Jeffrey A. "Jeff" Brauer

Jeffrey A. Brauer is a trial attorney and partner who focuses his practice on commercial litigation and construction law. For more than 30 years, he has handled his clients’ most complex financial, construction and commercial disputes from development through discovery, mediation, trial, and appeal. He succeeds by diving into the details, embracing the complexity, and engineering outcomes that accomplish his clients’ business and legal objectives. He works across the U.S. on his clients’ matters, currently handling cases in California, Florida, New York, Ohio and other states.

Complex Business Litigation

Jeff provides ongoing representation as national counsel for one of the largest cryptocurrency trading platforms in the United States, handling commercial disputes, class action litigation, and consumer disputes. He also has extensive experience handling contract disputes, business torts, business divorces, and shareholder disputes. For his clients, he has obtained immediate and emergency injunctive enforcement of client rights, such as non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. He also has handled intellectual property issues, health care agreements, securities issues, and insurance claims.

Complex Construction Disputes

Jeff represents some of the largest international and domestic owners, contractors, architects, and subcontractors in various complex disputes. He has handled a variety of engineering design disputes including civil (heavy highway and bridge), structural, mechanical, electrical, chemical, HVAC, and alternative energy (including ethanol and bioenergy) engineering disputes. Jeff has negotiated and litigated issues involving AIA project documents, construction agreements, owner claims for termination for cause and supplementation of work force, performance and payment bond claims and claims related to surety work. He also has resolved contractor claims for delay, including scheduling claims, application of the Eichleay formula, measured mile calculations, and claims for lost profits.

In addition to being an advocate in more than 20 arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, and other commercial arbitration administrators, Jeff serves as an arbitrator for the Commercial and Construction Panels of the American Arbitration Association and of Cuyahoga County and frequently serves as an arbitrator on various matters.

Creditor/Debtor Representation and Litigation

Jeff has represented purchasers of debt, banks, and other secured creditors in various proceedings including commercial foreclosures, bankruptcy, and receivership often ending in creative resolutions of such disputes through transactions that maximize recovery and minimize creditor risk. He also has represented borrowers in complex lending disputes raising defects in lending instruments as defenses to creditor action. In furtherance of these claims, Jeff frequently litigates matters in bankruptcy court.

Out of the office, Jeff recently finished a two-year term as the Chair of the Board of the Fine Arts Association, the leading provider of arts education in Lake County, Ohio. He also founded the Ohio Chapter of Wills for Heroes and ran the organization between 2007 and 2013, which provided free estate planning services for first responders.

Jeff serves as Hahn Loeser’s Ethics Partner and advises attorneys on issues related to ethics and professionalism.