Denis Serkin

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Denis Serkin

Chair, International Practice

Partner

New York, NY

P +1 212.382.0909

F +1 212.382.3456

River Edge, NJ

P +1 201.343.3434

F +1 201.343.6306

Biography Practice Areas Highlights

"As clients expand their capabilities abroad, P&A is uniquely poised to provide effective and successful management of international construction disputes. We understand that the key to solving any such dispute requires a thorough understanding of the contract, the prevailing laws, and the unique cultural issues at play."

Bio

Denis advises clients working on a variety of construction projects, including power/energy generation, pipelines, general infrastructure, and commercial, industrial, and manufacturing facilities. He regularly handles breach of contract, defects, delay and disruption, productivity, and surety claims. He also handles matters involving mechanics’ liens and public bidding challenges. He has extensive dispute resolution experience litigating cases in federal and state courts, as well as in domestic and international arbitration. Denis also helps clients draft and negotiate construction agreements that utilize both custom and industry standard forms.

Denis represents clients across the United States and internationally and routinely assists them with compliance issues—particularly those regarding the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Denis is also a leading voice on artificial intelligence in the construction industry and a key contact for the firm’s Artificial Intelligence practice. He advises general contractors, construction managers, owners, developers, and design professionals across the full spectrum of AI-related legal issues, from AI program implementation, governance, and vendor and licensing agreements to risk allocation through the contractual chain and liability for AI-generated errors, on both domestic and international projects. He served on a committee that helped develop the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation’s Best Practice Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence by Dispute Boards and speaks frequently before industry organizations, including the DRBF, the American Arbitration Association, FIDIC, and ENR, on how AI is reshaping construction risk management, dispute avoidance, and dispute resolution.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Denis was a project engineer at a major New Jersey government agency, where he managed numerous projects from design through procurement and construction. Denis is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, where he teaches a course in Prevention and Resolution of Construction Disputes. Previously, Denis was an Adjunct Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he taught a course on the legal aspects of various types of construction contracts and specifications.

Denis has been named to the New York-Metro Super Lawyers list from 2019 to 2025, the New York-Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2011 to 2018, the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2008 to 2018, and the New Jersey Super Lawyers list from 2021 to 2026. He has been recognized from 2023 to 2026 by Best Lawyers, is ranked by Chambers USA for Construction Law in New Jersey (2026), and received Lexology’s Client Choice Award for U.S. Construction in 2024. He is also recognized as a Future Leader by Who’s Who Legal and recognized by The Legal 500 as a “Key Lawyer” (2026), a “Recommended Lawyer” (2022), and a “Top Construction Lawyer” (2016) and one of the “New York Top-Rated Lawyers” in 2019 by ALM & Martindale-Hubbell.

Highlights

Admissions

• State of New York

• State of New Jersey

• State of North Carolina

• United States District Court for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York

• United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

• United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

• United States Patent and Trademark Office

Memberships

• International Bar Association

• American Bar Association (Construction Industry Forum and Litigation Section)

• New York State Bar Association

• New Jersey State Bar Association

• New York County Bar Association

Education & Courses

• Stevens Institute of Technology, B.S.

• Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., cum laude

• FIDIC Module 2: Claims and Disputes Resolution

Awards & Recognitions

• Best Lawyers, 2023-2027

• Chambers USA, Construction Law, New Jersey, 2026

• New York-Metro Super Lawyers, 2019-2025

• New York-Metro Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2011-2018

• New Jersey Super Lawyers, 2021-2026

• New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2008-2018

• Lexology, Client Choice Award - U.S. Construction, 2024

• Lexology Index: Construction, 2025-2026

• Who's Who Legal, Future Leaders - Partners, 2022-2023

• Who's Who Legal, Construction, 2023-2024

• ALM & Martindale-Hubbell "New York Top-Rated Lawyers", 2019-2020

• The Legal 500: United States, “Key Lawyer,” 2026

• The Legal 500: United States, “Recommended Lawyer,” 2022

• The Legal 500, Top Construction Lawyers List, 2016

• Bergen Magazine, Top Lawyer - Construction, 2024-2025

Publications & Presentations

• United States Chapter, Lexology Panoramic: Construction 2025-2027, Law Business Research Ltd. (Co-Editor; Co-Author)

• “New Executive Order on AI Innovation and Security: Key Takeaways for the Construction Industry,” P&A Client Alert, June 2026 (Co-Author)

• “Navigating the Digital Frontier: AI Integration, Risk, and Reality in Construction,” Society of Construction Law, North America Breakfast Panel, June 2026 (Speaker)

• “Intelligent Dispute Boards: Leveraging AI for Dispute Avoidance and Efficient Dispute Resolution,” Dispute Resolution Board Foundation 2026 International Conference, May 2026 (Speaker)

• “Evolving Standard of Care: How AI Adoption Has Become a Risk Management Imperative for AEC,” ENR FutureTech, May 2026 (Speaker)

• “Building Resolution: International Arbitration in Infrastructure and Construction Disputes,” ILAW 2026 – AAA-ICDR International Arbitration Track, February 2026 (Speaker)

• “Dispute Boards and Beyond: Effective Dispute Resolution Strategies for the Ongoing Project,” 2025 Construction Super Conference, December 2025 (Speaker)

• “Impact of Tariffs and Financing Suspension on Development Projects,” FIDIC‘s Official International Contract Users’ Conference and Awards, December 2025 (Speaker)

• “Contracting and Procurement for Complex Projects,” Bird & Bird Seminar, December 2025 (Speaker)

• “Arbitration 2035: Charting the Future,” Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) November 2025 (Speaker)

• “AI in Arbitration: Real vs. Perceived Risks, Practical Use Cases, and Recommended Practices,” American Arbitration Association Webinar, November 2025 (Speaker)

• “Hacked by AI: The New Face of Ransom and Data Theft,” Associated General Contractors of New York State Webinar, October 2025 (Speaker)

• “Design-Build: An International Perspective on Best Practices for Sustainable Design-Build Success” IBDiC Design-Build, September 2025 (Speaker)

• “Contract Management Forum” FIDIC 2025 Global Infrastructure Conference, September 2025 (Speaker)

• “Navigating the AI Shift: Opportunities and Ethical Boundaries for Dispute Boards” 2025 DRBF Latin America Regional Conference, September 2025 (Speaker)

• “A Hard Look at AI in Construction” 2025 AGC NYC/Acrisure & Tradesman Summer Meeting, August 2025 (Speaker)

• “White House Changes Guidelines in FCPA Enforcement,” P&A Presidential Action Alert, May 2025 (Co-Author)

• “Best Practice Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence by Dispute Boards,” The Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF), March 2025 (Co-Author)

• “Building the Future: AI, Construction and Law,” National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) Podcast “Let’s Get Surety,” December 2024 (Speaker)

• “Best Practice Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence During Dispute Board Proceedings,” DRBF Mena Regional Conference November 2024 (Speaker)

• “Best Practices in International Arbitration: Challenges and Trends in Megaprojects Arbitration Procedures,” YSIAC 7th annual São Paulo Arbitration Week, October 2024 (Speaker)

• “From Algorithms to Hallucinations: A Hard Look at the Use of AI in Construction,” 2024 Construction Super Conference, October 2024 (Speaker)

• “Customization of Construction Arbitrations and Arbitration of Megaprojects,” XXI IBDIC International Congress August 2024 (Speaker)

• “AI in Construction Law: Managing Risks and Opportunities,” National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) Surety Learn, June 2024 (Speaker)

• “Futuristic DBs: A Look at the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Dispute Boards,” Dispute Resolution Board Foundation’s (DRBF) International Conference & Workshops, May 2024 (Speaker)

• “Beyond Borders and Bytes: Understanding the Global Landscape of Technology and Dispute Resolution in the Construction Industry,” 2024 American Arbitration Association’s Construction Conference, March 2024 (Speaker)

• “The Risks and Opportunities of AI in Construction Law,” New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), November 2023 (Speaker)

• “Artificial Intelligence in Construction Law,” XI IBDIC International Congress hosted by the Brazilian Institute of Construction Law (IBDiC) and International Construction Law Association (ICLA), August 2023 (Speaker)

• “Commencing a Lawsuit: Evaluating Whether to File Suit (NJ),” Practical Guidance® Practice Note, May 2022 (co-author)

• “Design Build: General Considerations When Using Design Build: Part 2,” ACCNJ, October 2021 (co-presenter)

• “Design Build Construction Services Procurement Act: Part 1,” ACCNJ, October 2021 (co-presenter)

• “Understanding the Risks of International Construction,” Construction Executive, April 2021 (Co-Author)

• “Construction Disputes Series: Session 1 - Tackling Subcontractor Disputes,” Peckar & Abramson Webinar, September 2020 (Speaker).

• “Dispute Resolution in Construction Projects,” The Projects and Construction Review 4th – 10th Editions, 2014-2020 (Co-Author)

• “Significant Change to Contractors’ Registration Act for Home Improvement Contractors,” Peckar & Abramson Newsletter, October 2013

• “The United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the International Construction Industry,” Obras Magazine – May 2013 (Co-Author)

Languages

• Russian

News & Events

• Construction Super Conference – “Building Smarter: How Technology Is Addressing Construction’s Efficiency in Crisis”

• FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference – “FIDIC Contracts Forum: FIDIC Contracts Across the Globe”

• Peckar & Abramson Again Tops Construction Law Rankings in Best Lawyers 2027

• IBDiC 14th International Congress: “Contractual Arrangements in Transformation: Risks, Governance, and Sustainability”