Queen’s Marque
600-1741 Lower Water Street
Halifax, N.S.
B3J 0J2
Language(s) spoken: English
Bar Admission(s): New Brunswick, 1988; Nova Scotia, 1984
Legal Assistant(s): Heidi Butler
Art’s construction practice has included services for a wide range of clients including clients involved in the power industry, commercial construction, heavy civil works, construction insurance and hospital construction. He provides practical and effective advice from project inception, through contract development and drafting, procurement, course-of-construction problem-solving and where necessary the dispute resolution process. Representative work includes:
- Drafting procurement documents, advising on all aspects of tendering and RFPs, and representing clients on tendering/RFP disputes.
- Preparing and negotiating design and construction contracts of all types, including stipulated price, design-build/EPC, EPCM, architectural services, civil works, construction management and trade contracts.
- Acting for clients in construction mediation, arbitration and court litigation. His early experience includes acting as co-counsel in a number of major construction cases before the Courts involving hotel construction (extras and delays), a warehouse roof collapse and airport hotel construction (labour and material payment bond claim).
- Acting as co-counsel for the turnkey EPC contractor in a $70 million dispute arising out of a turnkey design-build project for construction of a 165 MW power plant (1993-2002)
- Acting for a major energy company on a $50MM+ delay in start-up insurance claim.
- Drafting contracts for a $45 million commercial office building project.
- Drafting standard construction contracts (including fixed price, design-build, general construction/construction management and procurement documents) for a national commercial construction program with over $300MM in value.
- Drafting an EPCM contract for a major plant conversion.
Education & Career
Education
University of New Brunswick, LLB, 1983
University of New Brunswick, BA (honours), 1980
Activities
Member, Canadian Bar Association
President, Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, 2017 – 2018
General Counsel, Stewart McKelvey, 2008 – present
Litigation practice manager, Halifax, Stewart McKelvey, 2003 – 2008
Chair, National Construction Law Section, Canadian Bar Association, 1998 – 1999
Past chair, National Construction Law Section, Canadian Bar Association, 1998 – 2000
Vice-chair (1996 – 1997); Secretary/Treasurer (1995 – 1996) National Construction Law Section, Canadian Bar Association
Fellow, Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, inducted May 2005
Governor, Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, Appointed June, 2011
Chair, Construction Documents Committee, Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, 2009 – 2018
Member, Legal Update Committee, Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, 2007 – 2014
Secretary, Executive Committee, Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, 2014 – 2015
Member, Code of Professional Conduct Committee, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, 2013 – present
Accolades
King’s Counsel, 2002
Best Lawyers 2017 Construction Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Halifax
Best Lawyers: Construction Law, 2006, 2008 – 2024
Best Lawyers: Corporate and Commercial Litigation, 2012 – 2024
Who’s Who Legal: Global 2021 (Construction)
Who’s Who Legal: Canada 2012, 2014 – 2016 – 2021 (Construction)
Lexpert rating: Construction Law, 2010 – 2023
Lexpert rating: Litigation – Commercial Insurance, 2011 – 2020
Martindale-Hubbell rating: BV Distinguished®