Lauren McLaughlin is a partner in the Tysons, Virginia office of Smith Currie. Prior to joining Smith Currie, Lauren was a founding partner of BrigliaMcLaughlin, PLLC, a law firm devoted exclusively to construction industry and surety clients. For over a decade, BrigliaMcLaughlin, PLLC was a recognized leader in construction law. Its award-winning team of “hard hat” lawyers garnered the attention of Super Lawyers, Chambers, and U.S. News & World Report rankings for its zealous representation of clients in the field of construction.
For nearly 20 years, Lauren has represented owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, sureties and design professionals in all aspects of public and private construction projects. With that perspective, she counsels clients on project risk management and litigation avoidance. The breadth of her practice includes working on diverse projects such as the first foreign-owned power plant in the People’s Republic of China; the third largest facility owned by the United States government; two federal prison complexes; a major hotel and convention center complex; an urban housing and development program; a unique biomedical research facility; and countless central utility plants. In these and other disputes, Lauren has successfully tried dozens of complex cases in state and federal courts throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as before arbitral panels, administrative boards and boards of contract appeals.
Having represented all parties in the privity chain, Lauren is intimately familiar with the unique leverage perspectives of the owner, contractor, and subcontractor. She understands the business aspects confronting construction companies from employment and compliance issues to bid day deals, from change order negotiation to electronic project management systems. She has worked extensively with general contractors, performance bond sureties, mechanical contracting firms, glass and glazing contractors, and on behalf of steel and precast contractors. Lauren’s construction clients routinely involve her at all phases of the project, from conception and value engineering through final completion.
As a result of her experience, Lauren has been selected to Super Lawyers for DC and Virginia and is regularly invited to speak to industry and professional organizations, including the Construction Superconference, the Structural Engineers Association of Texas; the Building Envelope Contractors Association; the Forum on the Construction Industry (ABA); the Surety Claims Institute; the Mechanical Contractors Association of America; and the Fidelity & Surety Law Committee (ABA). She chaired the Construction Law and Public Contracts Section of the Virginia Bar Association and is on the Boards of both the American Subcontractors Association of Metro-Washington and the Virginia State Bar Construction section. She also regularly contributes to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) monthly publication, Civil Engineering, where she co-authors “The Law” column.
Lauren served two terms on the Board of Trustees at Trinity University in Washington, DC, her alma mater, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. She obtained her juris doctorate with honors from Catholic University Columbus School of Law.
Honors and Awards
- Chambers USA, Construction, 2023
- The Best Lawyers in America® , Construction Law, Litigation – Construction, 2019-2024
Articles & Publications
- Co-Author, “Virginia Moves to Ban ‘Pay-if-Paid’ Clauses,” Smith Currie Legal Alert, March 11, 2022
- What Every Practitioner Should Know About Pass-Through Claims (39thAnnual Construction & Public Contracts Law Seminar: Virginia Continuing Legal Education, November 2018)
- Engineering Inspector Unable To Fend Off Negligence Claims (ASCE, Civil Engineering, November 2018)
- State Statute Protects Architect From Owner’s Indemnity Claim (ASCE, Civil Engineering, October 2018)
- Are There Limits on an Owner’s Right To Terminate for Convenience? (ASCE, Civil Engineering, September 2018)
- Best Practices For Managing Expert Witnesses, Rules of Engagement, Exploring Expert Opinions During Discovery, Witness Stand Considerations (Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting, Construction Law Section, June 2017)
- Mechanical Electrical Plumbing (MEP) Trades Divisions 15 and 16 (American Bar Association, Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, Mid-Winter 2016)
- When Spearin Won’t Work: How Contractual Risk Allocation Often Undermines This Landmark Ruling (35-SUM Construction Law. 39, Construction Lawyer, Summer 2015, Am. Bar Association)
- Bond Requirements in State and Local Construction Projects: An Attorneys’ Handbook, (ABA Forum on Construction Law, Am. Bar Assoc. 2017, co-author)
- Recent Developments in Construction and Public Contracts Law in Virginia (34th Annual Construction & Public Contracts Law Seminar: Virginia Continuing Legal Education, November 2013)
Smith Currie's Common Sense Contract Law
- Virginia Enacts a New “Wage Theft” Law Making General Contractors Liable for Subcontractors’ Wage Violations, (June 29, 2020)
- Limiting the Right of Offset: Is it the Start of a New Trend?, (June 24, 2020)
- Understanding the Right of Offset in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, (June 22, 2020)
- Maryland, Virginia, and DC Courts Toll Statute of Limitations and Other Deadlines, (April 9, 2020)
- The Intertwined Business Worlds of Construction & Surety: Can the Surety Industry Weather the COVID-19 Storm?, (April 2, 2020)
Presentations
- Terms Used on Construction Projects - Family Feud - January 25, 2024 - New Orleans, LA
- Risky Business: Construction Disputes as Risk Management Problems - June 8, 2023 - Santa Monica, CA
- Enforcing Rights to Reimbursement - January 20, 2023 - Washington, D.C.
- Why Should You Care About the Standard of Care - December 8, 2022 - Las Vegas, NV
- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act - October 5, 2022 - National Harbor, MD
- Pay-if-Paid Legal Landscape in Virginia - September 13, 2022 - Vienna, VA
- Live from D.C. - Smith Currie's Spring Update Seminar - May 12-13, 2022 - National Harbor, MD
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Corporate Change - February 24, 2022 - San Diego, CA
- Checklist for Construction Settlements - November 6, 2021 - Charlottesville, Virginia
- Women Who Build - October 22, 2021 - Washington, DC
- Webinar: Where are We Now? CM Liability and COVID-19 Challenges - January 2021
Professional Affiliations
Virginia Bar Association, Past Chair of the Construction and Public Contracts Section
American Subcontractors Association of Metro Washington, Member, Board of Directors
Virginia State Bar, Construction Law and Public Contracts Section, Member, Board of Governors