In his role as Partner Emeritus, Chris Noble stays actively engaged with his NW&H colleagues and consults with them regularly on client matters.
During his decades of practice in design and construction law, Chris served as general counsel for both small and large design firms, and as construction counsel for private and institutional owners. He has negotiated resolution of design and construction disputes, supported trial counsel in contested proceedings, and provided advice on legal and commercial issues involved in the establishment, management, and ownership transition of design firms. He has advised clients and negotiated contracts for projects in nearly every US state and more than two dozen foreign countries, including major university and hospital buildings, public schools and correctional facilities, museums and aquariums, and some of the tallest office towers in the world.
Chris drafted amendments to the Massachusetts Mechanics’ Lien Law giving lien rights to architects and other design professionals, having negotiated their provisions with subcontractors, lenders, and other stakeholders. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on such subjects as project delivery methods, standard contract forms, interstate and international design practice, building information modeling, and project alliances. For twenty years, he presented a definitive annual professional education program on Massachusetts Construction Law and has presented or participated in more than one hundred lectures, seminars, and professional programs for owners, design professionals, contractors, and lawyers.
Chris began his career at Hill & Barlow, Boston, MA, where he practiced design, construction, corporate, and real estate law, serving as chair of the firm’s Construction Law Practice Group.
Academic Appointments
Visiting Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Design (1989). Guest Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Real Estate (2002-2003). Guest Lecturer, Roger Williams School of Architecture, Art, and Historic Preservation (2003-2010). Guest Lecturer, Construction Management Department, Wentworth Institute of Technology (2014-2016)
Professional Registrations and Activities
Admitted to bar, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Founding Fellow, former Director and Chair of Contract Documents Committee, American College of Construction Lawyers.
Former Chair, Contract Documents Division, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law.
Secretary, Trustee, Boston Architectural College (2004-2008).
Director, The Community Builders, Inc. (1982-2011).
Honorary Member, Boston Society of Architects.
Education
Yale Law School, J.D.
Yale University, B.A.
Banaras Hindu University