Michael S. Zicherman

Michael S. Zicherman is an accomplished construction lawyer and complex commercial litigator with more than 30 years of experience. He is a creative thinker and problem solver, possessing outstanding oral and written advocacy skills, and is particularly adept at distilling complex facts and issues. He has a history of achieving economical and successful results for clients in litigation, arbitration, and mediation, and is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s national roster of construction arbitrators.

Michael is a senior Partner in the New Jersey office. His practice focuses on the litigation, arbitration, and appeals of complex commercial and construction disputes. The scope of his practice is both domestic and international, and he has litigated disputes to the highest courts in New York and New Jersey. Michael has numerous published and unpublished written decisions to his credit, in both state and federal courts, including the landmark decision in Panasia Estates, Inc. v. Hudson Ins. Co., in which he successfully argued before the New York Court of Appeals that insureds may sue their insurance carriers for consequential damages above the policy limits, arising out of the carriers’ breach of the insurance policy.

As part of Peckar & Abramson’s Construction Law Practice, Michael regularly represents owners/developers, engineers, general contractors, construction managers and subcontractors, on various public and private construction projects, ranging from heavy and highway, bridges, tunnels, airports, wastewater treatment and power facilities, and pipelines, to public-private partnerships, hospitals, retail, office and mixed-use buildings, and school construction projects. He has both prosecuted and defended a broad range of construction claims and disputes, where the amounts in dispute have exceeded $300 million, including scheduling/delay/impact damages, payment and performance bond claims, construction/mechanics’ liens, and design-defect and change order claims. Michael also regularly advises clients in connection with pre-bid contract reviews, risk analyses, and general contractual rights and obligations, as well as post-award contract negotiations and drafting. In 2021, he completed FIDIC Certified Course Module 2: Claims and Disputes Resolution.

Michael’s commercial litigation practice involves representing clients in various business disputes, including insurance coverage, real estate transactions, consumer fraud, professional negligence, breach of contract claims and other general business torts and transactions. He also has significant experience with bankruptcy, and has frequently represented clients in bankruptcy court, pursuing claims against the debtor and seeking other relief from the court.

Michael is a frequent author on domestic and international construction law topics. In addition to his many publications, he is the co-editor of Getting the Deal Through’s Construction, an international survey of construction and construction law, and co-authored the US chapter since 2008. From 2006 through 2016, he also served as a contributing editor of The Construction Lawyer, the official quarterly publication of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry, and for 6 years co-authored the publication’s “Hard Hat Case Notes” section. Michael has been recognized as a “thought leader” and for skill and accomplishments as a construction litigator and has received numerous top accolades in the fields of construction law, construction litigation, commercial litigation, and appellate practice from various professional rating services, such as Chambers and Partners (Band 1), Who’s Who Legal, New York-Metro Super Lawyers, New Jersey Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Bergen’s Top Lawyers, and holds the highest rating – AV Preeminent – from Martindale Hubbell.