Our Attorneys

Jean Gallo Wine

Jean Gallo Wine is a Capital Partner and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Chambers-ranked Construction Law Group. Jean is also individually named among the leading construction law attorneys in Illinois by Chambers USA. Jean’s practice includes litigation and arbitration of a wide variety of construction disputes, pre-suit claim development and mitigation, drafting and negotiating construction agreements, and assessing the risk profiles of potential projects.

Jean has extensive experience handling complex construction disputes in arbitration and state and federal courts around the country. Her experience includes claims involving construction delay and acceleration, losses of productivity and efficiency, construction and design defects, product defects, breaches of contract, change order disputes, excessive changes and cumulative impact, mechanics liens, payment withholding, economic loss, and bid protests, among others. She has litigated claims on behalf of owners, general contractors, subcontractors, architects, and engineers, which claims have involved a wide variety of projects, including airports, hotels, high-rise residential and office buildings, schools, hospitals, process facilities, railways, and roadways. Jean also has substantial experience managing insurance coverage issues that arise out of her litigated matters and has had success obtaining coverage for her clients, often from third party carriers at no cost to the client.

In representing her clients, Jean’s work often begins before a lawsuit is ever filed. She is frequently called upon to work with her clients at the first sign of trouble on a project, to both mitigate claims by third parties and develop and document anticipated claims by the client. Jean is adept at guiding clients through the claim mitigation and development process both before and after project completion, with a focus on reducing, and ideally eliminating, future litigation and legal fees by resolving claims early. Her deep understanding of how to develop her clients’ claims and critically evaluate claims asserted against her clients allows her to create leverage and settlement opportunities prior to costly litigation.

Jean’s transactional experience includes drafting and negotiating a wide range of agreements, including construction contracts, general conditions, design-build agreements, professional services agreements, subcontracts, and joint venture agreements. Jean assists her clients with risk management and frequently consults with them regarding the risk profiles associated with particular contracts, projects, and insurance arrangements. Jean’s broad construction litigation and arbitration experience, coupled with her knowledge regarding applicability of insurance for construction-related claims, gives her a unique perspective when advising clients regarding their contracts and furthers her ability to draft and negotiate agreements that limit exposure in the event of a claim.

Jean is also heavily involved in the construction community, both in Chicago and nationally. Jean is the founder of the Chicago Chapter of Professional Women in Construction, which she established in 2021 alongside a group of 11 other prominent women in Chicago’s construction industry. The mission of the organization is to support, advance, and connect women and promote diversity in construction, architecture, engineering, and related fields. Jean served as President of the Chicago Chapter from 2021 to 2023 and remains involved as a Board Member. Jean is also a former Board Member of the National Chapter of Professional Women in Construction and has worked to expand the organization and its mission to other parts of the country.

Representative Litigation and Arbitration Engagements

• Represented design-builder in litigation involving over $160 million in claims based on delays, out-of-scope work, and alleged defects at a $1 billion renovation and expansion of a large international airport in Washington. Wine orchestrated a favorable settlement of all claims and implemented a strategy to avoid additional litigation by impacted subcontractors.
• Represented general contractor in arbitration arising out of construction of a college, in which the owner claimed over $20 million in damages due to alleged defects at both the elevators and storm water management system. Wine took first-chair responsibilities at the three-week arbitration hearing and secured a resounding victory for the general contractor client.
• Represented prominent Chicago developer and owner in litigation brought by owner of a neighboring parcel involving allegations of subterranean trespass and construction and design defects at a new office building. Wine defeated multiple temporary restraining orders in the process, and her team ultimately prevailed on summary judgment.
• Represented curtain wall designer and installer in arbitration against general contractor with over $10 million in claims arising out of lack of payment, delays, acceleration, and alleged construction and design defects. Wine took first-chair responsibilities at the arbitration and secured a favorable award following a two-week evidentiary hearing.
• Represented design-builder in arbitration against subcontractor involving over $20 million in claims arising out of alleged delays, losses of productivity, and out-of-scope work at an airport project. Wine implemented a creative strategy to resolve the claim in mediation with a nationally renowned mediator.
• Represented general contractor in dispute with subcontractor and product supplier based on product defects at a project for the U.S. Navy. Wine orchestrated a multi-party settlement meeting, resulting in a favorable settlement for the general contractor client.
• Represented developer of high-rise condominium building in litigation involving claims due to alleged construction and design defects. Wine represented the same developer in the related coverage action and argued before the Seventh Circuit to obtain coverage from a third-party carrier, ultimately paving the way for settlement at no cost to client and full reimbursement of the client’s legal fees.
• Represented leading government contractor in defending claims under the False Claims Act, resulting in summary judgment in favor of the client.
• Represented curtain wall designer and installer in litigation arising out of alleged defects on a public college project in New York. Wine’s team secured complete dismissal via summary judgment before the Southern District of New York.
• Represented EPC contractor in arbitration arising out of lack of payment, alleged delays, and construction and design defects at a sodium bicarbonate plant in Colorado.
• Represented general contractor in litigation involving claims based on project delays and construction and design defects at a technically complex sales and training center for high-end medical equipment in Indiana.
• Represented general contractor in arbitration arising out of alleged construction and design defects at a retirement community.
• Represented general contractor and property owner in litigation involving design defects and delay claims arising out of a luxury hotel and condominium development in Arizona.
• Represented general contractor in arbitration involving defect claims arising out of design and construction of a movie production studio.
• Represented architect in litigation involving concrete defects at a luxury condominium building in Chicago.
• Represented engineer in federal court litigation arising out of catastrophic failure of a monorail system in Washington.

Representative Transactional Engagements

• Drafted and negotiated full suite of design, consulting, and construction agreements (including agreements for construction manager at risk, architect, landscape architect, structural engineer, MEP engineer, geotechnical engineer, and a whole host of project consultants) on a ground-up, high-profile project in Los Angeles’s Arts District.
• Drafted and negotiated complete family of contracts, including pre-construction agreement, construction manager at risk agreement, general conditions, professional services agreement, and development management agreement for mixed use project exceeding $215 million and consisting of a 25-story office building and boutique hotel in North Carolina.
• Prepared fully integrated family of form construction contracts, including construction agreements, general conditions, professional services agreement, and subcontract for prominent Midwest developer of multifamily properties.
• Drafted fully customized contracts to support client’s modular construction business model.
• Prepared construction contract, general conditions, professional services agreement, development management agreement, and FF&E agreement for hotel expansion project in Florida.
• Drafted fully coordinated construction agreements for a large, multi-phase pipeline project.
• Drafted and negotiated design-build agreement for manufacturing facility in Chicago, Illinois.
• Drafted and negotiated joint venture agreement for prominent transportation engineering company on high-profile design-build project in California.

• Westfield Insurance Company v. National Decorating Service, Inc., 863 F.3d 690 (7th Cir. 2017)

• “Impact of Recent Executive Orders on Federal, State, and Local DBE Contracting,” Presenter, ENR’s Groundbreaking Women in Construction Conference, February 25, 2025
• “Closing the Hope Gap for Girls,” Panelist, Polished Pebbles Black History Month Roundtable Discussion, February 7, 2022
• “Pathways to Progress in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” Panelist, Chicago Building Congress, October 20, 2021
• “Procurement and the City of Chicago,” Chicagoland Associated General Contractors, Presenter, June 25, 2020
• Jean frequently presents in private settings for both clients and industry contacts on a wide range of topics in construction law, including claim mitigation and documentation, practical advice for handling defect and delay claims, claim notice procedures and strategies, prompt payment and retainage release statutes, procurement rules and regulations, contract drafting strategies, and public-private partnership opportunities and limitations.

• Chicago Chapter of Professional Women in Construction, Board Member, 2023 – Present
• Chicago Chapter of Professional Women in Construction, Founder and President, 2021 – 2023
• National Chapter of Professional Women in Construction, Board Member, 2022 – 2024
• American Heart Association Hard Hats with Heart, Board Member, 2023, 2025
• Chicagoland Associated General Contractors, Board Member, 2022
• Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys, Member, 2023 – Present