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Ryan Hiss is a construction lawyer and a partner in Lyman & Nielsen, LLC. Throughout his career he has concentrated his practice in assisting those involved in construction projects with protecting their legal rights and resolving their legal disputes as efficiently and effectively as possible. Mr. Hiss has advocated the rights of contractors, suppliers, architects, engineers, owners and developers in various dispute forums, including state and federal court and before mediators and arbitrators. Prior to joining Lyman & Nielsen, Mr. Hiss was a partner with the construction law firm of Stein, Ray & Harris LLP. Mr. Hiss has been involved on numerous cases involving contract disputes, delay claims, construction defects, payment disputes, mechanics lien claims and design malpractice. For example, Mr. Hiss successfully defended the architects and engineers who designed an NFL stadium against breach of contract and negligence claims that exceeded $70 million dollars, which claims were asserted by the owner of the stadium. Mr. Hiss also successfully advocated the rights of a national owner of apartments in a construction defect lawsuit concerning a 350 unit complex. The owner client was able to recover over $6.0 million dollars in damages from the general contractor and subcontractors who were responsible for the defective workmanship that caused water leaks and mold in the units. Recently, Mr. Hiss successfully defended a general contractor client from claims alleging defective construction of the exterior façade and roof of a mixed use building in Naperville. The claims exceeded $500,000. Mr. Hiss prevailed on a motion for summary judgment dismissing all claims against the general contractor.

Throughout his career, Mr. Hiss has represented contractors in their breach of contract disputes and in protecting their rights through the effective use of mechanics liens and bond claims. This experience includes advocating timely and efficient resolution of payment disputes during projects, at project close-out, or after the project has been completed. It is Mr. Hiss’ goal, as well as that of Lyman & Nielsen, to effectively advocate his clients’ rights and favorably resolve client disputes as efficiently as possible, so that the client can focus on the building process and not expend time or other resources attending to disputes.

Mr. Hiss received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law (with Honors). Mr. Hiss served on the North Carolina Law Review in 1993-94 at UNC. Mr. Hiss received his Bachelor of Arts degree from North Carolina State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Mr. Hiss also taught Public Speaking and Persuasion Theories as a visiting professor at North Carolina State University.

Areas of Practice:

 

Construction Disputes, Mediation, Arbitration, Litigation

Public and Private Construction Related Transactions

Mechanics Lien Litigation

Surety Bond Litigation

Real Estate Litigation

Commercial Leasing

Honors:

 

“Illinois Super Lawyer” in the area of Construction Litigation. (2010-present)

“Best Lawyers in America” in Construction Law. (2010-present)

Chicago Magazine’s “Top Attorneys in Illinois” in the area of Construction Litigation

Education:

 

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Law, 1995

Juris Doctorate

North Carolina State University, 1992

Bachelor of Science in Education and Social Policy

Professional Associations and Memberships:

 

• Illinois Society of Construction Attorneys (SOICA)



• Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA)
• Chicago Chapter Board Member (2009-2012)
• Chicago Chapter Membership Chair (2009-2012)
• Chicago Chapter Program Committee (2009-Current)
  
  
• American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry
• Division 7 Steering Committee (2009-Current)
• SPEC Programming (2009-Present)

Published Works and Presentations:

Advanced Contract Negotiations, CFMA Chicago Chapter, February 27, 2013 (Oak Brook, Illinois)

Hot Button Construction Law Issues for CPA’s, Illinois CPA Society - Construction Industries, October 30, 2012 (Oak Brook, Illinois)

Public Liens in Illinois, Illinois Continuing Education, September 21, 2012 (Chicago, Illinois)

Strengthen Your Legal Position Through Contract Negotiation, Chicago Roofing Contractors Association, September 18, 2012 (Naperville, Illinois)

Joint Ventures – What You Need to Consider Before, During & After, CFMA National Conference, June 26, 2012 (Orlando, Florida)

Preventing & Resolving Construction Defect Claims, American Conference Institute, February 29, 2012 (Orlando, Florida)

Construction Contracts 101, CFMA-Chicago Chapter, December 6, 2011 (Oak Brook, Illinois)

Construction Insurance Program, Program Co-Chair, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, September 22, 2011 (Chicago, Illinois)

Perfecting Mechanics Liens in Illinois Private Construction, Chicago Bar Association, December 8, 2010 (Chicago, Illinois)

Construction Management Agreements, Lorman Education Services, February 19, 2008 (Countryside, Illinois)

Important Considerations for your Subcontract, Strong Construction Contracts: Your Foundation for Payment; National Business Institute, February 26, 2007 (Oak Brook, Illinois)

Key Provisions in Subcontracts, The Fundamentals of Construction Contracts: Understanding the Issues in Illinois; Lorman Education Services, July 28, 2006 (Arlington Heights, Illinois)

LEED Green Building Rating System and Related Legislation in Illinois; Stein, Ray & Harris Design Symposium, April, 2006 (Chicago, Illinois).

Construction Defect Claims from the Contractor’s Perspective, Construction Defect Claims in Illinois; Lorman Education Services, February 16, 2006 (Chicago, Illinois)

LEED Green Building Rating System and Related Legislation in Illinois; Lorman Education Services, December 8, 2005 (Downers Grove, Illinois)

Here Comes the Judge, the Design Professional’s Responsibility as the Arbiter of Disputes; Stein, Ray & Harris Design Symposium, March 2002 (Chicago, Illinois).

Here Comes the Judge-Duties and Responsibilities of Design Professionals When Deciding Disputes by Steven G.M. Stein & Ryan A. Hiss, ASCE Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, Vol. 129, Number 3 (July 2003).