Meghan M. DiPerna practices construction law. Ms. DiPerna drafts and negotiates construction agreements, design agreements, development agreements and trade contracts on behalf of owners, developers and contractors. She counsels clients through the contract administration process, and provides advice as to allocation of construction/design risk, surety bonding, insurance coverage, building loan funding, adjacent property protection, labor issues, warranties and lien matters. As a complement to her transactional practice, Ms. DiPerna also assists clients in resolving a variety of disputes. Her experience in this regard extends to delay claims, change orders, design defects, defective work, property damage, and default/termination.

Ms. DiPerna has been involved in some of the most iconic projects in New York City, including:

  • 70 Vestry
  • 1 Great Jones Alley
  • 515 West 18th Street
  • 520 West 28th by Zaha Hadid
  • Willets Point Redevelopment
  • Spofford Redevelopment
  • One Hanson Place
  • Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center
  • 261 Hudson
  • New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute
  • 456 Washington Street
  • CornellTECH Residential
  • Abington House
  • The Hudson Yards Redevelopment
  • Essex Crossing
  • World Trade Center Office Towers
  • Columbia University's Manhattanville Expansion
  • Chancery of the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the United Nations
  • 15 Central Park West
  • BankNote Building
  • Bronx Terminal Market
  • East River Plaza
  • MiMa
  • 50 United Nations Plaza
  • 18 Gramercy Park South
  • One Madison
  • Brooklyn Law School
  • Fulton Street Mall
  • 225 Rector Place
  • Carnegie Park

Ms. DiPerna has also been involved in various high profile projects elsewhere in the country, including:

  • CityPlace in Santa Clara, California
  • The Grand in Los Angeles, California
  • Equinox River Oaks in Houston, Texas
  • 110 North Wacker in Chicago, Illinois
  • One Hill South in Washington, DC

Ms. DiPerna is a graduate, with honors, of The George Washington University Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame. She is a member of the Women Builders Council, a leading association representing women in the construction industry. She also serves as vice-chair of programming for the Duane Morris Women's Impact Network for Success (WINS) in New York.

Areas of Practice

  • Real Estate
  • Construction Law

Admissions

  • New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Education

  • The George Washington University Law School, J.D., with honors, 2005
  • University of Notre Dame, B.A., magna cum laude, 2002

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 2019-present
    - Special Counsel, 2015-2018
    - Associate, 2008-2015

  • Watt Tieder Hoffar & Fitzgerald LLP
    - Associate, 2005-2007

Selected Publications

  • Quoted in “Inside Building the New Manhattan Skyline,” GlobeSt.com, November 13, 2017

  • Mentioned in "Real Estate Giants: 30 Hudson Yards, New York," Law360, September 30, 2016

  • Co-Author, "Private or Public?: Either Way, Give Proper Notice of Construction Claims," New York Law Journal, December 23, 2009
  • Co-author, "FAR Rules for Stimulus Funded Contracts: Alert 1 - Buy-American Provisions," Duane Morris Alert, May 5, 2009
  • Author, "Laches Defense Bars Destruction of Condos for Copyright Violation, U.S. Court Holds," Construction WebLinks Business Bulletin, October 6, 2008
  • Author, "General Contractors in Virginia: Another Hurdle to Establishing Your Mechanic's Lien," From the Ground Up, Spring 2006; Construction Law & Public Contacts News, Spring 2006
  • Co-Author, "Termination for Convenience and Fraud: The 2005 McKenna Long & Aldridge Gilbert A. Cuneo Government Contracts Moot Court Competition," Public Contracts Law Journal, Summer 2005
  • Co-Author, "Default Termination and Liquidated Damages: The Best Briefs from the McKenna Long & Aldridge Gilbert A. Cuneo Government Contracts Moot Court Competition, Public Contracts Law Journal, Summer 2004

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Seminar, "Design and Construction Contracts 101," Professional Women in Construction Connect & Learn Series, New York City, June 14, 2016

  • Seminar, “Preparing and Administering Design & Construction Contracts,” Related Companies, New York City, February 22, 2016

  • Host, Greater New York City/Long Island Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction CAD/Design/Drafting Scholarship Award Competition, New York City, March 3, 2012
  • Seminar, "Construction Contracts," Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York City, July 28, 2010