Partner Joseph P. Asselta of Forchelli Deegan Terrana was selected as Most Unbeatable Legal Eagle for 2018 on Long Island by LI Pulse Magazine.
Asselta, a Port Washington resident and co-chair of the firm’s construction law practice group, has successfully represented clients in all segments of the construction industry for more than 25 years.
“A construction project typically involves a multitude of contracts between numerous parties,” said Asselta. “As a result, to be successful, it takes someone who can both draft and negotiate those contracts, as well as being able to navigate the terms of those agreements and resolve the various issues that may arise on any given project.”
In support of his nomination, one project cited was when Asselta helped obtain a seven-figure arbitration award in favor of a contractor in connection with a New York City power plant project based on a wrongful termination of the contractor by the project owner. The project owner’s reasons justifying termination of the contract were rejected by the arbitrator, who ended up awarding the amounts owed for base contract and change order work performed plus the contractor’s lost profits on the remaining contract work it was prevented from performing as a result of the wrongful termination.
Asselta also represented a client in an eight-figure acquisition of an 18-acre asphalt plant. The transaction included more than six selling entities, three lenders, 10 different parcels, and various pieces of equipment. The firm also handled the formation of various corporate entities and the leasing of the premises.
“Being able to listen to the client’s issues and concerns, simplifying complicated issues, and then devising practical, cost-savings strategies to avoid and resolve project disputes is my goal when representing clients in the construction industry,” Asselta said.
Asselta is a graduate of Georgetown University and St. John’s University School of Law. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and American Bar Association.
