|
Business & Labor
Robert Peckar: Named Leading Construction Lawyer
(constructor.construction.com - May/June 2006 issue)
By Mark
Shaw
 |
 |
Robert
Peckar
Attorney-at-law
Principal
Peckar & Abramson PC
Eight U.S. offices:
New Jersey, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami,
Fort Lauderdale, Washington, D.C., Orange County
Age: 60
Education
> Bachelor's Degree, Rutgers University
> J.D., Columbia University Law School
Experience
> First construction-related jobs-Laborer, estimator
and assistant
|
Like an actor from a low-key movie on
Oscar night, attorney Bob Peckar said he was "really
surprised" when he found out he'd won
"Yeah, really surprised, since
I didn't even know I was nominated for anything," he
says. "The first I heard about it was when I got the
congratulations e-mail."
The message was pretty straight forward:
Congratulations Robert S. Peckar of Peckar & Abramson,
you have been named the leading construction lawyer in the
world at the 2006 Who's Who Legal Awards.
At first, he didn't know whether the
announcement was legitimate.
"Of course, I made some calls to check it out,"
he says.
But it was legit. Eventually, Peckar
talked with Who's Who Managing Editor Callum Campbell, who
reassured him that the award was well earned. Campbell says:
"We are delighted to recognize Bob as the winner of the
International Who's Who of Business Lawyers Construction Lawyer
of the Year Award. He received more recommendations than any
other practitioner in our research."
Peckar is one of the principals in Peckar
& Abramson, a multidisciplinary firm based in New Jersey
and specializing in construction law. His Who's Who Legal
award came about from the recommendations of colleagues, who
identified him as the preeminent attorney in the field of
construction law. "Naturally, I was thrilled to find
out I'd been chosen by my peers," Peckar says. "It
means a lot to me and my firm."
The awards are based on a number of
factors, including research feedback, past performance in
the research and the overall aggregate number of weighted
votes cast in their favor, Campbell says. The annual awards
are announced in the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers.
No money or entry fees are involved in the process.
"In fact, it's impossible to buy
entry into this publication," Campbell adds. "Only
lawyers who have met independent international research criteria
are listed."
A Growing Clientele
Most of Peckar & Abramson's clients
are large CM/GC firms, and many are AGC members. Peckar's
own relationship with AGC began in 1976 when he became the
general counsel to the AGC New Jersey chapter, for which he
still does some work today. His firm is active in other AGC
chapters across the country.
"AGC is important because it's
the singular voice of the U.S. construction industry,"
Peckar says. "Construction is a fragmented industry,
and AGC is the only organization with that strong voice, partly
because of its diversity, which politicians like. That's why
it's respected at the highest levels of government."
Peckar's success didn't happen overnight.
After working for his father, a construction engineer, for
five years upon leaving law school, Peckar started his own
firm with friend Rich Abramson in 1978. Peckar & Abramson
has now grown to 88 attorneys in eight locations across the
country. "We'll probably be up to 100 attorneys by the
end of the year," Peckar says. "People are always
trying to shed risk, from owners to designers to contractors
and the insurance industry. It's our job to manage that risk
and put it where it should be so our clients don't end up
in disputes."
Peckar says his firm became successful
because it gets results. "I learned that lesson during
those years working for my father," he says. "One
day I came back to the office crowing about a successful negotiation
I'd handled, and the company CFO said, 'But did you bring
me the check? That's what I hired you for, to bring me the
check.' That was a great lesson for me about my clients' needs.
My advice has to be clear and inform their strategy. They
want results."
|
