Practice areas
Recognitions
Education
- Widener University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1994
- Grove City College, B.A., 1991
Michael Winfield is a member of the Business Litigation practice group, and Chair of the firm’s Construction Law practice group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of construction law and litigation, public contracts, complex commercial litigation and dispute resolution.
Mr. Winfield regularly represents public and private owners (including school districts, universities, municipalities, authorities, and local government entities), contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and design professionals in all facets of construction and public contract law, including contract document drafting and review; contract negotiations; procurement and public bidding issues; bid protests; project administration; claims review and analysis; and dispute resolution (including mediation, arbitration and litigation). He has prosecuted and defended claims involving defective construction of building systems and structural components; design errors and omissions; defective specifications; delays and impacts; lost productivity; owner interference; multi-prime interference; coordination failures; extra and/or additional work; cardinal change; default termination; differing site conditions; public bidding violations (including bid protest injunction actions); breach of payment obligations; and prompt payment violations.
Mr. Winfield also represents local, regional, national and international business clients in commercial disputes in both federal and state courts. He has handled cases involving breach of contract, tortious interference with contractual relations, unfair competition, violation of restrictive covenants, misappropriation of trade secrets, and ERISA violations.
A significant portion of Mr. Winfield’s practice is devoted to the area of dispute resolution. He is a strong advocate of exploring pragmatic and creative business solutions involving alternative procedures to the standard litigation model. He provides counseling to the firm’s clients on the various forms of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration and early neutral evaluation. He is a certified mediator with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a member of the Dauphin County Bar Association Civil Dispute Resolution Program Mediation Panel, and a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Panel of Construction Arbitrators. He obtained his formal mediation training from the internationally acclaimed Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law.
Mr. Winfield is admitted to practice before all state courts in Pennsylvania and Maryland; the United States District Court for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania; and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He has also been admitted to appear on a case by case basis in United States District Courts in West Virginia, New Jersey and Florida.
Bar & Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Court of Appeals of Maryland
- United States District Courts for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania and the District of Maryland
Publications
- , Spokesman Vol.37, No.4
Professional & Community Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section; Forum on Construction Industry
- Pennsylvania Bar Association,Civil Litigation Section; Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
- Dauphin County Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee; Steering Committee, Charitable Organization Pro Bono Pilot Program; Mediation Panel Member
- Member, American Arbitration Association, National Roster of Construction Arbitrators
- Member, United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Certified Panel of Mediators
- Associate Member, Associated Builders and Contractors, Keystone Chapter