After nearly thirty (30) years of distinguished full-time practice in the area of Construction Law, Margaret Underwood is now Of Counsel to Horn Williamson. During her full-time practice of law, Ms. Underwood provided high-level legal services to local, national, and international owners, contractors, and subcontractors on many of the largest and most prestigious construction projects located in and around the Philadelphia Area and as far away as Europe and the Marshall Islands.
Her extensive experience includes: drafting and negotiating construction contracts for large, complex projects; OSHA regulations and violations; and construction claims/disputes of every kind. Ms. Underwood continues to provide legal counsel and advice to the clients and attorneys of Horn Williamson in connection with all matters related to construction, construction disputes, construction contracts, and construction projects.
Ms. Underwood has been named as one of the Best Lawyers of America® from 2016 through 2023 in the field of Construction Law. For the last 15 years, she has also received a rating of “AV® Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell®. In 2010, she was selected for the inaugural edition of the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™.
From 2006 to 2022, Ms. Underwood was named to the Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” list in the area of Construction Law, appearing in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, recognizes the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania, as chosen by their peers and through independent research. In 2016, Ms. Underwood was selected as an inaugural Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Association of America.
AV® Peer Review Rated “CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.”
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
Court Admissions
- All State Courts of Pennsylvania
- All State Courts of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, PA (J.D. 1994, Moot Court; Winner Rabbi Seymour Siegel Memorial Moot Court Competition, Duke University School of Law 1994)
- Temple University, Philadelphia, PA (A.B. 1974, cum laude)
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association (Litigation Section; Forum Committee on the Construction Industry; Torts & Insurance Committee)
- New Jersey Bar Association (Construction Committee)
- Philadelphia Bar Association (Commercial Litigation Committee; State Civil Procedural Rules Committee)
- National Association of Women in Construction (President 2002-2004; Board Member 2002-2005; Philadelphia Chapter)
- General Building Contractors Association (Affiliate Member; Safety Committee)
- Building Contractors Association of South Jersey (Associate Member)
- American Arbitration Association (Arbitrator on the construction panel of its National Roster of Commercial Neutrals.