Paul Monte
Paul Monte is Co-Managing Partner of Peckar & Abramson’s New York City office, Chair of the firm’s Infrastructure practice group, and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has practiced construction, public contract and infrastructure law for more than 35 years. Paul has extensive jury and non-jury trial, arbitration, and appeals experience, successfully prosecuting and defending complex commercial disputes on behalf of contractors and owners. He also has significant transactional and project support experience on major infrastructure projects, including design-build and public-private partnership (P3) projects.
Paul Monte
Co-Managing Partner, New York Office
Executive Committee
Chair - Client Service Committee
New York, NY
P +1 212.382.0909
F +1 212.382.3456
P 212.382.0909
F 212.382.3456
"Our attorneys offer deep litigation capabilities as well as dispute avoidance and alternative dispute resolution techniques. These techniques can save our clients money, time and unnecessary distraction."
Bio
Paul represents international, national and local civil infrastructure contractors and owners on large and small public and private projects, including bridges, tunnels, highways, process and power plants, airports, utilities, railroads, and high-rise and institutional buildings. As lead counsel, he has prosecuted and defended numerous delay and extra work claims, wrongful termination claims,and multi-district litigation involving construction and material defects.
Paul’s litigation experience helps him guide clients in transactional and general business matters. He provides transactional and project support services, advising contractors during the pursuit phase, including on complex P3 and design-build projects, in the formation of joint ventures, and during construction. He also advises clients in the area of corporate compliance and ethics, including DMWBE laws and regulations.
Prior to joining Peckar & Abramson, Paul was a partner with Berman, Paley, Goldstein & Monte, LLP. He is a former general counsel to a civil contractor and developer; and acts as outside general counsel to numerous small and mid-size contractors.
Paul has received numerous accolades. In 2017, he became a member of The Moles, and one of the firm’s lead representatives to TheBeavers. He has been repeatedly named to Super Lawyers’ list of the Top 100 New York Metro area attorneys; a ranking designatedfor attorneys who ranked at the top of the list in the Super Lawyers selection process. Paul is recognized by Chambers USA as one of the leading construction lawyers in New York and has been regularly awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV-rating. He is also recognized as a leading construction lawyer by Best Lawyers and was named as their 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for construction in New York City. Paul was named to City & State NY’s 2022 “50 Over Fifty” and 2023 “Transportation Power 100” lists.
Paul is active in many local and national construction industry groups and trade associations and has participated in numerous seminars and written articles on construction, public procurement and real estate law. A member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Paul was a member of its Construction Law Committee and Real Estate Law Committee. He is also amember of the American Bar Association, and the Westchester County Bar Association.
Highlights
Admissions
• State of New York
• United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• United States Court of Federal Claims
Memberships
• The Moles
• The Beavers
• Construction Lawyers Society of America (Fellow)
• General Contractors Association of New York (Law & Legislation Committee)
• Associated General Contractors of America
• Associated General Contractors of America (New York Chapter)
• Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley
• Design Build Institute of America
• New York Building Congress (Transportation and Infrastructure; and Public Building and Procurement Committees)
• American Bar Association (Construction Industry Forum, Public Contract Section and Construction Litigation Committee)
• New York City Bar Association
• Westchester County Bar Association
• Society of Construction Law (North America)
Education & Courses
• Binghamton University, SUNY, B.A., with honors
• Brooklyn Law School, J.D., Merit Scholar
Awards & Recognitions
• New York-Metro Super Lawyers, 2009-2023
• New York-Metro Super Lawyers, Top-100 Metro Area Attorneys, 2019-2022
• The Legal 500: United States “Leading Lawyer,” 2022-2024
• The Legal 500: United States “Recommended Lawyer,” 2021
• Chambers USA, Construction Law, New York, 2020-2024
• Who’s Who Legal - Thought Leader: USA, 2024
• Who’s Who Legal - Thought Leader: Construction, 2022-2023
• Who’s Who Legal: Construction, 2021-2024
• Best Lawyers, 2011-2025
• Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for Construction, New York City, 2022
• City & State NY, “50 Over Fifty,” 2022
• amNY Metro and PoliticsNY, “Power Players in Transportation,” 2024
• ALM & Martindale-Hubbell “New York Top-Rated Lawyers,” 2019-2020
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rated
• D Magazine Best Lawyers, 2017
Publications & Presentations
• “Federal Infrastructure Act – What It Means for NJ,” New Jersey Alliance for Action, February 2024 (Speaker)
• “Subcontracting and Design Build: Risk, Reward and Requirements,” Subcontractors Trade Association, February 2024 (Speaker)
• “Beyond College Admissions: The SCOTUS Decision’s Impact on Construction, Law Firms and DE&I,” Construction Super Conference, November 2023 (Speaker)
• “Climate Policy- How it is Changing the Construction Industry” Construction Super Conference, November 2023 (Speaker)
• Lockton Heavy Construction Risk Management Roundtable, June 2022 (Panelist)
• “Getting the Most for New Jersey Out of Federal Infrastructure Dollars,” New Jersey Alliance for Action (NJAA) “Federal Infrastructure Act – What It Means For New Jersey”, March 2022 (Speaker)
• “Trends in Contractual Risk Allocation,” AGC Surety Bonding and Construction Risk Management Conference, January 2022 (Speaker)
• “Contractors Should Expect a New Wave of Climate-Resilient Projects,” P&A Client Alert, December 2021 (Co-Author)
• “Combat Boredom: Using Computer-Generated Animation and Simulation Evidence at Trial,” 2021 Construction SuperConference, December 2021 (Speaker)
• “Trends in Contractual Risk Allocation,” AGC’s 2022 Surety Bonding and Construction Risk Management Conference, November 2021 (Speaker)
• “What’s Happening in Public Construction: How Recent Trends are Impacting Construction Disputes,” Arcadis Contract Solutions’ Panel Discussion, September 2021 (Speaker)
• “From Planning to Delivery – Building Surety Confidence,” Risk Management in Underground Construction Conference, April 2021 (Speaker)
• “MWBE Update: Compliance Trends That Contractors Need To Know,” Eastern Contractors Association, Anchin, and Peckar & Abramson Joint Webinar, April 2020 (Speaker)
• “Public Sector Design-Build: What New York City Contractors Need to Know,” Peckar & Abramson and Aon Commercial Risk Services Joint Webinar, July 2020 (Speaker)
• “Contract Issues in the Age of COVID-19,” AGC New York State Webinar, April 2020 (Panelist)
• “MTA Debarment Update,” P&A Client Alert, November 2019 (Co-Author)
• “MTA’S New Debarment Powers Pose an Existential Risk (rev.),” P&A Client Alert, June 2019 (Co-Author)
• “Setting the stage for success on megaprojects,” 2019 International General Counsel Forum, April 2019 (Speaker)
• “After The Dispute Dust Settles: Exploring Common Cause and Cure of Mega-Projects,” The 8th International Society of Construction Law Conference, September 2018 (Panelist)
• “P3 Risk Management,” Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure (AIAI) Webinar, May 2018 (Panelist)
• “Infrastructure Development – The Regional Bridges, Tunnels and Transit Construction Boom,” Commercial Observer’s Second Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Construction Forum, May 2018 (Panelist)
• “Notice and Record Keeping Requirements and Best Practices on Delay and Impact Cost Claims on MTA Contracts,” General Contractors Association of New York Presentation, May 2018 (Speaker)
• “Balancing and Managing the Risk – From the Design Builder’s Point of View,” 2018 P3C Public Private Partnership Conference and Expo, February 2018 (Moderator)
• “Planes, Trains and Urban Infrastructure: A Blueprint for the Regional Transportation Construction Boom,” Commercial Observer’s Transportation and Infrastructure Construction Conference, July 2017 (Speaker)
• “Joint Ventures in Construction,” National Association of Surety Bond Producers 2016 Regions 1, 2 & 3 Annual meeting, October 2016 (Speaker)
• “Site Conditions: Are They Different?” Peckar & Abramson and Langan Engineering Panel Discussion, April 2016 (Speaker)
News & Events
• “Design-Build in New York – Market and Risk Updates for Contractors”
• 21 Peckar & Abramson Attorneys Named to 2024 New York Super Lawyers® List; Gregory H. Chertoff, Paul Monte, and Robert S. Peckar Earn Top 100 Honors
• Peckar & Abramson Has Largest Number of Construction Law and Litigation Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers 2025
• NY/NJ Infrastructure Forum – “Equity in Infrastructure: From Concepts to Contract Awards”