Jay Houghton

Jay R. Houghton is senior counsel in the Litigation Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s San Francisco office. Mr. Houghton specializes in all facets of construction litigation with a sub-specialty in government contracting. His work with owners, developers, contractors, design professionals, sureties and insurers has given him in-depth experience assisting his clients during their pre-project planning, through to contract administration, project execution and close out, as well as resolution of their post-completion disputes.

Mr. Houghton develops, implements, and oversees risk-management and pre-litigation strategies, including contract compliance, claims avoidance, project documentation, and the preparation of change order requests and claims. He has broad experience advising clients regarding licensing, equipment and material subcontracting, mechanics’ liens, stop notices, surety bonds, insurance, property damage claims, intra-corporate liability issues, organizational conflicts of interest, and the relevant current developments in the law.

Mr. Houghton also provides transactional advice to senior management, in-house counsel, and project personnel regarding bidding and procurement issues such as understanding bidding requirements, bid-proposal preparation, bid mistakes and protests.

In his role as General Counsel/Vice President at a wind- and solar-energy development company, he learned the importance of prioritizing business objectives when implementing legal strategies. Mr. Houghton uses that knowledge when negotiating, reviewing and drafting construction project-related contracts and supporting documentation.

Mr. Houghton has extensive experience working on fossil-fuel and renewable energy power plant, transportation, commercial and residential projects. He was project counsel for the Joint Ventures that constructed the Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority’s Oakland International Airport Connector and the California Department of Transportation’s Presidio Parkway/Doyle Drive Project which was California’s first public-private partnership project.

Education:

• J.D., University of California at Berkeley School of Law (2000)
• B.A. in Psychology, Simon Fraser University, with first class honors (1996)

Courts:

• U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Central Districts of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit