Michael Zisa

Practice Areas

Business Litigation

Construction & Infrastructure

Surety

Government Contracts

Contracts, Project Documentation and Risk Management

Crisis Management

Residential and Multi-Family

Career

Mike focuses his practice on construction, surety and government contracts law. He is co-managing partner of the Washington, DC office, chair of the Surety and Construction Related Insurance Defense practice, and co-chair of the Crisis Management team. Chambers USA quoted industry leaders saying Mike “is an outstanding lawyer; detail-oriented and smart…is responsive, knowledgeable and able to identify and fulfill the business objectives of his clients.” He has successfully represented sureties, general contractors, subcontractors and owners in litigation before federal and state courts in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia as well as various contract appeals boards and in alternative dispute resolution forums. Although well-versed in the litigation process, Mike regularly assists and counsels clients to avoid litigation when possible through planning and preemptive actions including contract review and negotiation, contract administration assistance and claim analysis and development.

Mike represents construction clients on public and private projects with regard to a variety of matters ranging from prosecution and defense of breach of contract and request for equitable adjustment claims to payment bond, performance bond and mechanic’s lien claims. His work for surety clients includes analysis and defense of payment bond and performance bond claims, negotiation and administration of takeover arrangements and prosecution of subrogation and indemnity actions. In addition to a construction, surety and government contracts practice, Mike represents business entities ranging from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 companies with regard to commercial litigation and transactional matters.

Mike regularly speaks and writes on construction and surety issues and has been recognized by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers in the areas of construction litigation, surety and government contracts since 2014, Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in the area of construction law and he is a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America.

Before joining Peckar & Abramson, Mike was the managing partner of a Chambers USA ranked boutique construction litigation and surety firm. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and three children.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association (Construction Industry Forum, Fidelity and Surety Law section, Litigation section)

District of Columbia Bar Association (Government Contracts and Litigation section)

Virginia State Bar (Construction Law and Public Contracts section)

Maryland Bar Association

Construction Lawyers Society of America

National Association of Surety Bond Producers (Attorney Advisory Board Member)

Montgomery County Maryland Bar Association

Washington Building Congress

AGC of DC

President, Little Flower Catholic School Fathers Club

BCC Youth Baseball Coach

Publications

Recent Federal Contracting Developments: New Veteran-Owned Small Business Certification Requirements, Joint Venture Regulations and Inflation Relief, National Association of Surety Bond Producers, (February 2023)

Contract Killer Clauses and How to Negotiate Out of Them, ConsensusDocs Webinar (Winter 2022)

“Subcontractor Failure to Pay Employee Wages Could Fall on General Contractors,” Construction Executive (November 2020)

Why Bond Forms Matter…A Practical Guide to Better Bonding, ConsensusDocs (January 2015)

Killer Contract Clauses, ConsensusDocs Construction Law Newsletter (Summer, 2015)

Researching Bankruptcy Law on the Internet, The Construction Lawyer, Spring, 2002 (co-author)

The District of Columbia Practice Manual, Government Contracts Section, 11th Ed. 2002 (co-author)

Education

Awards