J. David "David" Arkell

J. David "David" Arkell


Moye White LLP

Recognized since 2007

Denver, Colorado

Practice Areas

Arbitration

Construction Law

Litigation - Construction

Mediation

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Construction Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Litigation - Construction Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Construction Law
Spinning circle Big letter B

David’s areas of practice include alternative dispute resolution and construction law. He arbitrates and mediates construction disputes as a trained and experienced neutral decision maker or facilitator. He advises owners and developers, general contractors, subcontractors, partnerships (public and private) suppliers and sureties on planning and dispute avoidance, as well as dispute resolution through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation. He drafts and negotiates construction contracts and other documents for both private and public construction projects.

David has arbitrated and mediated many construction disputes as a neutral for more than 30 years; claims have included

  • contract interpretation;
  • breach of contract;
  • construction and design defects;
  • professional negligence;
  • delays;
  • damages;
  • lost productivity;
  • indemnity;
  • changes;
  • differing site conditions;
  • mechanics' liens; and
  • surety and insurance issues.

He is a member of the American Arbitration Association National Regular and Large and Complex Arbitration panels and the American Arbitration Association’s Colorado Mediation Panel. He also serves as a neutral mediator and arbitrator in “private” engagements. The size of disputes arbitrated and mediated has ranged from tens of thousands to tens of millions of dollars.

Arbitration, mediation, and construction litigation

David has more than 40 years’ experience helping construction clients resolve disputes through litigation, arbitration, and mediation. David’s experience includes representation of:

  • A public-entity owner of two major hospital projects in connection with disputes between the owner and the architect; issues included design defects, the standard of care, contractual interpretation and damages.
  • The public-entity owner of a significant power plant conversion project where issues included design defects and other defective performance by an engineer, bankruptcy in France of a major supplier, delays and inefficiency analysis, damages, and negotiation of contract documents.
  • A private owner of a power generation facility in disputes with the general contractor; issues included delays, defective performance, damages, and contract interpretation.
  • A municipality in disputes with a general contractor on a highway project where issues included delays and inefficiencies, differing site conditions, defective performance, damages, and contract interpretation.
  • A painting contractor in disputes with the owner of two large apartment complexes; issues included the statute of limitations and other procedural questions, technical analysis of coatings and other expert analysis, contract interpretation, and the measure of damages.
  • A major heavy-highway and paving contractor in disputes arising from the construction of runways at Denver International Airport; issues included compliance with specifications, contract interpretation, technical materials testing disputes, damages, and alleged falsification of concrete test results.
  • A surety which took over a project upon default of the principal; issues involved the priority of different types of claims against contract balance, the propriety of payments under the payment bond, and subrogation.
  • Two subcontractors in disputes arising from the construction of privately owned structures on a publicly owned property where issues included the validity, extent, and value of mechanics’ liens, performance and breach of contract, and the measure of damages.
  • The operator of an oil well in a dispute with a working interest owner arising from the original mislocation of the well; issues included validity and accuracy of the original government survey, the effect of a government resurvey, interpretation of a joint operating agreement, and existence and measure of damages.
  • A mining engineering firm in disputes involving several Colorado gold mines; issues included mechanics’ liens, contract interpretation and performance, and damages.
  • A subcontractor in connection with a road project linked to the Mike O’Callaghan/Pat Tillman bridge below Hoover Dam in Arizona and Nevada; issues included differing site conditions, performance and interpretation of the contract, and entitlement to and the measure of damages.

David also counsels contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, owners, and sureties in all aspects of the construction process from bidding and contract issues through performance and resolution of disputes.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 3615 Delgany Street, Suite 1100
    Denver, CO 80216-3997
Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Colorado at Boulder, Juris Doctor, graduated 1973
  • Claremont McKenna College, Bachelor of Arts, graduated 1966
Bar Admissions
  • Colorado, 1973
Affiliations
  • Associated General Contractors of Colorado - Former member; Associates Council Former president
  • Colorado Legislative Committee - Committee Member
  • Denver Bar Association - onstruction Law Section, Former Chair; Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
  • American Arbitration Association - National Construction Industry Arbitration Panels for Regular and Large and Complex Cases; Construction Industry Mediation Panel
  • American Bar Association - Forum on the Construction Industry
  • Colorado Bar Association - Alternative Dispute Resolution Section; Construction Law Section, Former Chair
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court - District of Nevada, pro hac vice
  • U.S. District Court - District of Utah, pro hac vice
  • U.S. District Court - District of Wyoming, pro hac vice

Moye White LLP
Denver, Colorado

28 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

21 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

Best Law Firms Badge Visit Website View Firm Profile

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Construction Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Litigation - Construction Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Construction Law
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Construction Law, Denver (2018)
  • Litigation - Construction, Denver (2015)
  • Construction Law, Denver (2012)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Arbitration
  • Construction Law
  • Litigation - Construction
  • Mediation
Special Focus:
  • Arbitration and Mediation
Awards:
  • Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers®: Construction Law Denver, 2012 and 2018; Litigation-Construction Denver, 2015
  • 5280 Magazine Top Construction Lawyer 2015 - 2021
  • Colorado Super Lawyer: Construction - Litigation, 2006 - 2010, 2012 - 2019; Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2020-2021
  • Chambers USA: Colorado Real Estate: Construction, 2005 - 2014 and 2017, 2019 - 2021

Spinning circle Big letter B

Publications

Your browser is not fully compatible with our automatic printer friendly formatting.

Please use the print button to print this profile page.

Spinning circle Big letter B