CONTACT INFORMATION

504-619-6162
c: 504-494-2081

EDUCATION

  • University of South Alabama, B.A., English, 2005
  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2009
    • Loyola Law Review, Managing Editor
    • Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Team, Brief Writer/Oralist
    • William L. Crowe, Sr. Scholar
    • Comment, Insurance, Employment, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, 55 Loy. L. Rev. 125 (Spring 2009)

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Louisiana, 2009
  • Texas, 2015
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • New Orleans Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

AWARDS

Michael S. Blackwell  |  Partner

Michael S. Blackwell has been with the firm since 2019 and was named partner in 2020. Michael represents a variety of clients, ranging from general contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, insurers, and sureties in construction and labor issues, to companies involved in sales, acquisitions, corporate governance matters, commercial disputes, and other challenges arising in the commercial arena. He has engaged in significant contract negotiation, corporate formation, structuring, and governance matters, sales and acquisitions of assets and ownership interests, contract negotiation and drafting, construction disputes involving delays, terminations for default, payment, asset seizure, fraud, labor and employment issues, and a variety of other disputes that arise during construction. Michael regularly lectures on matters affecting construction clients, engineers on ethics and liability, and construction managers and public entities on changes in Louisiana construction law.

Among other acknowledgments, Michael has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. Michael has served as the Chairman of the Construction Law Committee for the New Orleans Bar Association since 2017. Every year since 2016, Michael has been selected as a “Rising Star” in the field of Construction Litigation by Super Lawyers publication.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Represented general contractor in successfully negotiating a workout agreement between client and client’s surety to protect client assets and continue operations while preventing financial institutions from defaulting client under loan agreements.
  • Represented regional general contractor in defending against 180-person collective action lawsuit filed under Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • Represented subcontractor in successful dismissal of formal complaints filed by former employees with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for employment discrimination and Occupational Safety and Health Administration for whistleblower protection.
  • Represented regional general contractor before Louisiana Fourth Circuit and obtained reversal of summary judgment in favor of material supplier under a Louisiana Private Works Act lien in res nova decision.
  • Represented general contractor before Louisiana First Circuit and obtained decision holding no-damages-for-delay provision in every state contract issued by Division of Administration, Office of Facility Planning a violation of La. R.S. 38:2216(H).
  • Represented regional general contractor in successful reversal of trial court removal of Louisiana Private Works Act lien on large-scale mixed-use development.
  • Represented subcontractor in successfully obtaining dismissal of claims by general contractor as preempted under La. R.S. 9:2772.
  • Represented general contractor in successfully obtaining summary judgment against masonry subcontractor and subsequent seizure of assets to satisfy judgment.

SEMINARS

  • HalfMoon Education, Using AIA Document A201: General Conditions (August 2022)
  • CMAA – Gulf Coast Chapter, Louisiana Construction Law Update (October 2022)
  • Active CMAR A133, The Blueprint Conference (October 2022)
  • HalfMoon Education, AIA Contract Document Workshop (July 2022)
  • HalfMoon Education, Deep Dive into AIA Standard Forms of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor (February 2022)
  • HalfMoon Education, AIA Contract Document Workshop (October 2021)
  • Co-Presenter, New Orleans Bar Association CLE Webinar, July 2021
  • Current Issues in Louisiana Construction Law, CMAA Gulf Coast Chapter (July 2018)
  • AIA Contract Document Workshop, HalfMoon Education, Inc. (April 2018)
  • Construction Law: Advanced Issues and Answers, National Business Institute (March 2018)
  • Construction Defect Litigation: From A to Z, National Business Institute (December 2017)
  • Recent Developments in Construction Law, CMAA Gulf Coast Chapter (July 2017)
  • The Potential Price of Ethics and Liability, Gulf States Engineering Conference (June 2017)
  • The Potential Price of Ethics and Liability, Louisiana Engineering Society – New Orleans (March 2017)
  • Troubleshooting Construction Project Legal Issues, National Business Institute (December 2016)
  • The Potential Price of Ethics and Liability, Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference (September 2016)
  • Construction Law: What’s New? CMAA Gulf Coast Chapter (May 2016)
  • Construction Law: What do You do When . . . ? National Business Institute (December 2015)
  • Construction Law, BuildNOLA Small Business Program, City of New Orleans (November 2015)
  • Construction Law in Louisiana, U.S. Department of Transportation Bonding Education (April 2015)

Michael S. Blackwell

Partner

mblackwell@rllaw.com
504-619-6162     c:504-494-2081
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Michael S. Blackwell has been with the firm since 2019 and was named partner in 2020. Michael represents a variety of clients, ranging from general contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, insurers, and sureties in construction and labor issues, to companies involved in sales, acquisitions, corporate governance matters, commercial disputes, and other challenges arising in the commercial arena. He has engaged in significant contract negotiation, corporate formation, structuring, and governance matters, sales and acquisitions of assets and ownership interests, contract negotiation and drafting, construction disputes involving delays, terminations for default, payment, asset seizure, fraud, labor and employment issues, and a variety of other disputes that arise during construction. Michael regularly lectures on matters affecting construction clients, engineers on ethics and liability, and construction managers and public entities on changes in Louisiana construction law. 

Among other acknowledgments, Michael has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. Michael has served as the Chairman of the Construction Law Committee for the New Orleans Bar Association since 2017. Every year since 2016, Michael has been selected as a “Rising Star” in the field of Construction Litigation by Super Lawyers publication.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Represented general contractor in successfully negotiating a workout agreement between client and client’s surety to protect client assets and continue operations while preventing financial institutions from defaulting client under loan agreements.
  • Represented regional general contractor in defending against 180-person collective action lawsuit filed under Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • Represented subcontractor in successful dismissal of formal complaints filed by former employees with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for employment discrimination and Occupational Safety and Health Administration for whistleblower protection.
  • Represented regional general contractor before Louisiana Fourth Circuit and obtained reversal of summary judgment in favor of material supplier under a Louisiana Private Works Act lien in res nova decision.
  • Represented general contractor before Louisiana First Circuit and obtained decision holding no-damages-for-delay provision in every state contract issued by Division of Administration, Office of Facility Planning a violation of La. R.S. 38:2216(H).
  • Represented regional general contractor in successful reversal of trial court removal of Louisiana Private Works Act lien on large-scale mixed-use development.
  • Represented subcontractor in successfully obtaining dismissal of claims by general contractor as preempted under La. R.S. 9:2772.
  • Represented general contractor in successfully obtaining summary judgment against masonry subcontractor and subsequent seizure of assets to satisfy judgment.

SEMINARS

  • HalfMoon Education, Using AIA Document A201: General Conditions (August 2022)
  • CMAA – Gulf Coast Chapter, Louisiana Construction Law Update (October 2022)
  • Active CMAR A133, The Blueprint Conference (October 2022)
  • HalfMoon Education, AIA Contract Document Workshop (July 2022)
  • HalfMoon Education, Deep Dive into AIA Standard Forms of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor (February 2022)
  • HalfMoon Education, AIA Contract Document Workshop (October 2021)
  • Co-Presenter, New Orleans Bar Association CLE Webinar, July 2021
  • Current Issues in Louisiana Construction Law, CMAA Gulf Coast Chapter (July 2018)
  • AIA Contract Document Workshop, HalfMoon Education, Inc. (April 2018)
  • Construction Law: Advanced Issues and Answers, National Business Institute (March 2018)
  • Construction Defect Litigation: From A to Z, National Business Institute (December 2017)
  • Recent Developments in Construction Law, CMAA Gulf Coast Chapter (July 2017)
  • The Potential Price of Ethics and Liability, Gulf States Engineering Conference (June 2017)
  • The Potential Price of Ethics and Liability, Louisiana Engineering Society – New Orleans (March 2017)
  • Troubleshooting Construction Project Legal Issues, National Business Institute (December 2016)
  • The Potential Price of Ethics and Liability, Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference (September 2016)
  • Construction Law: What’s New? CMAA Gulf Coast Chapter (May 2016)
  • Construction Law: What do You do When . . . ? National Business Institute (December 2015)
  • Construction Law, BuildNOLA Small Business Program, City of New Orleans (November 2015)
  • Construction Law in Louisiana, U.S. Department of Transportation Bonding Education (April 2015)

EDUCATION

  • University of South Alabama, B.A., English, 2005 J.D.
  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2009
    • Loyola Law Review, Managing Editor
    • Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Team, Brief Writer/Oralist
    • William L. Crowe, Sr. Scholar
    • Comment, Insurance, Employment, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, 55 Loy. L. Rev. 125 (Spring 2009)

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Louisiana, 2009
  • Texas, 2015
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • New Orleans Bar Association
  • American Bar Association