Rick is the head of the Vorys construction practice and works from the Vorys Columbus and Orange County offices on projects throughout the U.S. and internationally.  He advises owners, developers, contractors, and design professionals throughout public and private projects, and has appeared before courts and arbitration panels in numerous jurisdictions.  He advises clients on risk management in various circumstances and has met construction professionals in dozens of job trailers and conference rooms – from Ohio to downtown Los Angeles, in rural Brazil, and elsewhere.  Rick drafts and negotiates contracts and related construction and procurement documents; assists with risk management and claims during the construction phase; and handles post-completion litigation and arbitration. 

Rick deals with industry forms such as those of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA), ConsensusDocs, the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC), and the Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils (FIDIC).  Rick has also developed numerous manuscript contracts for various complex commercial and residential projects.

For disputed matters, Rick regularly handles cases stemming from breach of contract claims, change order disputes, insurance coverage issues, liens, delays, differing site conditions, professional errors and omissions, and licensing issues.  Rick has significant experience in both courtroom hearings and trials, as well as recent arbitration hearings through award.  He has also assisted or led efforts to resolve complex construction disputes through dozens of mediations.

Career highlights include:

  • Litigating complex construction cases throughout California and Ohio for over 19 years, as well as experience in other jurisdictions in coordination with local counsel
  • Drafting and negotiating hundreds of general contracts, design agreements, subcontracts and supply agreements for various projects ranging from small homes to multiple billion dollar facilities
  • Owner’s lead/coordinating counsel for a $300+ million industrial facility involving development incentives, real estate acquisitions, energy supply contracts, and dozens of supply and construction contracts
  • Obtaining a successful verdict on behalf of a general contractor against subcontractor claims on a $130+ million Federal project
  • Obtaining a multimillion dollar arbitration award for the owner of a complex manufacturing facility in claims against an equipment supplier
  • Assisting with design and construction contracts for multiple data centers, including coordination with real estate and economic incentives counsel
  • Representation of multiple private K-12 schools, including successful litigation arising from a large sports complex
  • Drafting and negotiating multiple engineering contracts for processing facilities in two different countries in the Middle East

Prior to joining Vorys, Rick practiced in the San Francisco office of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP.  Before law school, Rick served as a small business development volunteer with the Peace Corps in Morocco for two years, where he taught basic business skills in cooperation with the Moroccan government’s traditional artisan programs.  Rick was certified by the Peace Corps as a Near Native speaker of Moroccan Arabic and also learned conversational/basic business level French.

Rick received his J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he was a William M. Holt Scholarship recipient.  He received his B.A. with distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was Phi Beta Kappa.


Industries

Education

University of Nebraska College of Law, J.D., 2004

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, B.A., 1998, with Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Ohio
  • California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • Admitted to practice law only in the states listed above.
Jump to Page