Michelle Kantor has over 20 years of experience in construction, technology law, commercial law and litigation.  As head of Schwartz Cooper's Construction Law practice, she represents owners, developers, design professionals, contractors, subcontractors, fabricators, suppliers, construction managers, and other commercial businesses.

Ms. Kantor has practiced construction and commercial law in private firms, served as general counsel for a technology company, as in-house counsel to an international contracting company, and as internal counsel and Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago, Department of Buildings and Department of Construction and Permits.  She currently serves as outside general counsel for the Federation of Women Contractors.  

Ms. Kantor’s construction law and litigation experience includes payment disputes, mechanic's lien claims, design liability, warranty, change order disputes, delay claims and other construction related disputes.  She also has extensive experience representing real estate developers, shopping center owners and building managers.  She regularly advises clients on construction and mechanic's lien claims, design and warranty liability and regulatory compliance.  She also drafts and negotiates construction and design agreements for private and government projects.

Ms. Kantor served as Chairperson of the Construction Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association/Young Lawyer Section for four years and was previously the Chairperson of the Architecture and Law Committee. She is a member and former director of the Federation of Women Contractors and National Association of Women in Construction in Chicago.  She has delivered numerous presentations and provided training in a variety of construction and technology topics at seminars, conventions and trade association meetings nationwide.  She has published several construction-related articles and is the co-author of a chapter, "Structuring Construction Deals, Key Legal and Practical Issues to Address," published in Inside the Minds: Construction Law and Settlement Negotiations.  She also recently assisted the National Guidelines Committee of the Council of American Structural Engineers in drafting new practice guidelines for specialty structural engineers.

Ms. Kantor currently serves as an instructor for the "Construction and Business Management Training Program" for subcontractors working on the MGM Mirage CityCenter Project in Las Vegas. 

Ms. Kantor is a graduate of the Construction Management Training Institute sponsored by Turner Construction and the City of Chicago where she has served as a faculty member for many years. She also is a trained mediator and arbitrator.

Ms. Kantor's Technology Law experience is extensive.  She regularly provides counsel to clients on software licenses, data protection, privacy issues, electronic signatures and electronic contracts.  She also prepares and negotiates technology agreements ranging from data storage and privacy protection to software licensing, application service provider and trading partner agreements. 

Bar Admissions & Memberships

• Illinois Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar

Education

• J.D. - Loyola University of Chicago Law School, 1987
• B.A. - Bradley University, 1981

Memberships

• American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry
• Chicago Bar Association, Mechanics' Lien Subcommittee
• ASA Chicago, Government Relations Committee
• BOMA Chicago, Codes Committee and Education Committee
• Construction Specifications Institute
• Federation of Women Contractors (General Counsel)
• National Purchasing Management Association
• Structural Engineers Association of Illinois

Seminars & Speeches

• Construction Contract Terms and Conditions: Protect Your Bottom Line! World of Concrete, Las Vegas, Nevada, January, 2008
• Purchasing & Contract Law, National Association of Purchasing Management - Denver, November 2007
• Design Professional and Consulting Agreements: Key Terms & Conditions to Negotiate, November, 2007
• Construction Law and Claims: The Fundamentals, BOMA Chicago, November, 2007
• Understanding and Negotiating Construction Contracts, METALCON International Convention, October, 2007
• Claims Avoidance and Dispute Resolution, Illinois Model Contractor Development Program, July, 2007
• Contract Terms & Conditions: How to Identify Risks and Avoid Disasters, Construction Specification Institute, June, 2007
• Legal Ways to Protect and Send Design and Construction Documents Electronically, Construction Specification Institute, June, 2007
• E-Construction, Software Licenses and Project Management Websites: Key Legal and Practical Issues, AEC Technology Strategies Conference, June, 2007
• Writing Effective Contracts: From Scope Issues to Close-Out, National Association of Purchasing Management - Chicago, June, 2007
• Risk Management in the electronic Age, American Council of Engineering Companies of Ohio, May, 2007
• Construction Contracts: Key Terms and Conditions to Protect Your Bottom Line, Federation of Women Contractors, February, 2007
• Construction Contract Terms and Conditions: Protect Your Bottom Line, World of Concrete, Las Vegas, February, 2007
• E-Signatures, E-Seals, 7 E-Mail: I Never Signed on the Dotted Line, American Council of Engineering Companies 2006 Fall Conference
• Professional Service Contracts: Drafting the Scope of the Work, National Purchasing Institute Annual Convention, August 2006
• Construction Contracts: A Nuts & Bolts Approach. National Society of Professional Engineers Annual Convention, Boston, July 2006
• Complying with Sarbanes-Oxley. National Association of Purchasing Management, St. Louis, May 23, 2006
• Contract Writing & Negotiation: From Preparing the RFP to Closing the Deal. St. Louis May 24, 2006
• Resolving Problems and Disputes on Construction Projects in Illinois. National Business Institute, Chicago, February 2006
• Drafting & Negotiating the Service Contract. National Association of Purchasing Management, Buffalo, NY, November 2005
• Design Document Protection and Project Collaboration. ENR 2005 Top Construction and Engineering Firm Leaders Forum, Chicago, June 2005
• Construction Contract Fundamentals: A Nuts & Bolts Seminar. Lorman Education Services, Columbus, OH, May 2005
• Contract Writing and Negotiation: From Drafting the RFP to Closing The Deal. Nevada Power Company, May 2005
• Construction Contract Law and Management. City of Chicago and Turner Construction, Construction Management Training Institute, University of Illinois, Yearly course instructor since 2000
• Contract Writing & Negotiation. Time Warner Cable, Milwaukee, February 2005
• E-Construction, Technology Law and Project Management Websites: Key Legal Issues. A/E/C Technology Conference, Las Vegas, January 2005
• Technology Law, E-construction & Project Management Websites. American Council of Engineering Companies Fall Conference, Portland, ME, October 2004
• E-Construction & Technology Contracts: Key Issues to Understand and Negotiate. A/E/C Technology Conference, Orlando, FL, February 2004
• Construction Lien Law in Illinois. Lorman Education Services, Rockford, IL, September 2003