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Cozen O’Connor is proud to announce that Wendy Venoit, a member of the firm’s Construction Law Practice, has been inducted into The Moles, a highly prestigious nationwide fraternal organization of heavy construction professionals.
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Wendy has more than 25 years of experience as a construction lawyer and arbitration advocate whose practice focuses on representing contractors and owners in litigation and arbitration of construction disputes. Wendy has extensive first chair experience in domestic and international construction disputes, including litigation in state and federal forums and mediation and arbitration before the AAA, JAMS, LCIA, ICDR and ICC. She is also regularly asked to counsel clients with respect to ongoing construction projects (serving as project counsel) to draft and negotiate contracts, interpret contract terms, assert and defend claims, and resolve disputes so as to avoid litigation.
Wendy has counseled clients and served as lead trial/arbitration counsel in a number of domestic and international arbitrations and lawsuits involving construction projects. These have included renewable energy (offshore wind, hydroelectric, and solar power), oil and gas facilities (refineries, upgraders, and terminals), infrastructure and transportation projects, traditional power plants, and vertical construction projects. As an advocate, Wendy has litigated before state and federal forums throughout the United States and arbitrated cases administered by the AAA, JAMS, ICC, ICDR and the LCIA, as well as ad hoc arbitrations. Several of these disputes have involved mega projects with amounts in controversy of more than $1 billion. Most recently Wendy achieved an arbitration award of more than $237 million (including all attorney's fees and costs) on behalf of her client in an international arbitration administered by the ICDR involving the wrongful termination for cause of a combined cycle power plant project.
Wendy also regularly sits as an arbitrator in domestic and international construction arbitrations and is part of the AAA panel of construction arbitrators, the AAA Mega Projects Panel, the ICDR panel of international arbitrators, the CPR Distinguished panel of neutrals, the LCIA panel of arbitrators and is a member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Prior to joining the firm, she was a partner in the Construction & Public Contracts group of Hinckley Allen. She was also the vice president, general counsel, and secretary for Suffolk Construction Company, Inc. In that role, she provided legal advice to the executive committee, corporate departments, and regional management; oversaw the negotiation of the company’s largest construction management agreements; proactively worked with management to identify risk on construction projects and implement risk mitigation plans; managed and worked with outside counsel on litigation matters; and generally handled all legal matters for the corporation.
Wendy is recognized for Construction Law and Litigation – Construction in the International Who’s Who of Construction Law, Hartford Business Journal Who’s Who of Construction Law. She was recently named a 2021 Massachusetts Lawyer of the Year for her achievement of one of the largest arbitration awards in Massachusetts history.
Wendy earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and her law degree, magna cum laude and graduated valedictorian, from Pace University School of Law.