About Bruce
Bruce Meller has been a Partner at Peckar & Abramson since 1979. He has been described in Chambers USA as “a brilliant construction litigator,” by Who’s Who Legal as “an attorney handling “high-pressure, high-stakes cases with class and composure,” and by The Legal 500: United States as “exceptional, with strong trial and arbitration experience” and “the epitome of the construction litigator, who understands a company’s needs and goes out to get results.”A highly respected litigator, Bruce has been responsible for many of the firm’s most significant cases, as well as the negotiation of complex contractual relationships and the drafting of standard forms of agreement, which are used on a national basis.Bruce has represented contractors throughout the United States on virtually every type of construction project, including high-rise buildings, shopping malls, museums, wastewater treatment and power plants, hospitals, garages, institutional buildings, stadiums, laboratories, highways, bridges, tunnels, pipelines and light rail systems.Bruce was lead counsel in an arbitration involving claims in excess of $130 million arising out of building and civil construction work for a train system in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which lasted 84 hearing days. He was lead trial counsel and negotiated a $59 million dollar settlement on behalf of a design-build contractor with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Another matter on behalf of a construction manager involved claims in excess of $60 million, which lasted more than 75 hearing days. An engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) matter resolved at trial for sums in excess of $100 million. Many of his jury trials have lasted over one month and up to four months in length, resulting in numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts, and dozens of published decisions. He has been admitted to practice pro hac vice throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico.
Bruce Meller has been a Partner at Peckar & Abramson since 1979. He has been described in Chambers USA as “a brilliant construction litigator,” by Who’s Who Legal as “an attorney handling “high-pressure, high-stakes cases with class and composure,” and by The Legal 500: United States as “exceptional, with strong trial and arbitration experience” and “the epitome of the construction litigator, who understands a company’s needs and goes out to get results.”
A highly respected litigator, Bruce has been responsible for many of the firm’s most significant cases, as well as the negotiation of complex contractual relationships and the drafting of standard forms of agreement, which are used on a national basis.
Bruce has represented contractors throughout the United States on virtually every type of construction project, including high-rise buildings, shopping malls, museums, wastewater treatment and power plants, hospitals, garages, institutional buildings, stadiums, laboratories, highways, bridges, tunnels, pipelines and light rail systems.
Bruce was lead counsel in an arbitration involving claims in excess of $130 million arising out of building and civil construction work for a train system in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which lasted 84 hearing days. He was lead trial counsel and negotiated a $59 million dollar settlement on behalf of a design-build contractor with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Another matter on behalf of a construction manager involved claims in excess of $60 million, which lasted more than 75 hearing days. An engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) matter resolved at trial for sums in excess of $100 million. Many of his jury trials have lasted over one month and up to four months in length, resulting in numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts, and dozens of published decisions. He has been admitted to practice pro hac vice throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico.
Practice Areas
Education
Professional Affiliations
Awards & Recognition
- Lawyer of the Year: Construction Law, Hackensack (2024)
- Lawyer of the Year: Construction Law, Hackensack (2021)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Construction, Newark (2012)
- Recognized: Construction Law
- Recognized: Litigation - Construction
- Special Focus: Commercial Development
- Special Focus: Construction Disputes
- Best Lawyers, 2006-2025
- New Jersey Super Lawyers, 2006-2025
- New York-Metro Super Lawyers, 2006-2024
- Chambers USA, Construction Law, New Jersey, Band 1, 2020-2025
- Chambers USA, Construction Law, New York, 2011-2019
- Lexology Index: Construction 2025
- Lexology Client Choice Award, Construction, United States, 2020-2022
- ALM & Martindale-Hubbell “New York Top-Rated Lawyers,” 2019-2020
- Best Lawyers, “Lawyer of the Year” in Construction Law – Hackensack region, 2021, 2024
- Best Lawyers, “Lawyer of the Year” in Construction Litigation - Newark region, 2012
- Bergen Magazine, Top Lawyer - Construction, 2020-2024
- The Legal 500: United States
- Who’s Who Legal - Thought Leader: USA, 2024
- Who’s Who Legal - Thought Leaders, Construction, 2020-2023
- Who’s Who Legal: Construction
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rated
- Construction Lawyer Society of America (Fellow)
- Litigation Counsel of America (Senior Fellow)