Allen W. Estes, III is a partner at GRSM where he advises clients on construction, public procurement, commercial, and renewable energy matters. He also serves as a Co-Chair of the Construction Practice Group, a Co-Managing Partner of the Seattle office and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers.
- Successfully negotiated and resolved multiple claims for a client on a Naval Pier project located in Bremerton, Washington.
- Successfully defended against numerous payment bond claims made by subcontractors on construction projects throughout the United States.
- Successfully prosecuted numerous payment bond claims on behalf of subcontractors and suppliers on construction projects throughout the United States.
- Successfully obtained a settlement of a claim for a client involving extra work performed on power project located in the City of Alameda, California.
- Successfully defended a public owner against a bid protest brought by a contractor to overturn the award of an airport services contract in Florida.
- Successfully negotiated and resolved claims for extra work, delay, disruption and impacts for an electrical subcontractor on a project located at Naval Base Kitsap.
- Successfully negotiated and resolved multiple change orders and claims for extra work arising out of work performed by a direct contractor on several Port of Oakland projects.
- Successfully negotiated and resolved a claim for extra work for a client on a United States Department of Interior Pier Project located in California.
- Successfully retained multiple construction contracts for clients after a decision by Caltrans not to award the contract to the clients for failure to use best efforts to comply with stated DBE goals.
- Successfully obtained an education contract for a client in a protest of a best value RFP after the awarding agency decided to award the contract to another bidder.
- Successfully retained numerous construction contracts for clients after the second and/or third low bidders protested the award of the contract to the client.
- Successfully retained medical supply contracts for clients through a bid protest after the awarding agency initially awarded the contract to another supplier.
- Successfully obtained a $140,000,000 contract for a client after the protest and appeal of award for a services contract located in Hillsborough County Florida.
- Successfully obtained an award of a $100MM emergency medical services and dispatch contract for a client in bid protest appeal proceeding for a client in Washington.
- Successfully resolved a breach of contract dispute for a client involving the supply of electric and water metering equipment in Washington.
- Obtained an arbitrator’s award for a client in a case involving claims for extra work and impacts arising out of work performed on a transportation project located in California.
- Obtained an arbitrator’s award for a client in a case involving extra work claims and the reversal of a liquidated damages assessment against a contractor arising out of the rejection of aggregate on a transportation project located in California.
- Successfully obtained an arbitrators award in a case involving unpaid extra work, delays and disruptions arising from the construction of an ammonia plant.
- Successfully resolved a claim for extra cost arising out of a termination on a bridge project in New York.
- Successfully negotiated and resolved several differing site condition claims for a client on a transportation project in located in San Diego, California.
- Successfully represented a client in a bench trial involving a claim arising out of construction of an oil refinery.
- Negotiated and resolved a claim for extra work on a public transportation project located in San Bernardino County.
- Successfully negotiated and resolved multiple claims for unpaid contract balance and extra work for a general contractor for work on five automobile dealerships located in the State of Washington.
- Successfully obtaining recovery for a supplier on claims arising out of work performed on a waste water treatment plant located in Tacoma, Washington.
- Successfully recovered $4MM in extra and change order work for a major subcontractor on a P3 Project located in California.
- Successfully recovered upon and defended against Stop Notice, lien and payment bond disputes for numerous contractor clients and their sureties on projects located in California and Washington.
- Counting the Chickens While They Hatch and the Double-Edged Sword of Tracking Project Claims and Delays, American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry (2014)
- Contributing Author, Wiley Construction Law Update, Aspen Publishing (2005, 2008, 2019, 2021)
- Contributing Author, ABA Forum on Construction 50 State and Federal Update, American Bar Association (2012, 2013 and 2017)
- The Future is Now: Managing Construction Risks and Claims in the Age of Technology, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York, NY (May 2023)
- The Future is Now: Managing Construction Risks and Claims in the Age of Technology, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Hartford, CT (May 2023)
- Claim Strategies, What Electrical Contractors Need to Know, ELECTRI International (January 2022)
- Masonry, ABA Sticks and Bricks Program (October 2021)
- Subcontractor Killer Clauses, ELECTRI Council (February 2021)
- Counting the Chickens While They Hatch and the Double-Edged Sword of Tracking Project Claims and Delays, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, New Orleans (April 2010)
- Project Conception: Anatomy of a P3P and Tips for Selecting the Right Approach, Law Seminars International’s P3P Workshop (March 2014)
- Dispute Resolution: Terms to Facilitate a Long-Term Relationship for Long-Term Projects, Law Seminars International’s P3P Workshop (March 2014)
- Developments in Change Orders, NECA National Convention, Seattle (October 2017)
- Public Procurement: The Basic Rules of the Road, Client Presentation (2016)
- Terminations, ABA Fundamentals of Construction law Program (November 2013, November 2017, September 2021)
- Recent Developments in Integrated Project Delivery, NECA National Convention, Washington, D.C. (October 2013)
- Evaluating Contracts: There Is a Method to This Madness, Client Seminar (March 2013)
Admissions
- Washington
- California
- U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California
Memberships
- Pierce County Bar Association
- King County Bar Association
- Fellow, American College of Construction Lawyers
- Washington State Bar Association, Construction Law and Litigation Sections
- Steering Committee Member of the California AGC CLC San Francisco Chapter (2014 – 2016)
- California State Bar Association, Litigation Section
- Member of AGC of California
- Member AGC of Washington
- ELECTRI Foundation Council Member
- Steering Committee Member of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Division 10 (2012 – 2017)
- Chair of ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Division 10 (2017 – 2019)
- Past Chair of ABA Forum on Construction Industry, Division 10 (2019 – 2022)
- Member of ABA Forum on the Construction Industry Diversity Committee (2012 – present)
Community Involvement
- Caleb-Joshua Education & Humanitarian Project, Board Member
Education
- J.D., with Certificate of Concentration in Civil Litigation, University of California Hastings College of Law, 2000
- B.A., with distinction, Political Science, San Diego State University, 1996
Judicial Clerkship
- Judge Franklin D. Burgess, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (2002 – 2003)
Honors
- Member, Golden Key National Honor Society
- Member, and former President, Pi Sigma Alpha, Political Science Honor Society, San Diego State Chapter
*Not admitted to practice in Alaska