
Co-Author “AIA Contract Documents: Reloaded” Build Houston Magazine, December 2007
