Henry Goldberg, the industry's creative problem solver.

Henry L. Goldberg, Esq., managing partner of the law firm of Goldberg & Connolly, is a prominent authority in construction law and government contracting and perhaps part of the firm's success can be attributed to Goldberg's pure enjoyment of his chosen profession.

"I think, if I wasn't a lawyer one thing I would want to be is a contractor," he said. "It fascinates me that you are mobilizing men and material on a postage stamp of space and in a time crucible under tremendous scheduling pressures with maybe 18 different trades and labor with a 300-page contract and 200 pages of drawings. It's amazing this results in a productive project."

Goldberg & Connolly's Construction Practice Group in Rockville Centre New York, is directly involved in the construction industry throughout the New York metropolitan area. In areas ranging from contract disputes and bid protests, to the prosecution of government contract claims, G&C assists wide range of clients including general contractors, subcontractors, sureties government agencies and private owners and developers.

"I've come to realize I am in the creative problem solving business," said Goldberg.

"The types of problems you run into are very complex. Just navigating yore way through these legal issues and these one-sided onerous contracts and coming up with creative solutions has been very rewarding. Thinking outside the box helps our clients to survive and prosper on a project."

The law firm of Goldberg & Connolly provides legal counsel in the areas of construction, government contracts, surety law, real estate development, environmental law and commercial law and litigation. We also service the personal, corporate, business succession and estate planning needs of our entrepreneurial clientele.

The firm has aggressively pursued the interests of its clients since 1955.

"You have to come up with a way to create a win-win arrangement, where the owner public or private and the contracting party do what's best for the project and act with a sense of fairness towards each other," Goldberg said.

Three characteristics are the hallmark of the firm's mission: client service, aggressiveness in advocacy and creative practical problem solving 

"When our clients and the field representative of an agency lock horns in a stressful situation and the job is deteriorating, I contact key individuals a the agency," he said. "In fact, it's helpful to the agency and to us to open the lines of communication.

"If the lawyers lock horns, then al hope is lost. I think that distinguishes us from other law firms."

Goldberg & Connolly has represented all of the various parties in the construction (public works and private development) and government contracting (defense and aerospace) industries. These include contractors and construction managers, subcontractors, vendors, construction suppliers, manufacturers, public and private owners, developers, government agencies, sureties and design professionals.

"The contract is the foundation upon which the building is built," Goldberg said. "I think right now there are a lot of problems with the foundation of construction law. Every time public agencies lose a case they throw an over-protective clause into the contract to prevent that eventuality from happening again."

"I've been critical of the no damage for delay clause by any owner public or private when they use them in their contract," Goldberg said. "I was very involved in the coalition to help outlaw no damage delay clauses in public contracts in New York.

"A bill was drafted in 1998 and it passed both houses of the legislature, but the Gov. vetoed it."

"The owner community was shocked by that," he said. "Some public agencies have since moved away from the inclusion of no damage delay clauses in their contracts."

Today, Goldberg & Connolly is a recognized authority on all aspects of construction and government contract law and is often at the forefront of new issues, developments and legislation affecting the industry.

Goldberg & Connolly is Counsel to the following construction related trade associations Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Subcontractors Trade Association, Construction Management Association of America (NY Chapter), NYC Surety Association, Association of New York City Concrete Producers, Greater New York and New Jersey Title Contractors Association, Contractors Stone Setters Association, Marble Industry of NY Inc., Insulation Contractors Association, and Construction Financial Management Association (New York Chapter).

Goldberg is also active in a variety of other construction industry associations including the Associated General Contractors of America, the General Building Contractors of New York State, the General Contractors Association of New York, the Subcontractors Trade Association, the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, the Long Island Contractors Association, the Construction Management Association of America, the National Contract Management Association, and the American Bar Association's Public Contract Law, Fidelity and Surety Law, the New York Building Congress, the Building and Trade Employers Association, and Construction Industry Forum Committees.

He also serves on the "National Advisory Committee" of The Journal of Construction Accounting and Taxation published by Warren Gorham & Lamont.

Consistent with this experience, Goldberg is currently President of the Net York City Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association and is a founding Board Member and Counsel to the Long Island Chapter.

He has also served a Chairman of the New York Building Con Gress' Public Procurement Committee.

His advice for anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps is to work hard and love what they do.

"First, be prepared to work very hard, because I think practicing law at this level is the ultimate service business," he said

"Even brain surgery ends. Some of these problems are very difficult. There is a need for constant availability, constant attention. It's very hard work."

"Second, go into an area of law that you enjoy the underlying industry," he added. "I love the construction industry and I really like the people in it.

"That makes working hard a lot easier. They are very resourceful. They are risk takers. They are can do people."

Goldberg is a graduate of Cornell University and Fordham Law School. He received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations in 1971 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1974. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, The United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Federal Circuits, the U.S. District Court of New York for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts and the United States Court of Federal Claims.

He has extensive experience in the field of industrial and labor relations and served as Adjunct Professor at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and New York Institute of Technology's Center for Labor and Industrial Relations.

He has also served as a Special Referee by appointment of the New York State Supreme Court.