Photo of Ross J. Altman

Ross J. Altman Member

Areas of Practice

Industries

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois

Court Admissions

  • U. S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Education

George Washington University, J.D.

University of Michigan, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, B.S.

Ross J. Altman is a member in Dykema's Chicago office and leads the Firm's Construction Law practice. He focuses his practice on matters pertaining to design and engineering, procurement and construction. He represents owners, contractors, design professionals, lenders and others in matters ranging from drafting and negotiation of contracts to resolution of disputes and claims.

Mr. Altman also counsels clients in the transaction structure, financing and administration of construction and has worked on projects throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. He has represented public entities engaged in public-private partnership (P3) projects as well as concessionaires and other parties involved in the design, construction, supply, operation and maintenance of infrastructure projects. Mr. Altman has represented clients helping to solve issues relating to surety bonds and other project-related security and has drafted special legislation to address such matters.

In the area of turnarounds, Mr. Altman has worked as general counsel for two global companies attempting to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the  U.S. Bankruptcy Code, as well as resolving international insolvency matters.

Mr. Altman is an adjunct law professor, teaching a course in drafting design agreements and construction contracts. He frequently writes and lectures on topics that pertain to the design professions, construction industry and project finance, and serves as a contributing editor to The Real Estate Finance Journal. He is also a co-editor of a the law school textbook, Construction Law, and authored two chapters of the book, which was published by the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry in January 2009.

Chambers USA repeatedly recognizes Mr. Altman for his construction law work, and in 2011 noted, “Construction specialist Ross Altman is an experienced and respected attorney with a fantastic reputation for handling large international transactions.” Also in 2011, he was named Construction Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers and named one of the Top 100 Illinois lawyers in real estate by the Leading Lawyers Network. Mr. Altman has been designated an Illinois Super Lawyer by Law & Politics since 2005 and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for construction law. He is recommended in Legal 500 and is identified by the International Who's Who of Construction Lawyers. 

Experience

Representative construction projects by ENR section include:

  • General building, including notable high-rise projects in Chicago and New York, destination entertainment and leisure facilities
  • Manufacturing plants
  • Power projects, including waste-to-energy, co-generation plants, and renewable energy
  • Industrial process facilities, such as pulp and paper mills, steel mills, pharmaceutical plants, food and other processing facilities
  • Petroleum facilities
  • Transportation, including roads and highways, dredging and marine facilities, bridges, light rail, and inter-modal facilities, among others
  • Hazardous waste projects
  • Telecommunications projects
  • The Project from Hell: Construction Turnarounds and Workouts, International Bar Association, Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland
    October 2, 2012
  • Public-Private Partnerships, Land Use Institute: Planning, Regulation, Litigation, Eminent Domain, and Compensation, Chicago, IL
    August 10, 2012
  • Project Delivery Systems, Construction Law and Mechanics Liens Subcommittee of the Real Property Law Committee, Chicago Bar Association
    May 7, 2012
  • Transactional Considerations, Does the Project Delivery System Really Matter, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, 2012 Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV
    April 26, 2012
  • "Public-Private Partnerships"
    January 1, 2010
    Construction Law: Transactional Considerations, at 5-1, Stanley P. Sklar, ed., IICLE
  • Co-editor of Construction Law, ABA Publishing
    2009
  • Author of "Participants in the Design and Construction Process," Chapter 2; and "Project Delivery Systems," Chapter 4
    2009
    Construction Law, ABA Publishing
  • "Design Professional's Liability to the Contractor"
    2006
    Architect and Engineer Liability: Claims against Design Professionals, at 115, Kevin R. Sido, ed., Aspen Publishers 3d ed.
  • American College of Construction Lawyers, Fellow
  • American Arbitration Association Panel of Arbitrators for Construction Industry Disputes
  • Construction Advisory Committee of the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution
  • American Bar Association Forum Committee on Construction Industry, former Member of Steering Committee for Division 12, Owners and Lenders
  • International Bar Association, International Construction Projects Committee
  • Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys, Founding Member
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2006-2013 for Construction Law and Real Estate Law. Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC
  • Named a Leading Construction Lawyer by Chambers USA, 2007-2012
  • Named the 2011 Chicago "Lawyer of the Year" for Construction Law by Best Lawyers© 2012
  • Recommended in Legal 500
  • Selected for International Who’s Who of Construction Lawyers, 2010, 2012-2013
  • Named an Illinois Super Lawyer for Construction Law by Law & Politics, 2005-2013
  • Named an Illinois Leading Lawyer for Construction Law by the Leading Lawyers Network, 2008-2013. Law Bulletin Publishing Company.
  • Recognized in the Top 100 Real Estate Lawyers in Illinois by Leading Lawyers Network, 2009-2010
  • Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers